Inferno (Leigh)

I never believed in fate. That was something for the dreamers, the romantics, not someone as practical and pragmatic as I. Fate had nothing to do with me walking in on my soon-to-be husband in a compromising position with his secretary. Fate had nothing to do with me hopping on a plane to Rome, effectively standing up my former fiancé on our wedding day. And fate certainly had nothing to do with the handsome stranger sitting across the aisle from me, one who would open my mind and heart to things I never thought possible. Because if fate is real, if fate is pulling the strings, if fate is in charge of each person's destiny, she's cruel and unforgiving. Why would fate want me to experience a connection as I never had in my life, only to remind me it's fleeting? Why would fate give me everything I never knew I always wanted? Why would fate let me have a taste, then crush those dreams? He could never be mine. I could never be his. And his deception may just be my breaking point. Contains mature themes.

A stolen glance across a darkened restaurant. A kiss under the Italian moon. A proposition I never would have made in my former life. Our story began just like all fairy tales do . . .Once upon a time. Once upon a time, a mysterious, passionate man opened my eyes to things I'd been blind to, my heart to feelings I never thought imaginable, my mind to endless possibilities. Once upon a time, I experienced something I didn't think existed in real life. Once upon a time, I learned how to fly. Little did I know it was with broken wings. Ones that were irreparable after a lifetime of being caged. How can I love a man who would lie to me so recklessly? How can I give him my heart when experience tells me to keep it guarded? How can we have a future when he's still tormented by his past? The Bible teaches us that "Love is patient. Love is kind." Now I know that love is a farce, a sham, the two of us merely players in its cruel pantomime. For ours isn't a love story with a happy ending. Ours is a tragic love. The kind of love that leaves a permanent scar on your heart. The kind of love you never get over. The kind of love that defies all logic. Contains mature themes.

My life has always been a series of carefully constructed roads. Always the passenger, never the driver. Always the puppet, never the master. Always the pawn, never the queen. Except with Dante. He makes me feel like a princess, a goddess, a queen . . . His queen. Only with Dante does everything make sense. Only with Dante do I know who I am. Only with Dante do I believe in hope, in faith, in love. We met in the clouds. We bared our souls in the clouds. We fell in love in the clouds. But is our love deep enough to survive the return to earth? Is our faith true enough to weather even the most violent of storms? Is our hope strong enough to outshine the darkest of days and bleakest of nights? Dante made me believe in the power of fate. I need to trust that fate won't steer me wrong now. After everything I've been through, after everything I've experienced, after everything I've endured, one thing remains certain . . . Fate can be as arbitrary as the flip of a coin. Contains mature themes.

The epic conclusion to the Inferno saga is here. Is love stronger than hate? Find out today. He found me in the dark when I thought all hope was lost. He swore he loved me when I didn't think anyone ever would. He vowed to keep the shadows haunting me at bay when I felt like I was drowning in my past. But in doing so, he also kept the truth from me. It shouldn't surprise me. After all, our relationship was built on a foundation of lies, the walls constructed of secrets, the roof a thin veil of deceit. But as I start to peel away layer after layer of this wasps nest I find myself entangled in, I'm faced with the truth . . . our truth. A truth even the strongest love can't protect us from. A truth that's been staring at me for years, but I've simply been too blind to see it. A truth that's about to destroy everything. A storm is coming . . . Contains mature themes.