I met Lincoln a year after Braxton raped me, a year after the trial. My parents eventually told to me to leave and I stayed with a friend for about a month.

But everyone that I knew told me that what happened with Braxton was my fault: that I should just move on.

I was obviously fired from Rose & Bone Publishing. And I couldn't stay where I was.

I moved to a new city, got a job with another publishing company. I wasn't anywhere close to being okay, but I was better. My nightmares only happened a few times a month.

And then I met Lincoln.

It was pouring rain. I had had a nightmare about Braxton and I needed to get out of my apartment. The town I lived in was smaller.

I pulled my sweatshirt tighter as I walked. Everything was closed and no one was out, no cars passed me. I sighed. I was soaking wet and cold, but I didn't really feel it. I was still numb even though it had been a year since Braxton.

I sighed and rounded the corner. I frowned. There was a cafe with a light on. I raised my eyebrows and walked in. There was a man busing tables. He looked up when I walked in.

"Uh, you still open?" I asked. He nodded.

"Can I get you something?" he asked. His hair was dark and tousled and his eyes were brown.

"Tea,"I said. "Thanks." He nodded and went behind the counter.

"You're new, right?'" he asked.

"Uh, yeah." I smiled and looked at the ground. "Small town, huh?"

"Yeah," he said as he handed me a tea. "I'm Lincoln."

"Adelaide," I said. He smiled.

"It's nice to meet you, Adelaide," Lincoln said as he smiled.

"You too," I said. I handed him a five. He shook his head.

"On the house." He walked over to where I was. "Are you cold?"

"Huh?" I asked.

"You're sopping wet and shivering," Lincoln told me. I frowned and looked down.

"Oh," I said. He handed me his sweatshirt. I shrugged it on. He gestured for me to sit down.

"What brings you here, Adelaide?" he asked. I shrugged.

"I couldn't sleep." I pulled the sweatshirt tighter. I felt safe for the first time in a year. "Why are you open at three in the morning?"

"I like the night," he said. He lips pulled up into a grin. "Without the dark, we'd never see the stars."

"Is that from Twilight?" I asked. I took a drink of the tea. Lincoln grinned and ran his hands through his hair.

"Maybe."

I laughed. I hadn't laughed in a long time. "You lived here a long time?" I asked.

"About six months," he told me.

"The how'd you know I was new?" I took another drink of the tea.

He shrugged. "There's something different about you."

With Lincoln, I felt safe; like I belonged. It was something I hadn't felt in a while.

Lincoln was charming and funny. He always had a smile on his face and always managed to make me laugh. It wasn't hard to fall in love with him.

We were just friends at first.

"Why'd you leave California?" Lincoln asked me. We were sitting on a bench in the park. We both had taken the day off. I hadn't thought or dreamed about Braxton in a month, ever since I met Lincoln.

I had finally moved on.

"Something happened...and I just, I couldn't stay," I told him, looking into his brown eyes. "I felt like I was drowning."

"Selfishly, I'm glad you left," he told me. He slung his arm around the back of the bench, his hand brushed my shoulder.

"Why'd you leave New York?" I asked.

"My parents were always pressuring me into doing things. They set me up with a woman and we went through a rough break up," Lincoln said. "I needed a fresh start."

"I'm glad I met you," I said as I leaned into his chest. He stiffened and then slid his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer.

We didn't say anything for a few minutes, just watched the clouds in the sky. "Tell me a story, Lincoln," I said.

"Uh..." he started. "There was a girl with uh, green eyes. She came to a sleepy town and everyone was pulled out of their haze by her beauty. She was unaware of how beautiful she was.

"And there was a boy that was inexplicably drawn to her. He was captivated by her beauty, but he never said anything to her. Until one day, she stumbled into his life. From that moment, they began to fall into an unimaginable love. And they lived happily ever after."

Lincoln was my first love.

I had dated many men and was by no means shy. I even thought that I was in love with a boy during high school, but I wasn't.

I truly loved Lincoln. He brought me back to life.

I couldn't stop smiling as I walked to work. Lincoln and I had spent every second we could together. He made me so ridiculously happy. Nothing besides him mattered.

