In the gritty streets of Chicago, Katie finds herself at a crossroads, torn between her tumultuous past and an uncertain future. Escaping an abusive relationship, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery, determined to carve out a new path for her...
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Prologue
Two years earlier
"And Katie Jackson's cooking wins again!" Natalie Manning announces, taking a big bite of pasta. Her eyes dramatically roll back as she chews, and laughter fills the room.
"Where's Kieran?" Jesse, my older brother, asks where my husband is as he was supposed to be home an hour ago.
"Oh, he just got caught up at work. I'm sure he'll be home soon," I tell everyone, waving it off.
I've invited Jesse, and our friends, to join me for dinner tonight, to celebrate a new beginning. Jesse works as a trauma surgeon at Chicago Med, and I quickly became friends with the staff through him. Currently, Natalie Manning, Connor Rhodes, Maggie Lockwood, April Sexton, Will Halstead, Daniel Charles, and Ethan Choi are sitting with me in my house, enjoying tagliatelle.
When they all arrived, I shared my exciting news about applying to the police academy. I'll be starting there next week.
"Well, once you come out of the academy, you'll be the best cop there is," Daniel raises his glass to me with a sweet and proud smile.
"Cop?" I turn, and there's Kieran, standing at the dining room door. My heart begins to pound. He looks annoyed, his eyebrows knitted together, and his muscles twitching under his light blue CPD-issued shirt. "What's all this?" He points around the table at my friends. I'm worried that his slightly raised voice will wake up our son who is sleeping upstairs.
"I signed up for the Chicago police academy," I tell him timidly, starting to wring my hands together.
"What?" He breathes out sharply. Everyone stops eating, and the air becomes silent and awkward. "I thought we agreed that was a bad idea. You wouldn't make a good cop."
I flush red, feeling embarrassed that he's making a scene in front of my friends. I stand up, walk around the table, so I'm closer to him, and lower our voices so my friends can hear less. "No, you said you didn't think it was right. I've spent all my time at home looking after our son, and I think it's time I got back to providing for the family, helping out a little. If I get through the academy—"
"Which you will," Connor winks at me, and I smile at him gratefully.
"Then I can do two years of probation in uniform and petition to get moved up to a detective level. That's always been my dream. You know that," I tell him, and he walks forward.
He has an angry look in his eye that scares me. I take a step away, but he stops and gives me a strange smile. "Well, if that's what you want," he says and hugs me.
I wasn't expecting that.
I lightly put my arms around him, feeling awkward, and he places a sloppy kiss on my cheek. I tell him I'll plate him up some pasta and go into the kitchen. Placing both my hands onto the counter, I lean over to breathe by myself for a moment. I'm scared that when my friends leave, the anger Kieran is feeling over this situation is going to come bursting out, and I'm going to take the brunt of it, just like I always do.
