I had plans for myself, to have a successful career, to be independent, and have a good time. My philosophy as a young, silly girl was that I was here for a good time, not for a long time. I didn’t plan to have children, never planned to be married, and I certainly didn’t intend to be a widow before I reached the age of thirty. One day when I woke up, my reality was everything I’d never wanted. After the accident that took my husband’s life, there wasn’t time to think of myself. I was a widow with three small children and had a mother recovering from a heart attack that had nearly killed her. My appearance, my health, and especially my happiness, were no longer considerations, until I met Marco Mangini. He made me long for things to be different, for me to be different. He made me feel alive…and terrified.