Tonia's POV
The woman staring back at me from the mirror looked hollow, her eyes lacking the spark that should have been there on such a momentous day.
My makeup was understated, hair pulled back in a simple updo that seemed almost plain for someone who had once dreamed of this very occasion. The irony wasn't lost on me that I looked so ordinary while preparing to watch another woman claim the title that should have been mine.
Perhaps my lackluster appearance reflected the bitter reality that my greatest enemy would soon wear the crown, wielding power she would undoubtedly use to crush me beneath her heel.
Or maybe it was because I carried the child of a man who could never truly belong to me.
My gaze fell to the vanity before me, heavy with disappointment.
This coronation had played out so differently in my fantasies.
A sharp rap on my door interrupted my brooding before Gia burst through, her entrance providing a momentary distraction from the turmoil consuming my thoughts.
