THE DISTANCE BETWEEN OUR VOWS
An Emotional Marriage in Crisis Romance of Heartbreak and Hope
By Matthew Joseph
Seven years ago, a single night of silence broke their vows.
Now, sixty days under the same roof will force them to face the truth—or lose everything they have left.
Lauren Mercer Vance spent seven years in Portland convincing herself she survived the wreckage. When an unspeakable loss shattered her marriage to Callan, she didn’t just pack her bags—she severed her ties to the brutal salt air of High Ledge, Maine, and the stubborn shipwright who turned his grief into stone.
Callan Arthur Vance never left the rock. While the town whispered and the debt piled high, he swung an iron adze until his hands went numb, punishing himself for failing the only woman he ever loved. He let her think he was cold. He let her think he didn’t care. Because in his mind, letting her hate him was the only way she would save her own life.
Then Arthur’s will drops a mandatory clause like an anchor in thirty fathoms of water:
To save the historic Vance headland from predatory developers, Lauren and Callan must live together as co-trustees for sixty consecutive days.
Locked together in a drafty coastal saltbox, fourteen years of muscle memory refuses to stay buried. Every floorboard carries a memory. Every morning routine is a minefield of unspoken devotion. Between the freezing gales and the ruthless developers circling their legacy, the greatest threat isn't the storm outside—it’s the terrifying realization that neither of them ever truly let the other go.
They survived the storm that tore them apart. But can they survive the truth behind why they never signed the final papers?
Why Readers Love The Distance Between Our Vows:Marriage in Crisis / Second Chance Romance: A mature, emotionally devastating love story between two adults who fought, bled, and must find their way back.Forced Proximity & High Stakes: A 60-day legal mandate on an isolated, windswept Maine headland.Grounded, Working-Class Coast: Timber, shipyards, freezing rain, and salt-seasoned history instead of billionaire penthouses.Gut-Punch Emotional Catharsis: Deep angst, visceral intimacy, and an earned happily-ever-after that will stay with you long after the final page.“A raw, achingly honest exploration of love, grief, and the quiet courage it takes to rebuild what was broken.”