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.