Something Worth Saving by Mayra Statham
They had it all.
Or so they thought.
A fairytale kind of romance that started with a girl and a boy falling head over heels in love.
This isn’t that part of the story. This is what happens after the happily ever after. After careers blossom, babies, stretch marks, and carpools.
Nadia is lost. As much as she loves her life, she hardly recognizes the reflection in the mirror. All she sees is his wife, their mom.
Owen works hard. Somewhere between his career and life, working to provide everything possible for his girls, he lost track of what was important.
After one too many broken promises, cold shoulders, and nonexistent attempts at trying to work on ‘them’, she is ready for her life to change. When she does, he wakes up and realizes his own mistakes.
Do Owen and Nadia have something worth saving?
- File Name:something-worth-saving-by-mayra-statham.epub
- Original Title:Something Worth Saving
- Creator:Mayra Statham
- Language:en
- Identifier:MOBI-ASIN:B073VPCCC7
- Publisher:MAYRA STATHAM
- Date:2017-09-13T16:00:00+00:00
- File Size:236.446 KB
Table of Content
- 1. Chapter One
- 2. Chapter Two
- 3. Chapter Three
- 4. Chapter Four
- 5. Chapter Five
- 6. Chapter Six
- 7. Chapter Seven
- 8. Chapter Eight
- 9. Chapter Nine
- 10. Chapter Ten
- 11. Chapter Eleven
- 12. Chapter Twelve
- 13. Chapter Thirteen
- 14. Chapter Fourteen
- 15. Chapter Fifteen
- 16. Chapter Sixteen
- 17. Chapter Seventeen
- 18. Chapter Eighteen
- 19. Chapter Nineteen
- 20. Chapter Twenty
- 21. Epilogue
- 22. Book 1
- 23. Chapter 1
- 24. Enchanted Immortals Book 1
- 25. Prologue
- 26. Chapter One
It was ok...too long
Something Worth Saving was about Dr. Owen Daniels, a plastic surgeon, and his wife Nadia Daniels, a stay-at-home mom, who had been together since their Freshmen year of college and married for more than eight years. Side Note: The author did something odd when she wrote this book. It was told from Nadia's first-person perspective but from Owen's third-person perspective. Taking her twins, Becca and Vivian, to their individual activities one day, her mind was focused on the evening to come. It was date night, and she really needed time with her husband, adult time. The twins were arguing in the back seat, but she managed to shut that down just before her phone rang. Owen called to say he couldn't keep their date. (This was the 6th time in a row he had canceled on her.) He promised they'd reschedule But that was a hollow promise. She realized she could no longer count on him to keep his word. He even he would not be home for dinner. Then the call ended without saying "I love you". Nadia knew his working late, lack of loving words, and canceling their plans had become their "new norm", and she wasn't happy. It was well after ten that night before Owen returned home. He asked why she was sitting in the dark and when she told him the bulbs had blown, he finally recalled she had told him that and he'd promised to change them, but never got around to it. She said she could do it, but he took it as a "ball-busting" on her part and got pissed off. She realized that his attitude toward her had been getting worse for at least the past two months. He'd started losing his temper more often and pushing her away. She knew that, at some point in their marriage, they had "lost their way". She knew she was at fault too, but she also knew that Owen was equally to blame. After cleaning up and securing the house for the night (all on her own), Nadia went to their bedroom, where Owen was already showered and in bed with his work iPad. Aware of the distance between them, Nadia noted he had an expression on his face that she didn't recognize. Owen asked her if something was wrong. She made the mistake of saying, "I'm surprised you noticed". When she said nothing, he asked if everything was okay. She mentioned something about the girls' activities being rescheduled to fall on the same day and time each week, and she was trying to figure out the best way to handle it. He suggested she get her sister to help, but she wanted HIM to offer to step up to the plate and be the dad and husband he used to be. She felt bitter about how Owen was "too fcking busy and what he did was so gddmn important", more so than his family, apparently. She said her sister had gone on vacation with her family, and Owen made the snide remark of "Must be nice". That solidified something within Nadia. She decided she'd take their daughters on a vacation alone to their beach house in Santa Barbara so she could make some decisions about their marriage. Owen's only response was to grunt and return his attention to his iPad. She wanted to take the girls on vacation for a week, and he said he didn't think he could get the time off...but she