When I stepped on that flight to Rome, I never could have imagined the man sitting across the aisle from me would tilt my world on its axis. He claimed it was fate that brought us together. But I never believed in such notions. 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, she's cruel and unforgiving. I thought I'd left my past behind when I stepped onto that plane. I was a fool to think I could ever truly escape my past. Not when it's so viciously intertwined with my present.