Fractured: The Sins of a Father

Fractured #2

by Zarah Lynn

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆.

By the end of the heroine’s journey, she will find her happily ever after with a true hero... not the zero who chooses to cross every possible point of no return.

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"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦—𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵—𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳."

I thought betrayal would be loud. Obvious.
I was wrong.

It arrived quietly. In his absences. In the lies delivered gently. In a marriage that kept breathing long after it had already begun to die. While he was giving another woman pieces of himself, I was still building a life around the man I believed he was. A home. A family. A future that existed only because I refused to stop believing.

When the truth finally came to light, I thought that would be the end. But it was only the beginning.

This is the story of what followed. Of the truth that unraveled everything it touched.
Secrets buried so deep they reshaped the past.
A love that didn’t survive the vows that broke it, and the woman who had to learn how to survive without it.

Some sins don’t end with apologies. They fracture everything in their path.

My name is Cecily, and this is the story of how my life was fractured… and how I survived the choices he made.

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𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱: The Sins of a Father is the second book in a trilogy that follows Cecily’s journey. From heartbreak and having her world fractured more than once, to the slow, painful process of rebuilding herself and finding true love. The kind of love powerful enough to reshape worlds and give meaning to every wound left behind.

Described by readers as an unflinching, realistic, and raw exploration of love, betrayal, and the fractures that change everything… the kind of story that cuts deep, lingers, and refuses to release you even after the final page.

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₊⋆ Cheating Romance Aftermath

⋆⁺ Infidelity Consequences

₊⋆ Marriage Breakdown

⋆⁺ Family Fracture

₊⋆ Impact of Infidelity on Children

⋆⁺ Domestic Angst

₊⋆ Quiet Female Rage

⋆⁺ Emotional Trauma

₊⋆ Psychological Romance Drama

⋆⁺ OWD (Other Woman Drama)

This book is intended for readers 18+.

Genres: Divorce, Family Drama, Contemporary, Revenge

361 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 11, 2026

Reviews

[Cheryl]

Ugh another cliffy

Will we hear again about Colin? Or is the whole book going to be about her healing and finding someone new.

[Shannon Lee]

Main trope: This is a cheating story. Book two in a trilogy.

Additional tropes:
✅Other woman drama

Detailed spoilers/trigger warnings (if any) and final thoughts can be found below. There is a warning right before the spoiler and trigger section so you have the choice to proceed or stop reading.

Summary: This book begins where book one ended, Cecily is confronting Colin with the copious amounts of evidence she has collected detailing his affair with Maya. Believing he would never be caught, he is completely taken by surprise with this information. Cecily also lets him know that she is not interested in continuing their marriage and he tells her that that’s something that he’s not going to accept.

The majority of this book was Colin’s attempt at trying to make amends for the things that he has done wrong. It took him a very long time to finally accept the fact that his marriage was over. This book also offered some insight into the other woman, and we learned the full extent of the reasons behind all that she has done.

This book set up nicely for the third book, hinting at what’s to come for Cecily to get her happily ever after.

⚠️SPOILERS/SPICE/DETAILED TRIGGERS⚠️

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*Discussion of emotional and physical affair.

Final thoughts: Even though this is book two and there’s one more to go, I don’t intend to read it because I feel very good about how this ended and that the closure was there. If you like a cheating story with a good resolution, then I definitely recommend these books.

[Ashley]

You think ceci’s had enough from Colin, but my god, keep kicking her while she’s down, why don’t you! It was hit after hit after hit! But here’s the thing, I freaking love a strong FMC & ceci embodied that. Despite multiple people telling her “it was a mistake” & she pointed out huge facts & valid reasonings, I liked the fact that she will not end up with Colin.

Now granted, towards the end I truly felt bad for Colin & a smallllll smalllll part of me was thinking, hmmm… what if she did get back with him… but then I had to remind myself, no! The CHOICES he made on multiple occasions, are unforgivable. 6 months worth. Lying, leaving your family all for that… so why should someone forgive now that the person is super remorseful. You’re only remorseful bc you got caught! Colin even admitted that he thought he could live this double life. So who knows how long he would’ve kept going for.

Again, I love this book & im so sad I’ll have to end it at book 3 😭 I don’t want it to end.

[Scarred Shadow]

Wauw what an emotional story.
And the warnings from the author when the reader enters a sensitive part of the story is truly amazing. Wish more authors would do that.

