Mark and Cleo meet by pure chance and fall into what seems like a fairy-tale romance. Married when they first meet, Mark leaves his wife to build a new life with Cleo. Though she knows he is far from perfect, she believes their love can overcome any obstacle.

What she does not realize is that she is stepping into a relationship that will test the limits of her endurance, self-worth, and sanity. Before long, they find themselves trapped in a passionate yet destructive affair that neither of them seems able to escape.

Based on true events, this compelling memoir explores subjects that are still often shrouded in silence: mental illness, obsessive-compulsive disorder, jealousy, emotional abuse, addiction, disordered eating, unplanned pregnancies, and the devastating consequences of loving someone who may ultimately destroy you.

And just when Cleo believes she has reached rock bottom, life proves her wrong. Much worse is yet to come.

Told with remarkable honesty and a sharp sense of dry humor, CLEO JAMES (a pseudonym) exposes the secrets most people would rather keep hidden.

Spanning nearly two decades, her extraordinary true story is by turns heartbreaking, shocking, darkly funny, and utterly compelling. A gripping account of love, obsession, and resilience, it will stay with readers long after the final page. And the ending? You will never see it coming.