Brea Cass remembers the exact moment her life split in two. Before grief, there was Paul-the brilliant, magnetic young man who courted her with apples, challenged her to claim her intelligence, and loved her with a steadiness she never expected to find. Their life together was built on shared dreams and the certainty of a future wide open. Then, in a single night, Paul is gone. Left to raise their infant son alone, Brea must learn how to survive a loss that feels both impossible and unfinished. But in a moment both harrowing and insightful, Brea realizes everything is not as it seems. Something is amiss in the way her husband died. As Brea searches for understanding, she discovers things she never knew... things she's not sure she wants to know, and she must decide if the answers are worth the cost. Tracing the fragile path from devastation toward endurance, The Apple of My Eye explores how love continues to shape us even after it is taken away. With honesty, warmth, and quiet strength, Mary Ellen Bramwell captures the fierce bond between partners, the isolating weight of grief, and the resilience required to keep choosing life for the sake of a child who needs you to stand. The Apple of My Eye is a deeply intimate, emotionally resonant novel about love remembered, loss endured, and the courage it takes to move forward without letting go of what made you whole. Perfect for readers of literary women's fiction and thoughtful, book club-worthy family dramas.