All Comments on 'I Can't. I Won't. I Don't.'

Nicely done.

I do have one suggestion. Some authors narrate too much; they describe things happening, but there’s little dialogue, little interaction between people. Dialogue puts readers in the action. This story was almost too much dialogue. I needed a bit more explanation when you changed the scene. Look, you’re already doing well what readers ask a lot of authors here to do more of. Give us just a bit more narrative to connect the conversations and we’ll be great.

Genuinely awful. The injuries described would probably have killed her. If not, she'd have been in residential therapy for a lot more than 2 months. Her irrational decisions and physical attack on the male lead showed a need for ingoing, possibly permanent, therapy. His taking her back was self loathing, pure and simple, and never justified in the text. Maybe next time.

A story with potential that got ruined. Why woulld anyone sane get back with such a crazy ass woman ? He even forgave her way too easily !

Started out great, turned into just another RAAC story.

I liked the story but we needed more about Ava after he left, what she was dealing and the possible guilt of driving him away.

what is CME'S?

@Overcritical

re: This was a story so disjointed as to be almost incoherent. - Do you mean like how life is at times. And the anony about 3 comments down yours said what I was thinking. I'd like to add just one thing. And most can't even fill out their bio properly.

No one should be forced into a situation without their permission. Neither men nor women.

Uff! So much pain there. Every now and then some paragraph would cause a tear to form in my eyes.

And the rest of the time was spent thinking how to make those 3 criminals and that dumb receptionist pay for their actions.

Very touching.

Nice story

Fantastic story!!!!!!

Congratulations 👏👏👏

Five stars from here 😉

Yes, I liked the story. Turned out well. It is not a loving wife story though. Either noncon or romance would be better.

I'm glad the way it turned out!

5

@Anonymous Re: Running away - I basically agree with you, though I think it works with SOME stories, like the "wife fires husband" stories, where he needs a fresh start.

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I also think that if you're going to do it, don;t have him live like a celibate monk.

She was raped - shouldn't happen to anyone ever... But then she went out to ruin the man who was there for her mind, body and soul. After breaking his love and spirit (to say nothing of his face), she waltzed back in his life and he took her back. It left me very unsatisfied.

The story should have ended as follows:

Ava got on with her life without him, dating, marrying and getting divorced from four men whom she constantly managed to drive away. The legal fees, divorce settlements and her lavish enitled lifestyle eventually dried up all of the money she received from her civil suits and she returned to her working class existence albeit with a small collection of better 'things' than her neighbors.

Five years later she tracks him down after reading/seeing an article about how one man has put a small town near Denver on the world map with his creations which demand and fetch collectors prices internationally. She travels meet him together with her friend Emily. She sees him together with his wife and children at a community event featuring the opening of his store / gallery featuring his wood art and work of local artists working in various mediums. Both local news and the big networks are there covering the event. She finally catches up with him and he hardly recognizes her. When he finally does he wishes her a good life before walking away and getting enveloped in the love and warmth of his wonderful family and community.

She leaves knowing there is no reconciliation, no return, no hope for a happy ending. On the way back, Emily informs Ava that her husband doesn't want her hanging out with her (Ava)

any more because of her destructive lifestyle choices so this will be their final outing together.

Back home an older couple watch the news and catch the segment of their son's success and burgeoning fame and realise that although not estranged they'll never have the warm loving relationship they would have wanted with their son, their daughter in-law and their grandchildren as they lost the opportunity to support and help him when he needed them most.

Everybody looses... But at least the MC has a happy ending because in the end, it's not what life throws at you. It's how you react to it that defines you.

I really enjoyed your story.

Thank you and I hope to read more of your works.

Good premise, but definitely needs an editor to structure it properly.

4-star story. I "liked" it a lot, but not enough to "love."

The reconciliation seemed to just happen, with no real buildup or tension.

Ava's emotional healing simply occurred, without any effort on her part, and Noah taking her back was just too pat.

I agree with NickTee that the distance between the two was so great that reconciliation would never happen, although Ava didn't deserve any "punishment."

Carla was _waaaay_ too nice to Ava, though. ;^) ;^)

overall liked the story but Ava's 180 turn on a dime change concerning Noah is a little bit unbelievable...