[Midnight Dahlia]

I was honestly very excited to read the second part of this book. It was not completely bad, but it was definitely not good either. The story felt dragged out much longer than it needed to be. I already knew there would be no reconciliation, and I was actually happy about that. I was not expecting dramatic grovelling or anything like that, but this second part still disappointed me in many ways.

The whole Maya drama

I strongly believe that when cheating happens, the person who is in the relationship deserves most of the blame, not the third party alone. Many authors try to reduce the pain of cheating by turning the other woman into a single villain and then forcing the couple back together with emotional excuses. Here, it almost felt like the opposite problem happened.

Throughout both books, readers were made to hate Maya along with Collin. Then suddenly, we were shown her sad past and trauma. It honestly felt like the author was trying very hard to make readers sympathize with her. The constant POV from her side, her vulnerable moments, her relationship with her uncle, the miscarriage, even small things like the receptionist feeling bad for her all of it felt like forced sympathy. Then Chloe bringing Maya’s past box made it even more obvious.

It almost felt like the author wanted us to believe Maya became this way because Phillips left. But I completely disagree. The biggest reason behind her damage was clearly her uncle and her mother. Both of them were selfish and emotionally toxic. On top of that, Maya’s behaviour with Collin and other men over the years shows a clear pattern. Cheating is not a mistake, it is a choice. Maya planned her actions, stayed calm, and even used manipulation and acting. Someone who can repeatedly do that without guilt is not just broken by trauma. That is a conscious personality choice.

Honestly, I would have preferred Maya to remain a bad character shaped by her upbringing rather than someone the author tries to soften with a tragic backstory. The author put so much effort into Maya that at one point it felt like this was her story instead of Cecil’s. You cannot write an “other woman” storyline and then expect readers to fully sympathize with her. It just does not work like that.

I actually felt satisfied that Cecil never once showed sympathy toward Maya. Trauma can shape someone, but it is still their choice whether they become better or worse. Maya chose to become worse. She betrayed her best friend simply because she could attract an older man. That is pure cruelty. I honestly think she inherited her mother’s toxic mentality.

Collin — just disgusting

I was not expecting him to beg or grovel, but I kept asking one question: why Maya?

His behaviour was honestly disturbing. He chased a woman who was only a few years older than his own son. Creepy dude. He spent huge amounts of time with her and had a full physical relationship with her. Then suddenly, after getting caught, he started acting like everything was disgusting. That was completely unrealistic.

I refuse to believe he never compared his wife and his mistress sexually. That is just impossible. He was just as morally corrupt as Maya. The worst part is that he barely faced consequences. Silent treatment from his children and resigning from his job is not enough. If Cecil had never caught him, he would have continued the affair happily. Suddenly acting disgusted by Maya after exposure felt fake and laughable.

I actually liked that the children were angry with him and did not just forgive him easily. I hate when stories hide the truth from children to protect the cheating parent. Children learn from their family. If you hide the truth, it teaches them that betrayal has no real consequences.

I also strongly disagree with the idea that someone can be a good father but a terrible husband. Loyalty and respect in a marriage are part of being a responsible parent. If you cannot respect your spouse, that failure still affects your children.

And honestly, I do not feel bad about Maya’s miscarriage. I know that sounds harsh, but I do not support the idea of forcing characters to live with a permanent reminder of betrayal just because the child is innocent. Both Maya and Collin were completely unfit to raise a child together anyway.

I am extremely glad the author did not reunite Cecil and Collin.

The twist and Phillips connection

The twist felt unnecessary and unconvincing. Phillips showed almost no emotional reaction to his daughter’s separation or Collin’s cheating. So Maya's plan to hurt him was actually went flop. It felt empty and pointless. The connection between him and Maya also felt forced and creepy. If Maya had actually been his biological child, it might have created stronger emotional impact. Instead, it just felt random and slightly disturbing cause a woman carried an obsession for a man who stayed with them for year.

That whole photo scene honestly gave horror movie vibes rather than emotional depth. It felt unsettling instead of meaningful.

Final thoughts

I honestly do not think this story needs a third part. The plot already feels stretched. But if another part comes out, I will probably still read it because I am invested enough to see where it goes.

[Jamie Sigmundson]

*Please note - I only read the last chapters of Book 1 as I didn't want to read about the affair; I wanted to read about the discover and confrontation.

Book starts out with the wife, Cecily, confronting her husband, Colin, for having a months long affair with his 20 something your old assistant (who pursued him relentlessly knowing he has a wife - OF 19 YEARS - and thinks he will leave his wife for her - DE-LULU).

