Within These Walls

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Charity Fellner thought she had found the man of her dreams. After getting away from a would-be assailant her freshman year of college, she thought no one would be able to break down the mile-high walls she had built around herself.
Still stuck in a shell, Charity returns to campus to test the water by taking a single summer course. It was there that she found him. Professor Cameron St. James was unlike any man she had ever met before. He was forward yet gentle, kind yet demanding. He knew what Charity needed and would give it to her even if she tried to fight it. Charity, however, didn't put up much of a fight; there wasn't any denying Cameron's charm. The fact that he was temporary made him even more appealing. Cameron only taught one summer class at the University of Southern California. Once summer came to an end, he would head back to Maine, where he lived full time and Charity could forget all about him.
That's not how it happened. Cameron did head back to Maine, but Charity joined him. This wasn't the life she envisioned for herself. She was going to be someone. A high-powered woman who wouldn't have to depend on anyone, that was the dream anyway. Dreams change, and Charity was in love; she would welcome her new life with open arms.
Knowing no one and having never visited Maine, Charity settled into the enormous estate Cameron called home. It had been in his family for generations, built by his great grandfather. There was no denying its beauty, but there was also something sad about the vast unused land. Hundreds of acres now surround her, the nearest neighbor miles away. Charity was never a social butterfly but being out here all alone felt wrong—almost heartbreaking. Charity tried to put all of her insecurities behind her and fully focused on her new family's every need.
Without even realizing it, years fly by, and Charity has become some sort of recluse. Sure, she got out on occasion. She would visit her mother in California during the summer while Cameron worked. She hosted the occasional dinner party, but the guest were all Cameron's friends and acquaintances. Charity never took the time to make a life and friends of her own. Charity makes herself a promise that she will try harder. Try to fit in, try to make friends, try to be a part of the community that she has refused to accept for far too long.
The promise that Charity made to herself was shattered before it could see the light of day. Trying to surprise her husband upon returning from his summer away, she got a surprise of her own. Friends had gathered for an evening of cocktails and chatter at the St. James home. Late into the night, after most had left, Charity slept when something woke her suddenly. When she investigated the sound, what she found sent her world to a crashing halt.
She felt eyes on her at every turn; silent voices whispered secrets in her ear that she did not want to believe. Secrets crawled out of invisible graves, making themselves known and unavoidable. Confusion settled like dust all around her. Will she be able to clean up the destruction, or will the enigmas within the walls win?