My phone rang. "Hey, Lincoln," I said with a giddy smile on my face.

"Hi, Adelaide. Can I steal you for lunch?" he asked.

"Of course," I said. "I have to go, but I'll see you soon."

It was lunch before I knew it. I walked outside and he looked up. He smiled shyly before hugging me briefly.

"How's it going?" he asked. I smiled.

"I'm good. You?" I asked. He smiled.

"I'm better now that I'm with you," he told me. "How does a picnic sound?"

"Perfect," I said.

We both smiled as we walked to the park. I was so happy when I was with Lincoln. I figured it would wear off eventually; become less exciting, but it hadn't. Every time I saw him, my heart skipped a beat and I forgot to breathe for a second.

Lincoln picked a spot and laid the picnic blanket out on the grass. He handed me a bowl.

"I got you strawberries, I know they're your favorite," he said. I smiled and started eating one. "How was work?"

"Good. There's a new author I'm really excited about." I was still working as a Publisher, but for a smaller indie company. I loved it. "How's the cafe?"

He smiled and looked at the ground, then at me. "It's good. There's this older couple that comes in every day for coffee. They've been married for fifty years and are still hopelessly in love," Lincoln told me.

I smiled. "That's sweet."

I passed the strawberries to him. We started eating and talking.

But then it was pouring rain. "Grab the food!" I said laughing. We packed everything up hastily as we were laughing.

We started running. Lincoln was way ahead of me. "Can't you run any faster, Adelaide?" he called to me. I laughed and chased after him.

I ran faster and managed to catch up to him. "Hey, Lincoln, I'm coming for you," I said right as I tripped into his arms.

Lincoln dropped the picnic basket and caught me. Our bodies were pressed together and we were both soaking wet. I could feel the heat radiating off of him. His gaze lowered to my lips and I realized how close we were.

And then he kissed me in the pouring rain. It was gentle. His hands slid to my neck and to cup my hip. I smiled against his lips and kissed him harder as I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders.

He tasted sweet like the strawberries had.

It was perfect.

After Lincoln and I kissed for the first time, our relationship continued to grow. We were always together. I even moved in with him.

We were a couple. A perfect couple.

But of course, Braxton was never really gone.

I was sleeping on Lincoln's chest. We had fallen asleep on the couch. But I woke up screaming. My nightmares of Braxton had come back.

"Adelaide, Adelaide," Lincoln said. My eyes were wide as I looked at me. He touched my shoulder and I flinched. His eyes flooded with hurt. "What's wrong?"

I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing. I walked into the kitchen and splashed water from the sink on my face. Lincoln's hand brushed my back.

"Baby, you have to tell me what's wrong," he told me softly.

"I'm broken, Lincoln," I told him as tears filled my eyes. "And there's nothing you can do to fix me."

Lincoln wrapped his arms around me. "Why would I want to fix you? You're perfect the way you are," he said as pressed his face against my hair.

"You don't know..." I trailed off. He pulled away and his warm brown eyes searched mine.

"Adelaide?" he said.

"Yes?" I asked.

"I'm in love with you."

Lincoln and I continued to fall deeper and deeper in love. Every day, I loved him even more. He loved me for who I was.

He eventually proposed and we were going to get married.

A few days before our wedding, Lincoln was called away to New York, his father had fallen ill.

But then Braxton came back. I don't know how he found me, but he wasted no time and never seemed to stop.

After he was finished with me and I went to the hospital, we only had two days before we were supposed to marry. Lincoln was going to get back soon.

I walked slowly through the apartment. I had wiped off all of the blood stains, all of the traces of what Braxton did to me. Lincoln was getting home later tonight and I had to leave before he saw me.

So, I packed my things.

I was sobbing uncontrollably. I sank into the bed and cried into a pillow. I had no choice but to break Lincoln's heart and mine.

"It's for the best, Ade," I muttered quietly to myself. I grabbed my bag and stopped in the kitchen. I grabbed a piece of paper.

Dear Lincoln,

I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I did truly love you.

-Adelaide

A tear hit the paper. I slipped off the engagement ring and set it next to the paper.

I closed the door behind me.

Braxton took everything.