That wasn’t the man she’d fallen desperately in love with after reconnecting with him at the same party where Sam first met Nick. She’d dated Spencer for a short time after breaking up with her longtime boyfriend and then made the huge mistake of going back to Johnny. Thank God she’d gotten a second chance with Spencer when he came into the office where she worked at the time for a meeting and asked her to come to the party.

What a consequential night that had been for Angela, Spencer, Sam and Nick. It had taken six years for Sam and Nick to reconnect after that night, but Angela had been with Spencer ever since. Eight years in total, the eight best years of her life.

Well, seven of them had been great.

The last one had been terrifying as they tried to figure out how to get him off the meds that had screwed up their wonderful lives. Somewhere during all that stress and worry, she’d gotten pregnant again with the third child Spencer thought would put things back on track for their family.

And now… she was left sitting in the ashes of her once-beautiful life, wondering how it had all gone so very wrong.

Her eyes ached from crying, her heart was shattered into a million pieces, and her anxiety was through the roof as she tried to fathom how she’d raise three children without Spencer’s salary, without health insurance or a life insurance payout that would’ve made things easier.

They were already behind on their mortgage and other bills due to the outrageous expenses incurred from two trips to rehab. Spencer hadn’t wanted to run that through insurance because he didn’t want his company to know he was in rehab. He told them he was having medical issues but didn’t elaborate. Two months out of work without a doctor’s note had been the straw that broke the situation after nearly a year of sketchy performance and frequent absences.

Angela was terrified of what would happen to her and her children now that he was gone along with the income that had supported their family. While she should be mourning the loss of her true love, money was her primary concern, which was infuriating. How could he have let this happen to them?

She no sooner had that thought than she hated herself for it. He’d fought so hard to get free of the addiction. It wasn’t fair to blame him for any of this, and yet… She did. She blamed him. The day he’d first gotten hurt, she’d told him not to play football with his always-rough college friends. What if you get hurt? she’d asked him. I won’t, he’d said. It’s just for fun.

If only he’d listened to her, he would still be there, still have his job, still have his life and the chance to raise the children he loved so much.

And then she was crying again, devastated by the loss of the man who’d been the center of her life. He’d had his flaws. Who didn’t? But he’d loved her with his whole heart and soul and was crushed to have brought his addiction into their blessed lives. He’d apologized to her a hundred times, had sworn he was going to beat it no matter what it took, but even as he fought with everything he had, it had only gotten worse.