I'd once thought the only thing that mattered was the truth. But perhaps I'd been naive. Learning to navigate life with my eyes open, I'd found things weren't as they seemed. The good guy didn't always get the girl, the right thing wasn't always easy to spot, and the bad guy wasn't always the villain. Life was more about perception than truth. Maybe... that was the biggest lie of all. My mother and ex-husband hid behind their mansions and club memberships, making everyone believe they were better and had it all together. Deep down they were twisted and cruel, covering it up with pretty lies. The mask I'd worn for so long no longer protected me, the facade cracking as I began to emerge into my own person. Heartache, deceit, and treachery kept knocking at my door, but they had no place here. I could see through their betrayals and I was no longer alone to carry the pain. I used to think my biggest confession was having it all and losing it so epically, laying splattered on the floor in a million pieces. Yet, piece by piece, I was being put back together. Which led me to wonder if I'd ever been whole to begin with? When your whole life was a lie, did you ever know the truth? This is a dark contemporary mafia romance with LGBTQ+ themes and a why-choose romance. This is book 2 in a 4 book series. This book is intended for 18+ audiences due to adult content. Please check the foreward for content warnings.