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by Rajah E. Smart (Author)
Darius Ellison in Atlanta is treated by his family like a high-earning bankaccount, not a husband or father. In the Pacific Northwest, Dr. Amara Lewis is a brilliant psychotherapist, while her husband views her merely as household staff. Despite outwardly successful lives, they share a devastating secret: they feel like ghosts in their own homes, unseen and erased by the people closest to them. Driven to their breaking points on the same weekend, they flee to separate, secluded cabins on the remote Olympic Peninsula, desperate for silence. But their solitude is shattered when Amara is injured in the dense woods, and Darius is the only one there to save her. What begins as a rescue evolves into a life-altering vulnerability. Isolated from the lives that drained them, Darius and Amara create a secret sanctuary of healing. Over bourbon and shared truth, they experience a profound sexualawakening, exploring bodies and needs neglected for years. As they rediscover their voices, they must decide whether this unexpected bond is merely an escape or the fuel they need to return to reality and finally demand to be seen. The book circles Black burnout, the performance of resilience, the politics of marriage and parenthood, and opting out as a radical act.
