A classic second-chance romance that spans decades. Samantha’s heart has always belonged to the man who left her shattered. Twenty years later, will she find the courage to face him once more? When Samantha Temple returns to her childhood home, she uncovers a truth kept hidden from her for over twenty years. Her discovery resurrects the painful summer she’s tried to keep locked away since 1988. Catapulted down memory lane, she revisits the town she thought she’d never have to see again. With her heart’s wounds reopened, Sam must face her fears and find out what happened. She'll learn that the only thing harder than being lied to her entire life is confronting the man who broke her heart. But if she turns back now, will she be able to go on living never knowing why he left her behind? The Way It Was, a gothic-inspired contemporary romance filled with the emotions of first loves and risks second chances.