Have you ever pretended to be someone you're not just to please others? Almost as if you were living a lie or wearing a mask instead of showing off who you truly are? Feeling as if your forced to live a lie? You feel as if you must be on point and perfect every second of the day. Nakia's mom drove her to think that unless she was perfect no one would ever love her, but no one is perfect. We are flawed. Because of this Nakia has learned how to be strong and she knows what she wants now by first learning just who she is. Don't ever let someone's negative opinion of you become your reality.
Prologue
Nakia was a proud black woman. She is a successful woman in a male dominated field. She drives a brand-new car and has a big fancy house that she bought herself. No one else helped build her up and brought her to the place she is today. She's always looking flawless and always must be on point because she feels that she is her own brand and must look good to earn respect. Always had her hair and nails done. Nakia was always the picture of perfection. Hell, she even went as far as to never wear the same outfit more then twice. Everything had to be brand new for her.
Her clothes always had to be the newest trends and the best brands. She had to have the best of everything including men. She always had her hair straightened never letting her real hair be seen. She would even set an alarm to wake up two hours before her man just to make sure she looked perfect. He has never seen her looking a mess or truly being natural. No one has ever seen her looking natural. Would her man even want her if he knew what she looked like not being perfect.
Nakia's mother always told her that she was her own personal promoter, so she always needed to look her best. Her mama would never let herself or her child look a hot mess. She instilled that in Nakia from day one, and she dared go against her mama. Her mama had her best interest and only helped Nakia to look her best or so she thought. Now she wasn't so sure if what her mama taught her was right or the way she should live her life.
When Nakia turned thirty she had what some would call a mid-life crisis and decided to change everything. It's as if he finally woke up and decided to live her life for herself and to hell with pleasing everyone else all the time. Half the time they weren't pleased no matter how much you succeeded. Someone always has an issue with you no matter what you do. Nakia just needed to realize that you can't make everyone healthy.
She took a long look in the mirror and realized she just needed to feel real for a change. She took out her long weave and started to cut her real hair into a cute short style and dyed it red something she always wanted to do but her mother said wasn't proper. She took all her fancy designer clothes and put them in trash bags so she could donate them. She even donated those high heels that no matter how much she wore them they still killed your feet. She stopped being fake and Just decided to be Nakia.
She has been the woman her mother has pushed her into being, the temptress men desired her to be, the strong take charge businesswoman her boss demanded from her. Never once has she been the person she wanted to be. She questions if she honestly knows who that person even is. She has put on so many masks for so many people that she doesn't even know who she is anymore.
Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you can get up dust yourself off and truly grow. Through all of this Nakia learns to be her best self. She learns to love herself and knows that others will follow. She starts to heal wounds she didn't even realize she had and strengthens her bond with her family and friends. You just have to be true to yourself then and only then can you ever truly be happy and live your best life.
They say there is two sides to every story and this book is no different. You will get to meet Nakia a beautiful plus-sized black woman that finally finds out just who she is, and through that becomes a strong woman that loves who she has become. You'll also meet her mother Nola and hear how she grew up. You'll get to hear why she thinks the way she does and see her change thanks to her amazing daughter and the courage she showed her. It's one hell of a journey of love, and forgiveness that bounds two strong women together and helps everyone to heal.
Brailey has always been what some would call an empath or a little bit psychic it runs in her family, but it isn't something she likes to share, and she never really had issues with it until him. Now she sees every little move he makes as if they were one. This must mean something right?
Nakia was the kind of woman other women thrived to become. She had a successful career and a beautiful home that she bought, and she was always on point. At thirty years old, she thought she had it all figured out, but boy was she wrong. Her mama always taught her that you need to be the woman a man wants and not the woman you want to be. Every day Nakia lives to prove that theory wrong. Through her so-called weakness, she has found a strength she never knew existed. Don't ever let someone's negative opinion of you become your reality.
Aiden was good and safe. Everything Josie should want, and everyone thought she needed. Yet he was not the one she craved. She was tired of always playing it safe. So, when she met Bryce, he set her world on fire. He was bad with a capital B. Everything she was missing in her life. The only problem was that Bryce would only end up breaking her heart. He was the love-on-them and leave-them type always looking for the next best thing. She knew that Aiden could give her the type of future she would need but was that even enough?
What would you do if your father hated you so much that he sold you off to a group of alpha werewolves? That's the very thing that happened to poor little human Fiona. Now she is forced to live with six sexy shifters and sleep with the four remaining single brothers and whoever gets her pregnant first not only gets land, but they will also become her mate. Who even does that? There was no way she wanted to be a part of any of this...
Willow lost her mother before she could even remember her or get to know her. It was just her dad and her brothers along with her. She started to see a lady riding a horse down by the lake but no one else but her ex Ethan could see the woman so everyone called her crazy. Is she really going crazy or was it someone trying to warn her of incoming danger?
Niko has always strived to be nothing like his Mafia crime boss father even leaving and falling love with a woman and having a son he named Noah. His father hated that so much that he had the girl killed and kidnapped Noah all to bring Niko back to him. All Niko wants to do is get his son Noah and little brother Nikolas away from his father but he knows the only way to do that is a fight to the death....
For three years, Shane and Yvonne were wed, sharing heated nights, while his devotion clung to his ex. Yvonne strove to be a dutiful wife, yet their marriage felt hollow, built on desire rather than real warmth. All changed when she became pregnant, only for Shane to thrust her onto the operating table, warning, “Either you or the baby survives!” Broken by his cruelty, she vanished in grief and later returned, radiantly accomplished, leaving everyone awestruck. Haunted by remorse, Shane begged for another chance, but Yvonne only smiled and replied, “I’m sorry, men no longer interest me.”
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
Rachel used to think that her devotion would win Brian over one day, but she was proven wrong when his true love returned. Rachel had endured it all—from standing alone at the altar to dragging herself to the hospital for an emergency treatment. Everyone thought she was crazy to give up so much of herself for someone who didn’t return her feelings. But when Brian received news of Rachel’s terminal illness and realized she didn’t have long to live, he completely broke down. "I forbid you to die!" Rachel just smiled. She no longer needed him. "I will finally be free."
To the public, she was the CEO's executive secretary. Behind closed doors, she was the wife he never officially acknowledged. Jenessa was elated when she learned that she was pregnant. But that joy was replaced with dread as her husband, Ryan, showered his affections on his first love. With a heavy heart, she chose to set him free and leave. When they met again, Ryan's attention was caught by Jenessa's protruding belly. "Whose child are you carrying?!" he demanded. But she only scoffed. "It's none of your business, my dear ex-husband!"