Great story that I really enjoyed. Getting a little maudlin at times is a good thing. Shocking right on through to feeling good. Can’t beat that.

That wasn't PTSD. That was simply a vicious, self-centered bitch showing her true colors. Run, boy, Run.

nope. I would stay away. She went through a lot but to treat me that way then expect all is well? No, no, no. She needs constant help and I wouldn't get too close.

No. No. Hell no. You got it everything wrong. She needed a shrink to get her head screwed right. Love isn't needing someone. He was right when he left.

Wow, this is really a story about how a lathe brought a town together

Okay, I really enjoyed this

BUT

There's something fucked up about a story where a woman is raped – really brutally raped, as brutal as anything I've encountered in fiction, including Law & Order SVU & crime fiction & war stories – and her BOYFRIEND is the real victim.

Extremely well written; but I can't help having some reservations.

1 star - any story dealing with rape is a non starter.

Why? - because it is violence against women or men and the perps must be neutered ASAP, with a really rusty garden knife.

Well written story. Especially so to stir up all the emotion. Good work, thank you.

Thoroughly enjoyed this story (Ok, not so much the rape element).

Loved the story. 5 stars.

A story that started with a rape puts one on the side of hate or hope. I chose hope. As a Retired LEO, i have seen this happen. It is an, in some cases, an expected outcome. A rape takes away ones control, Completly.

The town getting behind him is a good thing. Carla's, sister like actions, were very common. She became his sister. Her acceptance reflected the love she developed for him.

And anyone who doubts that rape does not cause PTSD, has absolutely no consept of how people operate. In this situation, the PTSD, is forever.

Thanks for sharing.

I think the author either works in the medical world, or has a bone to pick with them. Far too many unnecessary details.

And yes, I'm afraid to say I got bored long before the end.

Like every single story of yours I have read this is excellent, definitely 5 stars. Please keep at it!

Well-done, as usual.

A couple of observations though. Nothing prepared me for his taking her back so quickly; I expected his long depression would make him hesitant, if not unwilling. It made a little more sense when he said he was thinking about going back east to check in with her, but there was nothing to suggest that earlier.

Try to signal changes of place or scenery. You didn’t tell us that they had left the house and were at the hardware store when he asked Carla to come with them. I couldn’t figure out how she knew to meet them at the jewelry store. And then they go to the courthouse and leave the courthouse, but what happened at the courthouse? Did they get married? Did they have to file an application to get married? I’m sure you knew what you intended, but it wasn’t clear to readers; we need a little more help. Thanks.

Pretty good story. Yes there were a couple minor writing issues, but THIS IS A FREE STORY ON AMATURE WEB SITE PEOPLE! It's not meant to be Hemingway quality! 4.5 stars from me.

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I wasn't totally sold on them getting back together (my intuition initially was that he'd pair up with Emily), but I didn't hate it.

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For all Amy haters - she was literally fucked up in the head (unlike usual cheating wives using mental health as excuse). In cases like that, you need your brains unscrambled before you can relate to other humans properly - especially those close to you. Yes what she did was bad, but it didn't stem from her being a bad person or having bad character traits.

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As far as people disliking reframing the rape as a basis for a good thing at the end - fuck off your high horse. I had several rape survivors in my life, and more than one used the same exact technique to help them manage and deal. It's even suggested by therapists.

@nixrox

1 star - any story dealing with rape is a non starter. Sometimes it can be healing for someone to talk about what happened .

Why? - because it is violence against women or men and the perps must be neutered ASAP, with a really rusty garden knife. Wouldn't that also be violence? You've 1 bombed stories that less violence than castration

Loved it.

5 stars

she was so messed up and he was so angry I don't see the quick reconciliation. They both still have to work things out. The did in some ways but alone. Now they need to be. together a bit and take it slowly.

I for one couldn't do it.

Can't score this more than a 1*, you forced the reconciliation through.

It had promise. It was going great. And then she came back into his life.

I give this a "too:" Too fast, too easy, and too sappy.

Very imaginative premise. I enjoyed it very much.

She punched him once and he had to go to the ER? That would never happen, and no it's not sexist..... It's just realistic. I'm guessing it was just blind virtue signaling