The American Who Married Napoleon’s Youngest Brother

She spent decades fighting for recognition from a jerk, his brother, and their empire.

Picture this: You’re in the Pitti Palace in Florence, admiring the artwork. Then, at the end of a long gallery, you see him — the man who broke your heart 20 years ago. The man who abandoned you because his brother told him to.

But that’s not all.

There’s a woman on his arm. The woman he married after his brother declared your marriage invalid — the mother of his three legitimate children. She looks old beyond her years, tired and overweight.

What do you do?

In this story, you stand up straight, let your cloak flap open to reveal your still-drop-dead-gorgeous figure, and breeze by them with a casual smile that hides years of heartbreak.

Then you cry afterward, because even though he looked tired, she looked dumpy, and you looked amazing, he’s still the only man you’ve ever loved. Through the grey hair and the dadbod, you can still see that young, handsome man you fell in love with.

That’s what happened to Betsy Patterson Bonaparte.

“The Color and Shape of Her Thighs”