The line between love and hate has never been so explosive.

The prospect of returning to the U.K. after a much-needed visit home filled me with misery.
Leaving my family behind put a huge ache in my chest.
Things changed when Alessandro entered my life as he took the seat next to mine on the plane.
He was sexy.
Gorgeous.
Italian.
And a professor – exactly what I needed to distract myself from from my heartache.
We lost ourselves in each other during those long hours in the air and he seemed like a dream come true.
But things quickly took a turn when we landed and I realized that Professor McGorgeous transformed into Professor McJerk – someone cold, arrogant, and rude.
Our relationship turned into an ongoing battle of insults and animosity.
Until his son, the three-foot mini version of him, managed to put a chink in my armor.
Before I knew it, I was wrapped around his pinky.
It was a shame that my feelings towards his father remained unchanged.
That is until I discovered Alessandro wasn’t who he pretended to be.
A completely different man was buried beneath his rude façade.
When the real Alessandro emerged, so did the passion.
Often times, the most unforgettable love stories are born out of the greatest tragedies.
Ours certainly was.