Ivy, a married woman and mom, struggles with her marriage because of her parents’ fractured marriage. When her daughter reveals a secret, Ivy believes that history is repeating itself — and that it’s only a matter of time before her marriage falls apart too. But when the truth comes to light Ivy isn’t sure what to think…

I was a child of divorce. My father had an affair when I was in the eighth grade, and it ruined my mother. In the shadow of the affair, she had become a timid woman — one that lost all her flare for life.

Does it matter, Ivy?” she would reply whenever I tried to talk about it. “What difference would it make?”

For the following years after that, all I knew was the pain of living in a house with a broken marriage.

I don’t think I’m going to get married, Mom,” I confessed one day, when my mother and I were baking together.

“Why on earth not?” she asked, stirring away.

“Look at you and Dad. I’ll never be certain if my husband is cheating on me or not.”

“For heaven’s sake, Ivy. Not every man will be like your father,” she chuckled. “There will be better things for you, love. And anyway, now you know what not to do.”

Which is?” I asked, uncertain about what she was talking about.

Don’t let your guard down, not even for a moment. But you need to believe in a good marriage, too.”

Despite her words, I was still unsure about getting into any relationships.

Did I really want to be involved with someone, only to later become something stale in their lives?

The thought was horrible.

But then, I met Jordan in a grocery store. And although my walls were up, there was something about him that tore them down. At first, I didn’t know if my loneliness had taken a turn — causing me to want companionship with another person, rather than daydream about the possibilities.

“I’m Jordan,” he said, slurping on a slushy.

“Ivy,” I replied, breaking all the rules I had for myself.

Continues…