From the national bestselling and award-winning ReShonda Tate Billingsley comes this gripping and emotional exploration of the complex bond between mother and daughter. From the time Brooke Green was seven years old, she has lived with the pain of losing her mother. Her father has done the best job he could in raising her, but a piece of her always felt empty. On the day of her father’s funeral, her grandmother breaks the shocking news: her mother, Sarah, is very much alive. Brooke’s mother abandoned her family because she claimed she wasn’t fit for motherhood. So it comes as a shock when Brooke discovers her mother is living in Atlanta, enjoying a great career—and a brand-new family. Stunned, Brooke doesn’t know if she wants answers or revenge against the mother who abandoned her. When she meets Sarah’s husband, Tony, Brooke sees the perfect way to make her mother pay. But her plan for revenge just may leave everyone in danger and end up costing Brooke more than she ever bargained for. ReShonda Tate Billingsley’s #1 nationally bestselling novels include Let the Church Say Amen , I Know I’ve Been Changed , and Say Amen, Again , winner of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work. Her collaboration with Victoria Christopher Murray has produced four hit novels, Sinners & Saints , Friends & Foes , A Blessing & a Curse , and Fortune & Fame. BET released a movie in 2013 based on ReShonda’s book Let the Church Say Amen in which she had a minor role . She also had a role in the made-for-TV movie The Secret She Kept based on her book of the same title. Visit ReShondaTateBillingsley.com, meet the author on Facebook at ReShondaTateBillingsley, or follow her on Twitter @ReShondaT. Seeking Sarah CHAPTER 1 Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you! The words swirled around in my head, dancing with excitement at the prospect of marrying the man I love. The perfect proposal. The perfect man. All the ingredients for a dream come true. But for some reason, while the words were vibrant in my mind, they wouldn’t come out of my mouth. Good grief, woman, just say yes! That little voice that had planned my proposal and subsequent wedding when I was only ten years old and marrying my imaginary boyfriend was in full what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-you mode. Just say yes. Still nothing. I don’t know what was wrong with me. If you asked most women to draft a list of the qualities they wanted in their dream man, Trent Grant would probably meet 99 percent of the requirements on their list. Trent had dabbled in modeling in college and despite an offer from a New York modeling agency, he had opted to go into the Navy instead. He’d served eight years as a sergeant and returned to Raleigh as one of the most sought-after bachelors in town. And he wanted a life with me. And I wanted a life with him. Only my mouth wouldn’t open to say yes. I knew my fear was based on the fact that Trent wanted forever and I’d learned long ago that forever didn’t exist. And committing to a lifetime was only setting myself up for heartbreak, something I’d vowed I would never let happen again. “Wow, soooo, is that a no?” Trent asked, as he knelt in front of me. Just the thought seemed to crush his spirit. His thousand-watt smile had morphed into a frown. “You don’t want to be Mrs. Grant?” The piercing gaze of all of our family and friends reminded me that we weren’t alone. There had to be twenty-five people in the private dining room at Ruth’s Chris Steak House, all of them waiting on my answer. The room had grown deathly silent. The only noise was the slow trickle of the April showers beating down on the roof. The smiles that just seconds ago were beaming now bore hints of nervousness. I snapped my attention back to the man in front of me. I did want marriage. I did want happily ever after. I just didn’t believe that such a thing was possible. Still, I managed a smile and said, “O-of course. Of course, I’ll marry you.” A relieved applause erupted in the room as Trent slid the three-carat ring onto my finger. It was beautiful and I hated that this experience had been marred by my hesitation. If Trent was upset by my delayed response, he didn’t let on. Instead, he stood, then pulled me into him with a force that told everyone just how happy he was. Trent wrapped his muscular arms tighter around me. Over his shoulder, I saw my father beaming with pride. I thought we’d gathered at this dinner party to celebrate Trent being awarded the North Carolina Man of the Year by the League of Distinguished Men. This proposal was a complete surprise. We’d talked about getting married—one day. I had no idea that day would happen so soon. But apparently Trent and my cousin April had been working overtime to plan a surprise engagement party. For Trent, we might as well have been the only two people in the room. He lifted my chin and the love I saw in his eyes made any reservations I might have been feeling evaporate instantly. “I swear, Bro