The Broken One

My secret is out.

My entire existence is shattered, and picking myself up again proves difficult.

Leaving Rose behind for a new beginning is harder than I thought, but I need to try for a more independent me with a promising future.

One that doesn’t involve the infuriating yet irresistible man who challenges me at every turn.

Pushing me.

Protecting me.

Tempting me beyond any possible resistance.

This is the lie I tell myself.

Making good decisions—apparently—doesn’t come easily to me and this time, I’ve gone too far.

This time, I’ve made a fatal mistake.

I just hope it doesn’t break me in the end.

The Almost One

Every day is like a ticking time bomb.

For every blissful moment in the sun, the universe punishes me with unforgiving darkness.

I’m so close to the truth yet the obstacles keep piling up, the deaths keep destroying us and I’m afraid one of us will eventually succumb to this cruelty.

The secrets, the lies, the deceptions are all part of my husband’s world, but the moment I chose to walk beside him, they became part of my world too. If only he would let me all the way in.

I want my forever one to be my best friend, my confidant in all things, but there is a missing puzzle piece I’m determined to find.

I just hope I can handle it when the time comes.

The Forever One

Hell hath no fury like a scorned mafia queen.

They couldn't have my blood so they went after my husband.

Their mistake was underestimating me.

Controlled by my past and the responsibilities my true heritage bestows on me, I’m driven to make decisions I never once considered.

In the midst of chaos, families either come together or choose deceit, allowing the tragedies born from the war to scar us beyond recognition.

But we stand together, fight together, and seek out our truths together as one.

I have lost.

I have grown.

I am finally allowing this love I once rejected to fill my heart with brand new possibilities, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep us whole.

Forever.