The Loyal Woman
Romantic Suspense
Soledad Thomas has built her life around her family, dedicating thirty-one years to being a devoted wife to her husband, Elliot, and a loving mother to their five children. But her life, once fulfilling, has become a cycle of lonely, monotonous days where she feels more like a maid and cook than a cherished partner. Her dreams packed away, a deep sense of resentment and invisibility has taken root. The final blow comes on her fiftieth birthday, a milestone completely forgotten by her husband and children, leaving Soledad heartbroken and questioning the very foundation of her existence.
Feeling desperate and unseen, Soledad takes a drastic step, not by packing a bag, but by retreating into a vivid and passionate fantasy. She imagines herself on the sun-drenched shores of Topaz Island, where she meets the handsome and charismatic resort owner, Carlo Moretti. He offers her everything she has been craving: attention, desire, and an exhilarating romance that awakens a part of her she thought was lost forever. This escape into a dream world provides the excitement and validation she has been missing, presenting a tempting alternative to her mundane reality.
While Soledad is lost in this powerful daydream, her family is forced to confront a world without her. Her absence leaves her husband, Elliot, in a state of panic and regret as he begins to realize the depth of his neglect. Faced with the reality of the life she has versus the life she has imagined, Soledad must make a choice. Will she continue to find solace in a fantasy, or will she find the strength to confront the issues in her marriage and fight for the happiness she deserves in the real world?
Read an Excerpt
The first time I saw Monica, she was sitting behind reinforced glass, her hands cuffed, her eyes hollow. She looked nothing like a killer. She looked like a ghost, a woman already defeated by a life I knew nothing about. But I knew the man she was accused of killing. I knew him better than anyone.
"Alesia," Detective Rourke said, his voice a low gravel on the other side of the glass. He didn't look at me, his eyes were fixed on Monica. "You're wasting your time. She's guilty."
"Everyone deserves a defense, Detective," I replied, my voice cooler than I felt. I adjusted the lapels of my blazer, a flimsy piece of armor against his certainty.
He finally turned to me, his gaze sharp and assessing. "Even when the victim is your ex-husband? The man who ruined you?"
My breath caught. "That has nothing to do with it."
"Doesn't it?" He gave a humorless smirk and turned back to Monica. "This isn't justice, counselor. This is... something else."
He was right. It was something else. It was my penance. And I was just getting started.