We find out that their 17 year old son, Ethan, overheard his father on the phone last week, sending flowers to another woman. He confided in his mom who supported him where he was at, and asked him to trust her, that she was taking care of things.

Cecily's best-friend and 'ride or die', Markus, helps Cecily gather all the information (he works in IT).
Pictures, receipts, text messages, plan b, lube, 'work commitments', etc. He receives a notification to his phone and runs out of work, straight home, yelling for Cecily and the kids. Cecily is sitting at the kitchen table, dressed in black. She confronts him, he tries to lie, repeatedly, and she shows him a binder she had made with every single receipt, location, photo, emails, financial statements, etc.

She kicks him out and a few days later, his son logs onto Cecily's friend's personal ipad, and sees all the evidence, starts to put dates together when his father 'couldn't be with them' because of work, when their are dated pictures of him going to the other woman's house, etc.

He is angry af and wants nothing to do with his dad. His sister, Alecia, is younger and doesn't really know what's going on. Until she does, because the OW sent videos and pictures to a tabloid - I guess he's like a big hotel owner or something - and has an article written about their 'love story'.

The daughter has to go to new school because of bullying, Father loses his job, the OW is pregnant (she loses the baby).

Colin has a friend who had an affair, and he asks him, 'how did you get your wife to forgive you?' and the friend said, 'she forgave me with sleeping with someone a couple times, early in our relationship'.... 'you've been married 19 years, with 2 kids, and have carried on an affair for almost a year, and the OW is pregnant! Cecily is never going to get over this. She will not forgive you."

She is absolutely devastated, a shell of herself, trying to keep it together. She makes her self physically ill and has thoughts of ending her own life (which she won't obviously for her kids).

She posts a cryptic post on her blog (which is quite successful), about betrayal and infidelity, and it goes viral, with thousands of women sharing their stories of betrayal and infidelity.

FMC gets counselling, and both parents have the kids do counselling too (I don't remember if the husband goes to counseling too, but I don't think he does).

He has to step down as CEO of his company since investors have pulled out and stocks have taken a dive on the news that has spread. He gives Cecily the Divorce and works to show up for his kids and try to make things right.

Cecily, on the other hand, starts casually talking/dating a man (who is definitely going to be a rich, Italian stallion). The next book (not out yet) will continue on with Cecily's story of finding love again.

[Carole Copeland]

Just my thoughts

First, this review is for the first two books but I need to start by saying I found it strange the author added the before you leave section defending her choice of storyline. It's funny because in book one, I thought he was an ass. Unemotional but the author changed that when he was with his family. Now, I know there are some betrayals there is no bouncing back from and I thought this was it. I do like a good second chance, an authentic restoration story. The author chose to take us on this journey and we see Colin get stripped down piece by piece. And I'll be honest, I would rather see this be a building from the ground up second chance. I believe, unlike the author seems to, that a woman can decide to restore, forgive, and rebuild her marriage when there is authentic remorse. Doesn't make her weak, or wrong. It brings a new level of strength. I enjoy a good survival story as well and sometimes you just have to move on from betrayal. I just feel that,.for those of us who believe that there is love and that restoration is possible sometimes that is what makes the story. The author has pulled us in to see his transformation and hitting rock bottom from where he was with no emotion caught his own arrogance. I am not a fan of Alexander. The author has the MFC, before she knows, have these touchy feelings about this stranger. Is that appropriate for a married woman? No. She wouldn't have those feelings because the author set her up to be someone with integrity and would never look outside her marriage. That should have come after. So, I find it funny that once I was done, I see others felt the same way. It's not that he didn't have feelings for the OW, it's because the author makes us feel how much he loves his family and his transformation takes place. Not every broken marriage by betrayal needs to end in divorce, some do when there is no remorse, but sometimes the restoration leads to a life together that surpasses what was. The only thing I do see the end of this, is the graphic details in book one. Who knows about book three. Already know how it ends sooo do we need to actually read it?

