The Lady Chronicles: The NSU beginning The Painted Lady Sometimes the risks may not be worth the sacrifice... Asha St. Claire is a young single mother who was willing to sacrifice whatever it took to secure financial freedom for her and her little boy. She believed those sacrifices finally paid off when she won a full academic scholarship to Natchez State University, a remote Mississippi college hundreds of miles away from her Chicago home-town. What she wasn't aware of was that in order to accept the scholarship, she would be forced to leave her son behind. Determined on becoming economically secure, Asha sacrifices her immediate wants, accepts the scholarship, and permits temporary custodial rights of her son to her mother in order to pursue her degree. Still reeling from the separation from her son, Asha is completely caught off guard when she meets Delphi, a man who not only rattles her focused and well laid plans for the future, but also every sensory nerve that makes her a female. Delphi has everything Asha could ever want; however she finds he often holds back if pressed to reveal his past. Can she trust him enough to move forward and build the secured future she's dreamed of? Or is his constant hesitation a sign that he is completely wrong for both her and her son? Delphi Allen is a man who knows what he wants-and what he wants is Asha. In his single-minded pursuit, he chooses to ignore past events in his life that could negatively impact both their futures. Can he convince Asha that her current choices won't make her happy without revealing secrets he's tried to forget? Or will his decision and her sacrifice ultimately cost them both? New Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.