Cover Copy
When a man loves a woman
Recovering addict Nick Dorsey finds solace in his regimented life. That is until he meets Shyla Metha. Something about the shy Indian beauty who delivers take-out to his Greenwich Village loft inspires the reclusive writer. And when Shyla reveals her desire to write a book of her own, he agrees to help her. The tale of a young Indian girl growing up against a landscape of brutal choices isn’t Nick’s usual territory, but something about the story, and the beautiful storyteller, draws him in deep.
Shyla is drawn to Nick, but she never imagines falling for him. Like Nick, Shyla hails from a village, too…a rural village in India. They have nothing in common, yet he makes her feel alive for the first time in her life. She is not ready for their journey to end, but the plans she’s made cannot be broken…not even by him. Can they find a way to rewrite the next chapter?
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Books by MK Schiller
Unwanted Girl
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation
Unwanted Girl
MK Schiller
LYRICAL PRESS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
Copyright
Lyrical Press books are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2015 by MK Schiller
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First Electronic Edition: January 2016
eISBN-13: 1978-1-60183-500-0
eISBN-10: -60183-500-0
First Print Edition: January 2016
ISBN-13: 978-1-60183-501-7
ISBN-10: 1-60183-501-9
Printed in the United States of America
Dedication
To Papa for teaching me to enjoy the learning as much as the lesson. You will always be in my heart.
Author’s Foreword
My daughter asked me to watch a documentary with her about female gendercide, a subject I had little knowledge on, but I can tell you it haunted me afterward. I was shocked to discover how rampant the problem was even among middle-class families. I wondered if it was possible for a girl who’d had firsthand struggles with this kind of unforgivable violence to have a happily ever after. Then I remembered I was a romance novelist, and I could make it happen…at least in fiction form. I promise that although this book deals with heavy topics, it is at its core a love story, and an optimistic one at that.
For more information on Female Gendercide, please visit http://www.gendercide.org/case_infanticide.html
Acknowledgements
I think every child remembers that one piece of advice a parent gives to you that becomes part of your blood and bones. For me, my papa always said no matter what anyone takes from you, they can never take away your education. He further supported these words by taking me to the library every weekend and encouraging me to check out as many books as I could devour in a week’s time. In later years, my mom would always buy me a book at the grocery store, no matter how little we had or how many coupons she had to clip. Occasionally, she turned the other way when a paperback with a shirtless, longhaired muscular man made its way into our cart. “I suppose any reading is good reading,” she’d say.
It’s fitting that the first people I shared the idea that became Unwanted Girl with were my parents. Actually, I think it’s the only book I’ve written that didn’t turn my face a splotchy shade of pink when describing it. My papa was proud of the concept and my mother….well, she was just proud of me in general.
Shortly after I received the contract on this work, they were both hospitalized with major health issues in a land far away from me. In addition, I was struggling with my own depression. I can honestly say it was the darkest time of my life. Had it not been for these thoughtful individuals, this work may not have seen the light of your e-reader.
To my children and husband who held my hand through every ugly cry (and trust me, I have never cried pretty).
To all my relatives, some of which I hadn’t spoke to in twenty years, who looked after my parents and me.
To my writers group who encouraged me to write through the emotion and more importantly, to write with it.
To my editor, Corinne DeMaagd and agent, Amanda Leuck, who took a chance on my work, refined my heap of words, and understood the personal pressures I was under.
To all my friends, who somehow made the sun shine even in the darkest times.
To my readers who supported me in every way (and a special thank you to Susan who sent chocolate-covered mangos!).
Most of all to Mommy and Papa for never limiting my world.
All of these people represent my world and I would walk around them in three full circles if I could.
Ultimately, this book is about family. The family you’re born to and the ones you pick up along the way.
Chapter 1
Nick Dorsey ran every morning, although he no longer ventured to guess whether he was chasing dreams or fleeing demons. As he exited the brick building on Bleecker to a grim, grayish sky, the promise of another sunless day revealed itself.
His feet pounded the pavement in a stride that ranged from sprint to run to jog, matching the same footpaths as TS Eliot, Faulkner, and Poe. He’d insisted on the Village because it was a literary mecca. Although, these days, it could be argued the high rents favored capitalists over the creatives.
He’d hunted for months with a petite blond realtor until she found a place in his price range. The realtor was intelligent and assertive—during negotiations and sex—two