The dinner progressed how you would expect. Elizabeth caught her family up on her life, starting with the most recent event involving her husband. Gasps rained around the table, but Elizabeth laughed to herself, knowing her family was playing around; They reassured her that she would find the right guy for her, but they also said that she had to get over Sean first. Of course, Elizabeth knew all of that; she just refused to believe it. They spoke of love and God, but Elizabeth did not see Him in her situation. She couldn't think of any Bible verse saying God would allow husbands to cheat on wives. She expressed this to her family, shocking them.

"Sweetie, I think you should talk to our pastor. He says-"

Elizabeth scoffed, cutting her mother off. "I need a divorce lawyer, not some preacher who thinks he knows everything about my life. Don't try to convince me that 'he's been through the same things' because I won't believe you." She drank water and continued, "Your pastor has no idea what it's like to have this pain. He has no idea what I'm going through; God wouldn't have let him be a pastor if he was a sinner."

Abraham shook his head at his naive daughter, almost amusedly. "Ok, if you believe that, then you wouldn't mind talking to him. You can come with us to church on Sunday and speak to him afterward."

Elizabeth chuckled cruelly. "Fine. Whatever. I'll talk to him, but not yet. I have a lot of things to do."

Elizabeth knew she would never actually talk to their pastor. She didn't feel like hearing him tell her she was going to Hell for all her sins. She didn't want her parents to know that her faith in God had dwindled to the size of a pea. She refused to believe that there was a higher power who would allow heartbreak and hurt that had happened to her. She refused to believe that he had some 'plan' to benefit her in the future. She refused to believe in God.

After dinner had wrapped up, Elizabeth started to make her way to her old room when Lily stopped her. "Lizzy, we always pray before going to sleep, remember?"

She remembered, but she also remembered that she hadn't prayed since she left home, and she wasn't so sure God would hear her insignificant prayer anyway. She scoffed but grabbed her sister's hand anyway.

She rolled her eyes as her family bowed their heads, and her father started praying, "Dear Heavenly Father, we ask you today to keep an eye on us while we sleep; keep your angels around every window and door. I thank you for bringing Elizabeth home," Lily squeezed her hand," And we ask that you keep your hands around her during this difficult time. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes again as Lily let go of her hand, finally allowing her to race up the stairs. She could finally escape the constant gaze of her parents and the questioning looks of Lily. She didn't want her family to know of her lack of faith. She hoped her family never discovered that she was starting to think God didn't exist. She couldn't imagine what her family would think of her then; She didn't want to think about it. She couldn't think about it for too long, or the anxiousness would get to her.

As she got ready for bed, her mind wandered to her husband. She thought she might make him love her again but hastily dismissed it. She didn't want anything to do with him or men in general. Never again, she told herself. And she might've convinced herself if deep, deep down, she didn't already believe it was God's plan.

Her thoughts were halted when her head hit the soft feathery pillow. The day's events exhausted her, and she almost immediately fell asleep.

* * *

Elizabeth was roused by the smell of bacon hitting her nostrils. She sat in her old queen-sized bed, pushing the purple duvet towards her feet as she stretched and yawned. She knew she had much to accomplish, which meant an early morning.

After she was fully dressed, Lizzy stomped down the stairs to find her family at the table. But what surprised Lizzy most was the stranger sitting in her seat.

"Oh, Lizzy. This is Brother Riley. He is a minister in training under Pastor Young," Thalia spoke, pouring Lizzy a cup of coffee.

Elizabeth watched the stranger turn around and was astonished by the color of his eyes. His eyes weren't just blue but the lightest blue Elizabeth had ever seen. They were beautiful, but Lizzy scolded herself for thinking so. He's married, I'm sure. And I'm done with guys, Elizabeth tried to convince herself.

The stranger, Oliver Riley, turned in the chair to stick his hand out for her to shake. She avoided it as she grabbed the coffee and sat across from him.

"Anyway, Sis. Fletcher, everyone has agreed to let you cook for the bake sale. Everyone thinks that you are the most amazing chef."

Thalia blushed as she walked to her seat and sat. "Now, Oliver. I'm sure not everyone thinks so."

Oliver laughed, "No. Everyone. But that's all I had to say, so I'll be on my way. But don't forget, Amy wants a dozen chocolate chip cookies. She adores them." Elizabeth felt smug; see? Married.

"Well, it was nice to see you, Oliver. Hey, Elizabeth? Can you walk Brother Riley out while I check on these pancakes?"

Elizabeth growled but did as her mother asked. She purposely pushed Oliver's shoulder when she walked past him. They reached the door, and Lizzy opened it for Oliver.

"Have a nice day, mister," she said through clenched teeth.

Oliver seemed to have noticed her attitude but let it go as he walked out the door. "Have a great -"

Elizabeth cut him off by closing the door. She chuckled as she made her way back to her cup of coffee. She knew she was being childish, but if her mother thought that just introducing her to some preacher would change her mind, she had another thing coming. Elizabeth scoffed at her mother's easily distinguishable plan.

She thought about how she didn't believe in God and how she would tell her mother about it. She knew her mother wouldn't like her decisions and try to change her, trying to make sense of her daughter's understanding. Being raised in church her whole life, Lizzy knew the differences between right and wrong and how things should go. She wants a divorce, but knowing her mom, on the other hand, probably a counseling session with the pastor and probably Brother Oliver.

