Because of You by Candy Caine

“Both!”
    Adam glared at her a moment. His blue eyes appeared cold as ice, his mouth a tight line. Breaking his stare, he grabbed his coat and walked out, slamming the door behind him. Jill heard the wine glasses in the china cabinet clatter.
    She collapsed back into her chair, wondering what the hell just happened. The anger dissipated from her body just as quickly as it had come. She’d never stood up to Adam in defiance before. Too bad she felt no triumph. Instead, her eyes stung with unshed tears, while her throat felt choked with pent-up emotions.
    Adam’s behavior baffled her. She began to pace. Hadn’t he encouraged her? Yes, he had. Then why the hell did he react in such a manner? Was he only okay with Jill having a modicum of success? Did her further potential success threaten him in some way? Why else would he be so against her going on the tour? Didn’t he trust her?
    There was no reason for Adam not to trust her. It had to be because of her success. She was no longer confined to the bank, but being thrust into the world. Perhaps it was a little jealousy, as well. How many times had he reminded her that he was the breadwinner—the one with the most lucrative job? Her salary as a bank teller had been insignificant and laughable. If Jill’s book sales ultimately brought in more money than Adam made, their positions would definitely change. Perhaps Adam surmised this and was not taking it well.
    And how was her travel any different from his business trips? Had Adam even considered he was applying a double standard here?
    Truly, all this was merely speculation of her part. What Jill should be focused on was how her going on this tour would ultimately affect their marriage! Things between them had been so mercurial.
    With this thought now dominant in her mind, Jill’s bravado began to waiver. Her decision to stand up to Adam and follow her dream began to crumble. Perhaps it hadn’t been such a great idea to challenge Adam, after all. Should she tell Evelyn something had come up and she couldn’t go?
    About to call Evelyn, Jill put her phone down. She sighed and breathed in deeply. If she did that, she might as well quit writing altogether. Canceling would be tantamount to shooting herself in the foot and ending her budding career. Did she honestly want to do that? Better still, could she at this point?
    Two words popped into her head: hell no! Since she began writing, she truly felt alive for the first time in her life. Writing was now in her blood. No way could she stop now.
    A chill rose from deep within her. But what about Adam?
    ***
    For hours Jill thought about her dilemma and came to one conclusion: there was no easy solution. She had become an emotional train wreck—her heart pulling one way and her head tugging in another. She loved Adam, but not his obstinacy. He was definitely being unreasonable. If he truly loved her and cared about her happiness he’d understand how much this tour meant to her career. All he had to do was back off. She didn’t care if he apologized or not. All he needed to do was accept her decision to go.
    Jill decided to live in the moment. This was her time to shine and spread her wings as far as they would go. All this could be gone in a blink of an eye. If she worried about the future, she’d remain rooted in place. She’d try to reason with him. If she failed…she’d deal with it then.
    Jill reread the itinerary Evelyn emailed to her. Her mother once said that everyone was born with a purpose and that one day Jill would find hers. Now staring at the schedule of events that had been prepared for her, Jill knew what her purpose was in life.
    She was an author. She wrote books to entertain readers. She allowed them to suspend reality for a short time taking them to a different time and place. This was who she was and what she did. It defined her.
    Being Adam’s wife was no longer enough. She clenched her jaw to kill the sob in her throat. She was going on the