Chapter 1

Hannah Peterson was just at the age 7 when her life changed forever. Her mother and father were going through a divorce and as an only kid; the only thing she thought of when she was sitting in the waiting room of the court house was how long until her mom and dad would stop fighting so they could go out for ice cream. It wasn’t much longer until her mother came inside the waiting room with her eyes a deep red, as she had been crying the whole time they were in the courthouse.

“Mommy, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Hannah asked.

“Hannah, sweetheart, it hurts me to say this, but you’re going to be living with Daddy for now on…” her mother said.

“But, what about you, Mommy?” Hannah asked.

“I’ll be able to visit you whenever I can,” her mother replied as she gave Hannah a huge hug while she wept, “Mommy has to go to a special place, being sick and all.”

“Is it that white candy you take all the time?” Hannah wondered.

“Yes, sweetie, it is. But don’t you worry, Mommy will get better and won’t have to eat that candy anymore,” her mom said, talking about her addiction to cocaine, “I have to go now, Hannah. I love you so much and I will see you very soon. Take care of yourself, my big, growing girl.”

“Bye, Mommy, I’ll miss you!” Hannah shouted when she saw her mother get escorted by the police to jail.

Many, many years went by and Hannah was 24 years old. She was wearing a black dress and hat as she walked up to her parents’ graves. They had both died from a car accident they were involved in as Hannah was waiting for them to attend her graduation from college with a degree in Business a year earlier. With all of her friends going to graduate school, her only close family gone, and society moving on before her eyes, Hannah thought she was going to be alone forever, when all of a sudden, she saw a huge cheesecake in the window of a bakery while driving through town. She remembered the good times when her father, who was also a chef, made a juicy cheesecake just for the two of them together. Being 5 feet 9 inch woman that weighed 175 pounds, she always had a good appetite for food her father cooked, yet stayed fit by being a runner for the cross country team all through her high school years and even into college. Hannah stopped the car and decided right then and there, that food would be her comfort and would cure her loneliness once and for all. She stepped into the bakery and as she was walking to the counter, she saw all the desserts and how delicious they would be if she had them all.