hadn't meant for HIM to join them. His cold response caused something to break inside her, and it was at that moment the thin thread she'd been holding on to concerning their marriage finally snapped in two. She said he could get the girls for the weekend and she would stay at the bungalow. He asked if she planned on it being a girls' weekend with her best friend, but she said no, it would just be her. He asked if she would return after the weekend, but she said no, he could return the girls and three of them would continue their vacation while he went back to work. He got a little snippy and reminded her that the bungalow was a wreck (it was a "fixer-upper"), but she just said she and the twins could work on the place while there. Lost in her planning, she missed the concerned look Owen threw at her. That concern woke Owen up in the middle of the night and he noticed Nadia wasn't cuddled up to him, something he had complained about often in the past. He realized she was turned away, and as far away as she could get and still be in the bed. Her words of "I'm surprised you noticed" kept ringing in his ears. Owen was aware of things he hadn't noticed before, like the new dress she'd apparently purchased for their date, and the suit he wore because it was her favorite, both hanging together as if waiting to be worn for that special occasion. He wondered when she'd stopped talking to him about things other than what their girls were into. Then he asked himself when had HE stopped listening to her. He looked at Nadia, just in time to see her grimace in her sleep, and a stray tear make a path down her cheek, causing his heart to stutter. What was she dreaming about that was making her cry? He instinctively pulled her to him, only for her to wake up in confusion and apologize for being wrapped around him. She asked why he was awake, and he said, "I see you". After a moment, she said, "No, you don't...it happens", then told him he should go back to sleep since he had a full day at work. He wanted to talk, but she rolled over and ignored him. He snuggled against her, hoping she wouldn't push him away, but he realized, she never did that...but HE had. All those ugly moments he'd pushed her away, whether in bed, at home, or at work events, flooded his thoughts. He told her he would pick up one of their daughters from the while Nadia picked up the other one. She said she'd just bribe one child into skipping her event with two things the child liked. He wasn't aware of what she was talking about, which only proved to him how out of sync he was with his family. Things got a little intimate and he suddenly wanted to kiss her, but that only made him wonder when he last did so, or how long since they'd made love. He complimented her PJs, & asked if it was new...she said no, it wasn't. But then she said, "You bought them...Anniversary gift...Though I guess I was right in assuming it was Monique, and not you, who picked it out." (Monique being his assistant...and possibly the other woman.) Nadia said, "Goodnight", though he tried to add something else. She just turned away. He asked if she really planned to go away and she said, "I think I should". She said the girls could visit him on the weekends if he wasn't working, or he could go to them and she would return to their current home while he spent time with the girls at the beach. He asked if she was leaving him, to which she first said no, but then said she wasn't certain, but that things weren't right between them at the moment and hadn't been for some time. Owen said they could fix it, but she said she needed some time to clear her head, which caused him to ask, "Clear your head of what?". She asked him if he knew what her days consisted of. He got snippy and asked if SHE knew what HIS days consisted of. She said, "Yes. I do, actually. I totally do.". Although he knew she was right, he was still angry with her, but in that anger, he said, "Whatever. Go.". She called him on his lack of maturity in that response. She told him not to worry about picking up one of the girls, but he angrily said he'd do it. She whispered, "Okay" in response. But Owen thought the broken date was the only thing causing Nadia to mess things up. He was thinking "he'd broken a date and she was acting like he'd broken a promise". Unable to return to sleep, Owen was aware that neither of them reached for the other during the remainder of the night. Nadia spent part of the next day with Simone, her BFF, getting things for the trip, who recognized the nuances and asked what was going on. While they talked about Owen's job and lack of husbandly attention, Nadia wondered out loud if she needed a "Mommy Makeover" (plastic surgery). Her friend was adamant she didn't need anything done, but Nadia wasn't