Second Chances

Sophia Iriotakis

Description

A crime has been committed - the worst kind- Ashley Moore is savagely raped, beaten and left for dead. Is the rapist Jack Newman, a married man who's marriage is on the rocks. A brief sexual encounter between him and the victim makes him a prime suspect. Could he prove his innocence and save his marriage to his estranged wife, Nicole, before it's too late?
Together, they suffered an enormous loss in a tragic accident, but have a second chance of happiness - if he's telling the truth. Is it Manny, Ashley's creepy boss, where Ashley works as a server, along with Stephanie Brown, and Laura Jefferson, all young beautiful women with a troubled past. Manny is so powerful, and so controlling, and he expects to get what he wants, at any price, no matter who he hurts in the process.
This is a riveting story of love, betrayal, and heart wrenching loss and a second chance of happiness.

Sujets

• Dramatic
• Romance
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Archway Publishing
• Date de parution: 03 janvier 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665736312
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

SECOND CHANCES
Sophia Iriotakis


Copyright © 2023 Sophia Iriotakis.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
 
 
Archway Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.archwaypublishing.com
844-669-3957
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6657-3602-2 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6657-3601-5 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6657-3631-2 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022924107
 
 
 
Archway Publishing rev. date: 12/29/2022
CONTENTS
Dedication
 
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
DEDICATION
I would like to dedicate this novel to my Dad, who is no longer with us. He supported and encouraged me to follow my dream. I am just saddened that he is not here to see the outcome. He taught me to never give-up, as long as it takes, and it took a while! Thank you for that!
Also, to my sister, Effie Maimonis, whose constant support was unwavering throughout this entire process.
And to my best friend, Diane Obradovic, who was relentless with me finishing the novel, even when I wanted to give up.
Lastly, I would like to thank my wonderful husband, Dimitri, who supported and encouraged me throughout this entire journey. I would not have come this far had it not been for him.
I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
1
A s Nicole stood in the doctor’s office and awaited his return, she couldn’t help but feel anxiety setting in. She hadn’t been feeling well recently. She was extremely tired all the time. She didn’t feel sick or anything, but she didn’t feel right either. Waves of nausea hit her again, which was what initially brought her to see Dr. Hamel. He had been her doctor since she was a young adolescent. When she had missed her period last month, she suspected that she might be pregnant.
The secretary, an older woman, called her in. She told Nicole, in her politest manner, to make herself comfortable and that the doctor would be in shortly. Nicole was in for the results of the blood work she’d had done two days before. As the secretary left the office, Nicole stood there for a moment before deciding to sit down on one of the two chairs in front of the large oak desk. She looked around, observing the warmth that the office provided with its soft shades of white and cream. It was quite appropriate for a doctor of his status. She felt immediate comfort being there. After only a couple of minutes of sitting, she walked over to the window, which overlooked the main street.
Could it be possible? Could she really be pregnant? In the last year, she could count on one hand how many times she and her husband had made love. Nicole Newman was thirty-two years old, tall, and slim, with brown shoulder-length hair and crystal blue eyes. She was a beautiful girl, but at this precise moment, all she was starting to feel was pure anxiety. She continued to look outside, for it was a beautiful, sunny June day. The sky was blue with not a single cloud in it.
As she waited, Nicole couldn’t help but think of the last time she had been to see the doctor for this reason. Absentmindedly, she touched her abdomen in wonder. Could there be a child growing inside of her? Her eyes started to well up with tears as she thought of the last year. It was just over one year ago that she had lost her son, Jonathan. He had barely been over two years of age when her little angel had drowned in their pool. She had been in the basement, doing a client’s hair, when her little boy had gotten bored with playing there and managed to go into the backyard, unlock the gate that separated the yard from the pool, and step onto the other side.
She instantly shook her head to rid herself of that awful, fateful day. She crossed her arms and continued to look up at the sky as her tears now threatened to escape. How could she have been so careless? How could she have not noticed that Jonathan was no longer in the basement, playing quietly with his toy truck, which he had received as an Easter gift from her parents two months prior to the accident? Questions. Unanswered questions that continued to haunt her, and still no definite answers.
She had been married to Jack Newman for the past twelve years. As she thought about him, she felt instant sadness. They had been high school sweethearts, having met when she was in ninth grade and Jack in twelfth. She fell in love with him the moment she laid eyes on him. He was only eighteen at the time, but he was tall with a muscular build, green eyes, and dark-brown wavy hair. She’d thought he was the next best thing to a Greek god. They’d dated throughout her high school years, while he had continued with his education and gone to university. They’d spent every possible waking moment together. Everyone that knew them had said that they were made for each other.
When Nicole had finished high school and gone to beauty school, they had gotten married, despite their parents’ wishes. Their parents had persuaded them to wait a couple more years, because they were so young, but they had gone ahead and married anyways. They were young and very much in love. Waiting to be together hadn’t been an option for them, and nothing was going to stand in their way. Their parents had eventually given up and gave them a small, but quaint, wedding ceremony. It had been the most wonderful day of Nicole’s life, or so she thought.
Close to a decade later, they had been blessed with a beautiful baby boy. Although her wedding day had been very special, it didn’t hold a candle to how she had felt when the doctor had put her baby boy on her chest. It was an absolute miracle to see this small, helpless baby that she and Jack had created. It didn’t compare to anything else in the world. She then understood what other mothers felt at the time of their children’s births. It had been at that precise moment that she had felt complete and a love so great she didn’t even know existed.
Nicole smiled as she thought of that day, over two years ago. She remembered it vividly. Jack had been by her side the whole time and after. He had bent down, stroked her hair, and kissed her on the lips, and then he had done the same to his new son. It was the most magical feeling in the whole world. She had never felt more love than she had on that day. And while becoming a new mother had been challenging at times—with the night feedings, the temper tantrums, and the terrible twos—she had never regretted a moment of it.
What’s taking the doctor so long? Nicole asked herself, glancing down at her watch. Her appointment was for two o’clock, but it was now close to three. She would never understand why doctors always seemed to fall behind or why they even bothered to make appointments. It was a Friday, and she’d had to leave the salon early to make it to the doctor. Yet here she was, still waiting. She glanced around the office, noticing the photographs on the desk. There was one picture of the doctor and, she guessed, his wife. It looked to be taken while vacationing. There were another two photos, one on each side of the picture of the doctor and his wife, presumably of their adult children with their spouses and children.
Nicole again thought of her little boy and how much she missed him. The emptiness she felt was overwhelming. Even though it had been over a year since he’d died, nothing had changed. She remembered that awful day when she had noticed that Jonathan wasn’t there. She remembered calling his name, thinking he was just hiding. He had always loved to play hide-and-seek. She remembered running upstairs, hoping to find him in the family room, watching his favorite show, Barney , and discovering he wasn’t there either. She had frantically searched the entire house, hoping and praying he was there, safe and sound. As Nicole turned back time, the visions were always the same. Her client had heard her shouting his name and gone upstairs, hoping to find the little boy. It was when Nicole had seen the open sliding door in the kitchen that panic set in.
Tears slid down her face as she thought of the next image. She had discovered the gate open. When she flew to the pool and saw her little boy facedo