Chapter 1

I keep a picture of my former girlfriend beside my bed all the time. I was told after she received the letter that I sent to her, she made a noose out of our bedsheets and hung herself. I could say she was being selfish, killing herself because she thought that I should stay with her and not be around any other men or women. A little jealous perhaps, but I understood her point of view. And I had to acknowledge that I was being selfish myself, chasing after my sovereignty and leaving her behind.

Her name was Nedra Toussaint, born and raised in the town of Nice, France. She came to the United States when she was six years old, and her mother became her guardian after her father was killed in a car accident. I remember meeting her in a club in Greenwich Village while I was with a group of students from NYU. She was such a pretty girl, wearing these black pigtails that looked so childish and sweet at the same time. I remember how much she told me that I looked like Linda Evangelista, her favorite supermodel. I was floored... It was such a flattering statement despite the fact that I had no interest in modeling whatsoever.

I shared her and my boyfriend simultaneously, and I was enjoying myself. We all got along so well, we even lived with each other. I knew he really liked her, but she seemed a lot more interested in me. To this day, I still don't know how that could have been.

My boyfriend and I broke up, and Nedra and I were alone. I could see that she was happy about that, but I was too much of a free spirit to settle down. She was an attractive girl, but I didn't want to be monogamous. I didn't like to have to put restrictions on my life for he sake of someone else. Yes, I was promiscuous, and I was aware that it is dangerous. I guess, in the back of my mind, I was trying to spice things up.

I was only acting like a damn fool.

So here I am years later, reminiscing about the bus ride that took me here to this quiet town. I don't mind it, really; it's a significant change from New York City. I've neer heard of North Carolina being metropolitan, but that's probably a good thing. I doubt anybody would want to change its foundation.

I know my husband wouldn't.

Chapter 2
Prologue