Prologue
Selfish. Deceitful. Manipulative. Conniving.
Evil.
I’d been called all that and worse. Sometimes by the people I loved. That was what hurt the most.
But they were right. I was all those things. I hurt a man I loved; a damn good man who treated me like a queen. And he wasn’t my only victim.
Falling in love with someone else was unexpected but it happened, and in the end, I destroyed them both.
So, yeah, I deserved every barb they threw my way. I stood there and let each one land on their mark, striking me right in the heart. They cut deep, tearing me into a million little pieces. I deserved the berating, the fall from grace, and to be the lonely shell of a woman I became.
I had time to think about my mistakes, wallow in self-pity, and feel every bit of guilt and anguish I could reap from the discord I sowed. But now it was time to get back on my feet and rise from the ashes like the phoenix I was destined to become.
Because it was no longer just about me. I had something to live for now, something that made me want to be a better person.
She was my entire world. With a head full of dark curls and chocolate brown eyes like her father, she restored my faith and cemented my hope for a better future.
It was time to fix my crown and put my life back together.