The Heartbreak Bucket List
by A. Lee Hughes
Eighteen years ago, when Ava Collette learned of her husband Eric’s affair, she stayed with him, choosing to keep her family together. She managed the betrayal, but only at the expense of her mental and emotional stability.
Consuming herself with implementing rules and practices she thought would ensure she’d never again find herself blindsided, Ava developed obsessive-compulsive tendencies and an aversion to crowds. She believed that only home was safe from being hurt again.
Today, eighteen years have passed, and Eric’s past arrives knocking at Ava’s door sending her spiraling with grief.
At the encouragement of her best friend and her therapist, Ava leaves her home in Georgia and heads west where she plans to visit her mother in Phoenix and figure out how to deal with her exhumed devastation. While making the trip, she jots a list—her Heartbreak Bucket List. This time, rather than guarding herself from the pain, Ava decides to tackle her grief, starting from within.
With the help of new friends Ava meets along her journey, she checks off the goals on her list, accomplishing what she once believed impossible: the freedom in forgiveness.
Consuming herself with implementing rules and practices she thought would ensure she’d never again find herself blindsided, Ava developed obsessive-compulsive tendencies and an aversion to crowds. She believed that only home was safe from being hurt again.
Today, eighteen years have passed, and Eric’s past arrives knocking at Ava’s door sending her spiraling with grief.
At the encouragement of her best friend and her therapist, Ava leaves her home in Georgia and heads west where she plans to visit her mother in Phoenix and figure out how to deal with her exhumed devastation. While making the trip, she jots a list—her Heartbreak Bucket List. This time, rather than guarding herself from the pain, Ava decides to tackle her grief, starting from within.
With the help of new friends Ava meets along her journey, she checks off the goals on her list, accomplishing what she once believed impossible: the freedom in forgiveness.