convinced. Later as Nadia sat waiting for Becca, the daughter she was to pick up, Owen called to let her know he had arrived early at the gym to get Vivian, their other daughter. He said he wanted to pick Nadia and Becca up so they could do a family dinner. But then the hospital called, interrupting their conversation. When he returned to the call, she made a couple of suggestions for where to eat, only to have him chastise her about the food she was putting into her body (he had made some snide remarks in the past about her weight. She hadn't quite lost what she'd gained when pregnant with the twins.). Then he said he canceled the dinner because he was needed at the hospital. He asked if they could meet halfway so he could transfer Vivian to her car, but she sand for him to drop her off at Nadia's mother's place instead. He said it would be out of Nadia's way, but she told him it wasn't a big deal. He apologized but said that the hospital needed him. Nadia asked, "I know, but have you stopped to think that maybe we need you, too?". He asked, "'We' as in the girls, or are you included in that 'we'?", but they got interrupted by Becca's arrival. With her daughter's ballet lesson ending early, Nadia told Owen to leave Vivian at the gym and that she'd be there in ten minutes. He said he'd wait for her. When she got there, Owen apologized for letting her down for both the missed date and having to go back to the hospital, told her he loved her, and that "it's a wonder you haven't wanted to go up to Santa Barbara before this.". to which he agreed. But he asked her to not give up on him yet. His phone cHis phone rang then, and she said he had to go, Work called him again, & at the same time his "pretty twenty-something bubbly assistant", called HER. Nadia said, "You have to go. SHE needs you.". She asked if she should wait dinner for him, & he said yes but, "Just none of that crap you were mentioning earlier. We both can't afford the calories, yeah?". She visibly flinched as if he had struck her. Except, dinner came and went, but Owen never showed. At work, Owen's friend Paul asked him to tell Nadia there was an opening on Friday. Confused, he asked him what he meant. Paul said Nadia wanted a "Mommy Makeover". Paul asked him if he had known Nadia wanted plastic surgery. Owen lied and said yes, realizing it was another sign his marriage was in trouble. Paul asked if things were okay, but Owen asked if he knew something else about his wife and marriage that he didn't. Paul knew Owen was working more than necessary. Owen said he was working. Paul suggested he should spend more time at home. He told Owen hh had visited a patient the weekend before, intending to be there for only ten minutes. Bbut as Paul left after nine, Owen had still been there. Owen knew he had meant to have dinner with his family, then watch a movie. Paul threw a added that each time he stayed late, "your sexy-ass assistant is here as well...be careful with that one". Owen said she was "harmless...She's young.", although Nadia had said something similar when she had met the assistant. Paul said, "Hell yeah, she is. Young and pretty, and she knows it.". Owen said he wasn't a cheater. His friend said, "I know that. You know that. But does Monique?". Owen said Paul's assistant stayed late too, but he was told not as often as Owen's assistant, and that there was office gossip. He admitted he had heard Monique telling someone that she believed Owen would be leaving Nadia soon; that he wouldtrade her in for a younger model. He said Monique hinted that something was going on between the two of them. He said, "...if she's really ballsy enough to tell someone like Jean, who do you think she's already told?". Paul suggested he should report it to HR..."just in case", and that he would do the same. Owen then told Paul about Nadia's idea to go away, beause he canceled " a fcking date". He said Nadia wouldn't leave over just one incident. He admitted it was more than one. He asked why she wanted a makeover. He asked Paul what he wasn't saying. Hesitantly, Paul said sometimes people heard things from their loved ones that "gives them ideas". He mentioned the recent company BBQ, and how Owen had said some hurtful things to Nadia. Before he could continue, he got called back to work. Paul said talk to Nadia. On his own, Owen couldn't think of anything bad he has said to Nadia, although he asked himself if she thought he was cheating on her. When Owen spoke with Monique later, there was a huge blow up and he realized his friend had been right about his assistant. He told her she was just his assistant, but she said, "I take care of you...". She admitted to thinking he was going to leave his wife for her. He asked "Why would I leave her? I love her!" Monique