I came back to the palace to escape the wreckage of my divorce: the humiliation, the guilt, and the broken promises that came with it. My focus now is on raising my son, Theo, even if that means dealing with a controlling council that insists on telling me how to parent and an ex-wife whose family makes me feel like I’ll never be good enough.

​

I find peace in my new routine, snowy mornings with my son, the quiet corners of the palace library… and sometimes in the memories of an unforgettable night with Max Templeton, the boy I once loved.

​

But everything changes when Max—my childhood sweetheart and the man behind that one-night stand—now the palace’s new head veterinarian—returns with his daughter, Lellie, in tow.

​

Suddenly, my carefully managed world is thrown into chaos. Now, instead of avoiding feelings, I’m dodging council meetings, fending off judgment from my ex-wife’s family, and chasing after two kids building snow forts across the palace grounds. And through it all, Max is there—challenging me, calming me, reminding me what love feels like.

​

This time, I won’t let Max slip through my fingers. I lost him once, and I’ve regretted it every day since. Now, with him standing in front of me, I finally have the chance to build the family I never thought I’d have—and I’ll fight to keep it, no matter what.

​

And because this time the best thing I could let go of might just be... The Crown.