Fleeting Moments by Bella Jewel
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As always, my heartfelt thanks to every single blogger, reader and author that has supported my journey. From reading my books, to sharing them, to raving about them, to being there for me. Thank you. My career would be nothing without any of you.
A huge thanks to Kylie from Give Me Books for organizing my reveals and blitzes. You do such an amazing job. No matter how many times I use you, I am always blown away by how efficient you are. Nothing is ever a drama. Thank you for giving me so much support.
A massive thanks to Kellie from Book Cover By Design for this epic cover. It’s absolutely beautiful, and I couldn’t have imagined anything better. You got what I wanted, down to a T. Thank you.
To Carol from the Blurb Bitch, thank you for working on this blurb with me to make it the epic masterpiece that it is. I can’t thank you enough for the time and effort you put into helping with this. I really appreciate it.
To Lauren, my epic editor. You are the best thing since sliced bread, no lie. You seriously are the best person EVER to work with. You are quick and your notes always make me laugh. No one else could ever keep up with my writing pace, but you always nail it.
A big, heartfelt thanks to Rose from Read By Rose for this amazing proofread. You came in at the last moment and helped me in incredible ways. You’re truly epic and I can’t wait to work with you again.
And of course, to my admin, MJ, for ALWAYS keeping my page running beautifully. I couldn’t do it without you, girly. I love your teasers and your passion; thank you for taking the time out of your life to help this poor girl keep everything running.
And, last but certainly not least, to my loyal readers. To each and every one of you that picks up my books and give me a chance. To the reviews you write, good or bad. To the time you take to make me a better person. You make this real for me; never stop giving such love and passion. You make our journey so amazing.
DEDICATION
This book is for you—you know who you are.
Thank you for believing in me, and always talking to me about my work.
Mostly, thanks for being my friend and giving me something to write about.
PROLOGUE
Life is a series of fleeting moments. Moments that pass you by—sometimes without recognition. We let moments define us and other times we let them destroy us. Those moments can be small, or they can be momentous. They can introduce love, belief, and strength, and they can take away passion, self-worth, and happiness. Every piece of our life is made up of moments.
The biggest moment in any person’s life is the day they’re born. After that, moments are made up of friendship, love, pain, betrayal, happiness, marriage, children, and death. Our final moment is when we take our last breath and leave the life we created to be passed onto someone else. Our moments become our story and our story is shared. If we don’t relish in our moments, we may just lose them forever.
What can you say about your moments? Are you proud of them? Do you believe in them? Did they change you? Define you? Destroy you? Did you even notice as they passed you by? Do you remember the first time you fell in love? Your first friendship? Your first heartbreak? The smell of your first child as you held them in your arms? Those moments became you, but did you recognize them? Did you relish in them? Did you let them into your soul to become every single piece of who you are?
My moments defined me.
They took so much and yet returned the same.
They destroyed me.
But mostly, they created me.
***
I recall a great deal about my life, but falling in love stands out the strongest. The day I met Gerard Jacobson changed me. It put a piece into my soul I hadn’t even known I needed.
I was just a girl, and he was just a boy. Cliché, I know. We locked eyes in a coffee shop and the rest is history. Falling in love for me was like coming alive—like taking your first breath. Dragging air into your fresh lungs and feeling it spread throughout your body, filling everything with life.
Being filled with love is like being filled with life.
I never imagined that a single second would pass by when I wouldn’t love Gerard. I certainly never imagined that another love could be stronger, more intense, and even more terrifying. He gave me the world with open arms and I took it, throwing myself into his life and being everything I knew a wife needed to be. I loved him as surely as I breathed, and he returned with equal passion.
I didn’t think there could be anyone else. It just wasn’t possible.
I certainly didn’t think he had it in him to change. To be different to the man I knew so well for so long.
But life is funny like that, isn’t it? It doesn’t give you a choice. It picks your moments and it thrusts them upon you. Sometimes I wonder if those hard moments are sent to test us; other times I wonder if they’re sent to hurt us. After all, why would my perfect marriage be thrown into turmoil without a good reason? Why would the man I’d loved for six years suddenly become empty to me? Why would my life and my moments be twisted until I could no longer recognize them?
If life has such a big plan for us, why the hell does it hurt so damned bad?
But before I tell you about the hurt, the testing moments and how they changed me, you have to know how it all began.
CHAPTER 1