Thorns of Silence

He told me he loved me, then abandoned me.

My sister was his first choice. Too bad for him, I refused to be his second.

Dante Leone was bad news with a gorgeous exterior and a dangerous mind. Emotionally unavailable and slightly unhinged, he was a heartbreak waiting to happen. Again.

I ran. He gave chase and my fate was sealed.

Roaming the world, I searched for a vital part of me. There'd be no new beginning until I found my answers. My taste of freedom was sweet, yet lonely. And oh, so fleeting.

I should have known he would catch up to me. After all, he thrived on the chase. I'd learned that the hard way.

But guess what?

I was no longer the woman he seduced all those years ago. I no longer believed the pretty lies that passed his lips nor the false promises in his deceitful eyes.

My name is Phoenix Romero, and I'd make the rules this time around.

Like my namesake, I had risen from the ashes and this time, I would be the one to make him burn.