Sarah Grace Montgomery was reading James his favorite book when her life ended, though like most endings in Mill Haven, the roots of destruction had been growing beneath manicured lawns and Sunday pleasantries long before they broke surface...
The knock came during the quiet hour between homework and dinner. Afternoon light painted long shadows across her kitchen floor. The scent of pot roast hung heavy in the air—a false promise of normalcy. She'd arranged gardenias that morning for the Ladies' Auxiliary luncheon, and their perfume still lingered, sweet as memory, sharp as judgment.
She remembered sitting there just hours ago, spine straight as her grandmother's silver, nodding as they discussed the Hendersons' daughter and her "unfortunate condition." The same girl whose college applications she'd helped with last fall. Before the belly. Before the shame.
"Some situations require discretion," she'd said, voice low and certain. The other women had nodded, pearls clicking like rosary beads.
And so begins Sarah Grace's fall — not just from grace, but from the fragile scaffolding of reputation, denial, and the roles she's lived within. What follows is a journey of reckoning, mercy, and rediscovery in a town where everyone knows your name — and your secrets.
← Back to Mike Singleton's Author Page© 2025 Mike Singleton. This excerpt is protected under U.S. copyright law and may not be reproduced, shared, or published in whole or part without express written permission. If you're a reader, agent, or editor who would like to discuss the manuscript, please contact me here.