[Amber Reese]

I first have to say that the 1s book was a 5 star, the way the cheating was described very well in that way that makes you so angry. I was very exited for the second, and it didn't disappoint until half book. The first half of the book was perfection like no other, the after cheating, the pain, the emotions. The way Cecily handle it, Colin's reaction, their interaction, the way Cecily felt, family and friends pressure for her to forgive, kids reaction... it was sublime. I was reading a real life portrait of real life of these situations. After 50% I dont know what happen, it was a train wreck. The plot that after all it was a plot and manipulation to Destrot Cecily family targeting the husband, was a bad twist, it gives the notion that if it wasn't Maya, Colin would not cheated because he wouldn't be manipulated too, and that its no correct, he would've cheated anyway it was a matter of time, that man did not have a ounce of guilt for doing it in the first book. It focus a lot on Maya and Cecily's father, and it kind of ruin the realism of the story. By the end it gain points by Cecily actually going through with the divorce, for a moment I thought that it was heading for a redemption/forgive ending, that would have been the last nail in the coffin of this amazing story, gladly id didnt, the ending was beautiful and did justice to the story. the writing was amazing, it improved a lot from the first book. im exited to see Cecily happy in the third book and also curious to see if Colin even appears in that.

[Maxxxine]

Read Midnight Dahlia review. I agree with everything she said.

Like:
🩷 Ow & zero get their karma.
🩷 3⭐ for Fmc alone. She's BRUTAL. Yes she's angry with OW, but she blame everything on MMC. That's my girl! Her heart never soften to them. Ow playing victim bcz of what fmc's dad did to her mom, but should just ruined his life not his daughter's life. She sent karma to the wrong person 🙄
🩷 Love love LOVE that ow got miscarriage. I think most kids don't want homewrecker as a mom/dad.
🩷 I live how the kids treat zero like he's nothing until the end. I mean what you expect after ruined their happy life for easy pussy (that's the don't said. He brutal too).
🩷 I love how zero life ruined and he lost his position in his job. Lost respect from everyone.

Don't like:
💢 Zero don't grovel. He cry, feel guilty, say sorry. But it just words. He never prove anything or fix anything. Well at least he try to spend time with the kids.
💢 Fmc's dad. The serial cheater never get his karma. Even Fmc's mon throw the evidence of his cheating. And expect Fmc to do the same for her marriage. Hell naw! I hope Fmc never forgive them, they're bad influence.
💢 I don't need Ow back story. Yeah yeah pitiful but your mom was a whore, what you expect 😂?
💢 The twist about Ow mom and Fmc dad is unnecessary. That chapters can be replaced with zero groveling. Or maybe build chemistry between Fmc and new H.
💢 Well I kinda hope the new H is Mike. At least he's around her when everything get hard.

[Colleen Spear]

my first Five star rating ever!!!

This book absolutely broke me, so many books end up disappointing me by having the FMC end up with no backbone or are complete push overs. Cecily is a breath of fresh air and strength. I feel her pain throughout this book. I do feel Colin’s pain as well as much as I think he would have just kept going back to Maya anyway until CeCi found out. Although the story line with her Dad was disturbing. I actually felt bad for Maya too and feel like her Dad deserves some serious karma and hoped her Mom would have had some backbone and left him, too.
Not sure how to feel about the miscarriage though seemed wrapped up a bit too nicely and how Colin was towards that baby was a bit unfortunate as well. He can say what ever he wanted but he treated his mistress as a girlfriend the way he spoke to her during sex was more than just that IMO. I am not rooting for Colin at all because so many times he was worried about his wife but chose Maya anyway so his actions spoke louder than words. Wouldn’t have stopped until he was caught. Just a sad story because he really did love his wife but chose to betray her again and again and almost without remorse. Or he would have stopped before he got caught.

[SC Girlie]

Author should be proud!

I thought this book was really good honestly even better than the first one which was already five stars. This author did an exceptional job with realistic dialogue. Newer authors, really struggle with that and they’re always trying to make internal thoughts sound poetic when they’re not. I don’t sit here and in the back of my mind go the silence is Nike knives in my brain or something dramatic. This author really wrote a book that is effectively communicating. What the characters are feeling saying doing and it is very believable. She also did not write a doormat FMC, which I really appreciate. I feel bad for the author because one of the only bad reviews is a woman who’s literally trolling her books. The third in the series came out today and this Carol woman left a one star review immediately. Honestly, just because she found a new MMC. I feel bad for authors who get the short end of the stick because some readers been cheated on and wants to believe that reconciliation is the answer. This author should be exceptionally proud of what she’s written.