Elizabeth not wanting anything more than to end her current marriage and move on; her mother wants the same for her daughter but in the proper manner. Lizzy knows that she doesn't want another relationship for a while, and even though she doesn't believe in God, something in her mind tells her that she wants to get to know Oliver. She winced, almost regretting her thoughts: almost.

She finished her coffee and left her mother with the dishes, quickly grabbing the keys to her sister's car. She had to find a divorce lawyer today as soon as she could. She still refused to think about her soon-to-be- ex-husband, but she knew that explaining everything to the divorce lawyer would finally bring the unshed tears.

She dashed out the door and pushed herself into Lily's gray Camry. She heard the engine's purr as she turned the key, pulled out her iPhone, pulled up Siri, and asked for the closest divorce lawyer.

"Riley and Son Law Service is 10 miles away. Would you like me to set up a route for you to follow?"

Riley? She said a quick 'Yes' to Siri and hurried to the office. She passed building after building, listening to Siri tell her where to go. As she made her way to Downtown Oklahoma City, Siri spoke for the last time. "Your destination is on the left."

As Elizabeth parked at the closest spot she could find, she looked at the small building in front of her. It was a quaint, brown-bricked building with less than six windows. Elizabeth almost scoffed but decided to look inside. She walked to the glass door and pulled it open.

A blonde woman sat behind a desk in front of her, chattering away on the phone. Big letters laid across the desk: RILEY AND SON. Lizzy looked around at the lobby. The wooden desk was at the center of the room, surrounded by what looked to be Ficus trees; behind it stood large plaques stating that the building belonged to someone named Travis Riley.

The blonde said a quiet 'goodbye' and swiftly turned to Elizabeth. "What can I do for you, Miss?"

Elizabeth looked at her closely and noticed the low-cut shirt she wore and mentally gagged. Her face was covered in makeup, and she wore too much jewelry, but Elizabeth saw a name tag on the low-cut red shirt that read Olivia. Olivia looked at Elizabeth impatiently, and Lizzy realized she hadn't answered her question.

"Oh, I'm here to see Travis Riley."

"Well, he isn't here, but his son is. You can speak to him if you'd like."

Elizabeth nodded, "Please."

Olivia stood and walked to a hallway about two doors from the desk. She left Elizabeth to wait for her to come back. She looked around, noticed simple chairs sitting a few ways from the front door, and decided to take a seat.

Just as she sat down, she heard loud footsteps from the hallway. Elizabeth jumped to her feet and waited as Olivia returned with an all too familiar face.

"YOU?"

Oliver Riley stood in his father's office lobby, waiting for the woman to follow him. Elizabeth quickly walked toward him and motioned for him to show the way. Oliver led the way to a brown door and pushed it open, revealing a black desk and walls of pictures and plaques. In front of the desk sat a chair that Elizabeth immediately filled; Oliver took the spinney chair behind the desk.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes as she heard Oliver start talking, "What can I do for you today?"

"What do you think I'm here for exactly? This isn't a grocery store; this is a divorce attorney, so obviously, you can help me by being a divorce attorney."

Oliver smirked and then stood from his seat, "You need a divorce attorney, but I'm not one. Sorry, I can't help you."

Elizabeth stood up, frustrated. "Then why are you here if not to help women who want to divorce their cheating husbands?"

Oliver shook his head, "My father owns the office; I'm only here because my brother was sick and couldn't come in today. I am not an attorney; I'm a preacher or soon-to-be."

Elizabeth's anger diminished a little, "So, can you at least help me? Give me some advice that has kept you and your wife together through the years?"

There was a long pause before Oliver chuckled, "I'm not married. Never have been."

She couldn't believe her ears; this handsome, young preacher wasn't married? She knew she was married, but when she heard that, her heart soared.

"Why did you think I was married?"

Elizabeth shrugged and sat back down. "Can you give me any advice at all?"

Oliver seemed to think about the question for a minute, then slowly answered, " 'Let marriage be kept honorable in every way, and the marriage bed undefiled. For God will judge those who commit sexual sins, especially those who commit adultery.' "

Elizabeth scoffed, "What is that? The Bible?"

"Yes. Hebrews 13:4."

Elizabeth scowled, "I don't need some stupid verse from some ancient book. I need a divorce attorney."

Elizabeth could practically feel Oliver's anger from her chair, "I suggest you look elsewhere then."

She had enough and walked out of the mahogany door, closing it loudly behind her. Elizabeth rushed out the door into her sister's car and headed home. The day had been a bust, and she didn't want to try to find another attorney after the way the first one turned out, so she opted to go back to her parent's house.

She arrived at the lonely house around lunchtime and walked into the kitchen to see that her mother had another guest. Heath sat in the chair opposite Elizabeth and smiled as she sat down. His brown hair was cut short, resting on the top of his head, his brown eyes piercing her green ones. He smiled crookedly as Lily joined them at the table, and the two began talking.

"I didn't know you were back home, Liz. I thought you were through with this town and us 'little folk.'"

Elizabeth smiled at Heath, "Yeah, well, I figured I'd been gone long enough, so I thought I would grace you with my presence."

They both laughed, and lunch became a big ball of laughter. Shortly after lunch was finished, there was a knock at the door. Elizabeth rushed to it, pulling it swiftly open.

In front of her stood a FedEx delivery man, his brown uniform slightly too big for him. He pushed the tablet toward Elizabeth, telling her to sign for whatever she was getting. She signed it, handed it back, and quickly grabbed the manila envelope in his hand.

Elizabeth grew confused as she realized it was for her. Hmm, she thought and hastily pulled it open. She pulled out the packet of papers and almost screamed in anger.