{"product_id":"crown-of-ashes-9798244547320","title":"Crown of Ashes","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): Christopher M. Matuszak\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: Fantasy - Dark Fantasy\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBook 2 in the \u003ci\u003eDarkness Falls\u003c\/i\u003e series\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThey loved to tell the story of how gentle he was with me.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow carefully he guided me through rooms full of watching eyes.\u003cbr\u003eHow he always held my hand, always spoke my name like a promise.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo one noticed that he never let go.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI learned quickly what pleased him. Which smiles were believable. Which silences meant obedience instead of resistance. I learned that gratitude was safer than honesty-and that pain, when framed as love, could be endured indefinitely.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe called it devotion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI called it survival.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt night, when the palace was quiet and the performance finally ended, I would sit on the edge of the bed and touch the glass slipper kept beside the crown jewels. They said it was proof that magic was real. That destiny could be measured. That goodness left marks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt fit only one foot.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe liked that.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"It reminds people who you are,\" he told me once, watching my reflection instead of my face.\u003cbr\u003e\"Fragile. Rare. Chosen.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFragile things don't survive fire.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut cages burn.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd I am done being gentle.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Independently Published","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47592886239383,"sku":"9798244547320","price":1519.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9798244547320.webp?v=1774979735","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/crown-of-ashes-9798244547320","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}