[Cathy]

Emotional and well written

The novel is written in a deeply emotional way that makes it easy to connect with each character. I felt Cecily’s pain in the face of betrayal, as well as Colin’s remorse over his mistakes. What stood out most to me was Cecily’s strength—despite pressure from those around her, she chose to walk away and do what was best for herself and her children.
The story raises an important question about forgiveness and relationships: while forgiveness matters, should one person be expected to hold everything together out of love when the other has already been willing to break it? The book doesn’t offer a single answer, and I appreciated that. It shows that no one is perfect—people make mistakes, and different choices can still be valid. Cecily’s parents, as well as Jonathan and Felicity, chose to work through their betrayals, and that’s okay. Cecily’s decision to leave is just as valid.
I really liked how the author presented both perspectives with empathy and balance. I’m looking forward to reading part three!

[I’m a Paula too… Thompson]

Complicated…

First off, the family consists of Cecily and Colin, with kids Ethan and Alicia. The hoe is Maya, and Cecily’s parents play a huge role in the story.

In the author notes, she says they were never going to reconcile. Colin could been rehabilitated and redeemed but the author had already decided not. And I understand that because Cecily deserves a marriage that is the complete opposite of her parents. Her mother is pretty much in La La Land.. actively refusing to face the facts of their marriage. Dad is a serial cheater and is actually the direct catalyst that started this whole thing off!

The complex relationships in this book are unbelievable. These characters are written so well!

Ok, I already gave away more than I probably should, so all I will say in closing is that this trilogy is worth reading, and I’m eagerly awaiting the final book. Really great story…

[SilentSpectra]

That Afterword 🤌🏼

"Emotional" book 2. Mark is such a solid friend. The extra betrayal of people close to Cecily trying to convince her to forgive and forget is such a different punch. Especially because I have zero doubts this happens often to the people who have been betrayed. Her mom's stick your head in the sand motto...let's just say she's was rooting for Cecily when she didn't buy into what they were selling and cut them out.

Colin can cry every tear but as it's said over and over in the book and I wholeheartedly agree with, he made a choice. It wasn't an oopsy or a little mistake. He continuously made a choice to cheat and betray his family. He doesn't get to make himself out to be a victim because he regrets it. His regret doesn't outweigh Cecily's devastation and trauma that were a direct result from his choices. To say he felt bad, look at how torn up he is, and that she should give him another chance is just re-victimising her all over again.

[Parene Doubt]

I’m at a loss for words…

Sooooo…based on my previous review of the first book…I wholeheartedly had every intention of reading this book the same way; however, it became clear that I was procrastinating starting this book because…I was being pretty much a coward…spoiler alert….after reading the first book you will know without a doubt that the main characters aren’t getting back together and reading the devastation happening this book broke me in ways…because I was once in Felicity shoes…both as the one who was cheated on and stayed and then being the friend of a couple where the husband chose the side piece…and there’s a story there I won’t get into…but I felt this story in my soul so much that I had to literally take daily, weekly breaks for my own psyche(sic) … it’s worth the read, it’ll break your heart, but that skank gets what she deserves….

[Marle]

original w/all the angst - get Kleenex

Story is an original betrayal and grovel. The layers of the characters motivation are slowly revealed. I do not totally understand Colins motivation to cheat but that may be the point. The consequences of his choices are
brutally hard for all those around him. His regret and pain are sincere. I do always hate when cheaters love their wives but choose to be with their mistresses. That hurts. I did think the issue (avoiding with spoiler) with her father was a bit over the top and not very believable. Her kids journey through trauma are felt as well. The author makes her Intent clear- no reconciliation. But please let Colin reconcile with his children!!! For his sake but mostly theirs. This is a follow up from part one.

[Kim Brewing]

While I usually want a HEA with the original couple I am so glad that is not the case in this story. I love that Cecily has a back bone and stands by her convictions. This book does drag a bit, but it shows the fallout of the the choices Colin and Phillip made. I actually really dislike Cecily's mom. What she chose to ignore works for her but it obviously still causes her pain, so I'm not sure she made the right choice and hate that she tries to get her daughter to live with the same pain. Can't wait for the next book where we get to see Cecily and her new love interest, someone that actually sees her not just her physical beauty.

[Amaris Mott]

Colin &CeeCee

Zarah Lynn, you did your thang on this book. Girl, you brought the heartbreak, the disbelief, the WTF to this series. My God, Cecilia the heartbreak she felt I felt, you good when you have your readers feeling the heartbreak to point they are crying. I just want you to know I read the first book on Wattpad then I saw announcement that part 2 of Fractured series was going to be on Kindle. I just want to say keep doing what you doing you in big leagues now. Congratulations!

