The Grim Room

When Chris Doyle is released from Folsom State Prison, his only goal-other than staying sober and trying to beat his worsening PTSD-is to find the woman he still loves, Rebecca Akerman, regardless of the fact that her mother was the one behind his incarceration. Chris is picked up by his brother after two long, anxious years inside. Suffering PTSD via abuse from a white supremacist inmate, Chris's heart aches for Rebecca. He's changed inside: He got sober, received his high school diploma, worked in the license plate factory, and even participated in the Youth Diversion Program, steering kids away from crime. Rebecca is also thinking of Chris but is hesitant. She's engaged to be married to a man she met after Chris went away. Against Rebecca's mother's and best friend's wishes, she seeks out Chris. She only wants to "see" him and "get closure."

When they do finally find each other, their embrace is powerful. But discovering she's engaged-the PTSD roiling-Chris starts to lose control.