Three Lives Shattered She Chose the Throne Over Love — Novel

About

In a world where loyalty is a double-edged sword, Norma Black stands at a crossroad of love and power. After two lives filled with betrayal and loss, she is determined to forge a new path. With the triumphant return of Lester Vance, the man she once adored, the stakes are higher than ever. Once the darling of the capital, Norma is now a woman scorned, grappling with the painful truth that the hero she loved may never have been hers to keep.

As whispers of her broken engagement ripple through the city, Norma must navigate a treacherous landscape of familial loyalty and societal expectations. Will she succumb to the pressure of marrying a man who has already shattered her heart, or will she dare to defy the odds and seek her own destiny? With her younger sister Gemma at her side, Norma grapples with the question: Can she reclaim her identity and protect her family without losing herself again?

In this tale of ambition and resilience, the quest for love collides with the hunger for power. As the shadows of the past loom large, can Norma break free from the chains of expectation and carve out a future where she chooses the throne over love?

Three Lives Shattered She Chose the Throne Over LoveChapter 1

I had lived two lives.

In both, I followed Lester Vance into quiet retirement after he hung up his armor, living peacefully, wanting nothing from the world.

And in both, his adopted sister clawed her way into the imperial palace and dragged us down with her. Our house was raided. Our family, executed to the last.

It always started the same way. She would kneel outside our thatched cottage, sobbing that the Emperor had cast her aside, that he'd chosen another woman as his consort.

Lester would set down his hoe and sigh. "You know I can't stand watching you cry."

Then he'd pull his dust-covered armor from the chest and follow her back to the capital.

It took dying twice for me to understand.

All that talk of sibling devotion.

Every word of it was a lie.

——

Lester Vance was returning to Aurelia in triumph, and every eligible girl in the city had rushed to the gates to welcome him home.

I was the only one walking the other way.

My little sister Gemma Abbott tugged at my sleeve. "Norma Black, aren't we going to meet him?"

I should have been. In both my previous lives, that was exactly what I'd done.

The script never changed.