[Shanna]

Love this

I can't wait to read the rest of the series. So much happens after she confronts her husband. It's a roller-coaster of aha moments. Yes he feels remorse or maybe it's shame. I, surprisingly, at times felt bad for him. In the end, I'm happy that she found herself and her strength to choose herself and her kids. Yes he grovel, but tbh he knew what he was doing and made choices. Those choices lead him to where he is now. And yes the OW is a special kind of evil. Karma hits her hard and I can't seem to feel bad for her.

[Jen's Bookbag]

Good second book in the series by a new author. I believe this was originally published on Wattpad so she had a fan base before it came out on Kindle. This is a major grovel fest! It was so sad to see the utter destruction caused by one man's careless disregard for his marriage vows and his family. Talk about not appreciating what you've got until it's gone! There is a lot of explanation of the backstory of the mistress and I think I would have rather had a shorter book dealing just with the couple rather than all of the side stories. The series was too long, IMO. Still, great dialogue and the author conveys the characters' emotions really well.

[CAROL]

A soul searching read!

I came across this author whilst she was writing this story.
The way it is written and how the emotions pour off the pages was really impactful.
The topic is a sensitive one and will not suit everyone’s taste or indeed agree with how the story unfolds, however, I enjoyed the journey the author took me on and look forward to book 3.
So, my final thoughts are that the story is beautifully written by an talented author worthy of five stars.

[Christine]

Originally read on Wattpad.

Cheating = addressed in first book review

h sees H with OW = see first book review

Grovel = H wants so badly to make amends, but h is having NONE of it. So he ends up looking fairly pathetic and is so focused on the h he ignores the kids which fractures things more for the h.

OW drama = expanded in this

h is going to be given another H who is just dreamy and awesome and ends up with an amazing life. But the author is dragging this into a third book.

[Amy Spoils Books (Beware)]

Completely agree with your final message about the book. Colin was not her HEA. He was too far gone. Too many of these take it too far and then push for redemption. It physically pains me. I read a book where the cheater got a vasectomy so he could cheat and she still took him back. There are some where I can root for him later. Like I may root for Colin to find a new HEA if he can grow, but Cecily deserves a live she can trust.
And their kids need to see a love they can respect.

[WonByOne]

The Story Continues

This book picks up right where the first ended. I am so glad this second book was already published when I read the first one. The fallout from the cheating begins and continues throughout the book. I know some people prefer the second chance/ reconciliation direction, but in this case I’m not one of them. The betrayal is too great and I’m glad the wife chooses to move on. I loved the different POV. I look forward to the third book.

[Vivian Brennan]

Masterpiece of writing

This was a hard review to write for all the right reasons. To give the author credit for the narrative and the twist you don’t see coming. This book was so written with so much thought and empathy. If you thought the first book was good this surpasses. I don’t give spoilers as it is an injustice to the author.
Highly recommend this book and the series.
1 click now you will not be disappointed

[charity favors]

He got what he deserved

I read the second installment and was glad to see the MFC come into her own. She put her and her kids first and let her husband know that what he destroyed was their family and that was unforgivable. She stayed strong and was recovering from the heartbreak of the betrayal of her husband. Can't get past her mother and father though.

[Sue]

This is book 2 of a great series - we still are waiting on the HEA, and I am looking forward to the 3rd book in the series, which I hope wraps this up nicely.

Quote gained from this book:
“Every star can be a guide: for those who sail, for those who walk, and also for those who grow.” — Miranda Ranalli.

[Santi]

I absolutely loved this series. I can't wait for the next book.

The writing is so beautiful and vivid that it pulled me right into the story. I felt such a strong emotional connection to every character - their struggles, their choices, and the way their stories unfolded felt incredibly real. The only thing I regret is starting this series and not waiting until the third book is out.

[Micha]

I didn’t read the first book because I just knew I wouldn’t be able to stomach the constant on page shenanigans. This one was just as heartbreaking especially because of the children. I’m so happy Cecily knows her worth and walked away from that cheating asshole! I can’t wait to read the next book to see how she’s loved by Alexander 🥰

[Brontesrule]

Content warning: Suicide, infidelity, miscarriage.

Cheating is always an active choice, not a "mistake," and this book focused on the consquences. The author captured perfectly how every member of the family (not just the FMC) suffered severe emotional harm.

Very angsty, and full of emotional devastation.