Free Tears of Endurance (Romantic Drama) Book #1 by D.G. Torrens

made her way into the bedroom and threw on her gym clothes. Forty minutes later, she was heading to the local gym situated at the back of the high street. She loved Coleshill ; everything she needed was right on her doorstep; the gym, hairdressers, florist, post office, banks and much more. Some weeks she hardly left the small town and had to remind herself there was a whole world outside Coleshill.
    Everyone was dressed for summer as they meandered up and down the bustling high street in sundresses and shorts. Two young children whizzed passed on their bikes and Arianna swiftly stepped back as they cycled passed. “Sorry, lady,” the young boy shouted. Arianna heard the familiar ring on her phone; it was Casey. I could have sworn she said she was out for the day , she thought as she fumbled for her phone at the bottom of her gym bag.
    “ Hey, I thought you were busy today?”
    “ I am, look, we just arrived in Warwick and guess who we ran into? You’re not going to believe this, only your ex, Justin, and he was with a tall blonde, ambling along without a care in the world, until he ran into us. He looked embarrassed, as he will have known you would have told me about the money he stole from you. He said a quick hello, introduced his new girlfriend and then he couldn’t have walked away quick enough. I simply said to him he should be ashamed of himself and that you were better of without him. His girlfriend looked away, seemingly embarrassed, like she knew what I was talking about. I have to say, Arianna, it felt deliciously good to make him squirm like that.”
    Arianna stood rooted to the spot, her stomach flip-flopped at the mere mention of Justin ’s name, and not in a good way either. It made her feel sick to the stomach.
    “ So Casey, I have to ask this pathetic question, what did she look like?”
    “ Okay, I won’t lie to you, she was attractive, but not in a unique stunning way like you. She looked like every other attractive blonde,” reassured Casey. She didn’t want her friend to feel any worse than she knew she was feeling right now, but at the same time, she was her best friend and they always told each other the truth, no matter how painful the deliverance.
    “ Well, I should have guessed. I knew it was someone from work, but that’s all I knew about her. She is welcome to him, Casey. I still feel sick to the stomach every time I think about what he did. The lying cheat. Look, thanks for calling me, you really could have waited until you got home you know. Now go and enjoy your day and I will catch up with you in the week.”
    Casey felt really bad for Arianna ; they had been best friends since forever and she could never understand why Arianna was drawn to these bad boys. She wanted nothing more than to see her in a settled, happy relationship. She was kind and thoughtful, with a giant heart. Casey had always admired her friend, the way she journeyed through life with conviction, never swaying from her path and always knowing where she was going. She’d always wished she could have been more like her in that way. Since the death of Arianna’s father, something had changed in her. Her vision became blurred where men were concerned, as intelligent and astute as she was in business, these attributes failed Arianna in her personal life. Her all-seeing business eye was blind when it came to matters of the heart. She always wanted to find what her parents had, a love that conquered all storms. Unfortunately, her search, to date, had been in vain.
    Arianna rang off and continued towards the gym, her mood somewhat changed and her heart feeling heavy and weighing her down tremendously. Why oh why, at 36 years old, have I not met the man of my dreams, my life partner, and my soul mate? I need to change my path and take a new turn or I am destined to be single forever .
    Arianna pushed herself really hard in the gym, more so than usual. Letting go of all her pent-up frustration was good for her and she was