scathingly replied, "Right! If you loved her the way you say you do, the way you tell everyone you do, you wouldn't have led me on!". Then she itemed everything he had done: 1)worke late, 2)told her to call anytime (for professional reasons, he said), and 3)Had her cancel date nights. Six in a row (Shit! That many?!), 4)Had her to buy Nadia's anniversary gifts. "Just FYI, Dr. DISASTER, a man in love makes time for his woman! You were not spending time with her. You were spending time with me!". (I was helping patients.) "Please. You know you've been going above and beyond for your patients lately, right? All these late nights.". (It's what I do for my patients.) "Having dinner with me! (In the hospital cafeteria.) Then she left. It was after midnight and Owen wasn't home. Nadia grabbed the suitcases she'd need for the trip. Then she climbed into bed and fell asleep...alone. Two hours later, Nadia woke up to Owen bent over her. Another emergency had made him late, then he fell asleep at the office. They argued about her appointment with Paul. She said she had money set aside that could pay for the makeover. He hadn't known about that. She reminded him of things he had said to and about her appearance & need to count calories. Owen couldn't let it go, and continued to argue, making things worse the more he talked, and somewhere in this fight, Owen screwed up by basically calling Nadia a glorified housekeeper (my words, not his), and for the first time in their relationship, Nadia slept in a different bed. Things hadn't improved by the next day. Owen was being petulant & picking fights. But she wasn't having it, even when Owen washateful. He apologized, admitted to being an A$$h*le, then attempted to manipulate Nadia by saying he would go with them for the weekend, but that they would all return together, saying the would go back each weekend. She countered by suggesting he take time off work, but the look in his eyes said he wouldn't. He asked if their marriage was over. She said she needed to figure some things out. She hugged and kissed him goodbye. He asked her not to go, to wait for him to be able to take time off. She asked when that would be because he couldn't even take time off to have dinner with his family. He said that wasn't fair. She said maybe, but it was the truth. He asked for a chance. She said she'd give him a chance...when he made time for them. She said she loved him, but she needed to know she meant more to him than just being his housekeeper. He said he hadn't meant that, had been an A$$. She agreed, but that in a way it had been the truth too. She said they needed time away from home. He asked why they couldn't work on things from home, but then work called. She said that's why, and that she hoped she and the girls would see him in Santa Barbara. Then she left. After arriving at the bungalow, Nadia called Owen & got his voicemail. She updated him then said it would be best if he didn't come that week, that they needed the time apart. Back in L.A. the following day, Paul found him in his office, and Owen said Nadia had left him. When Paul asked if it was permanent, Owen didn't know. Paul said it was okay to miss them, but Owen said it didn't matter, his marriage was over. Paul said they needed a change of scenery, but Owen told him that Nadia had called the night before and said they needed to figure out what they wanted out of life, and from each other. But Paul told him that if he wanted his marriage to work, a good place to start was to beg his wife to not leave him. He said to remind her of the reasons they fell in love. Then he said if he had a real chance with his wife, he shouldn't mess around with his thumb up his derriere while he threw himself a pity party. That he should be with Nadia, working things out, even if he had to sleep on the floor. He should prove to her he was the kind of man she not only wanted but needed in a partner, the kind of man who stood next to her in the hard times as well as the good. But Owen said that the financial hardships were behind them. But Owen shut up when he realized he'd gotten it wrong and let Paul correct him. Paul told him what Nadia wanted was HIM...Owen, not the things he could offer her, not the homes, the money, the jewels. Hell, not even the KIDS. Just HIM. Time with him, his presence. When Owen said it wasn't that simple, Paul said it was. He said to show her he was still the man she fell in love with, but even if he wasn't to show her who he was now and make certain she was in love with THAT man. he said they had too much to throw away, but what he should NOT be doing is "boo-who-is me crap". He said they had two kids and what she did NOT need was a "grown-ass man baby" adding to her plate. That she needed a grown man by her side.