Art and Artifice: A Memoir (Paperback)

When love feels like destiny...and then becomes a trap.

Gail Bergan thought she had finally found her perfectly matched soul mate—a man who seemed to reflect her in every way, her yin to his yang. When Paul stepped into her life, the sun shone so brightly she was blinded.

In the mid-2000s, while navigating a second divorce, Gail fell hard for a colleague she had known for more than a decade. Paul charmed her with his artistic abilities and dreams he had never fully pursued. Together, they took a leap of faith, leaving their stable jobs in Houston to follow his passion. On the Texas Gulf Coast, they opened a small seaside art gallery—a shared vision that felt like a promise of a beautiful new future.

Their triumphant grand opening in September 2005 should have been the beginning of that new life. Instead, 4 weeks later, a bomb detonated that blew Gail's world apart. What unfolded in the months and years that followed would shake her to her core...and haunt her for the next decade.

Art and Artifice is Gail's riveting debut memoir—an unflinching journey into the seductive, destructive world of narcissistic abuse. With raw honesty, she reveals how love bombing transforms into manipulation, how gaslighting erodes reality, and how emotional control traps even the strongest among us. But she also shares the lifeline that helped her break free: a gifted therapist who guided her back to herself.

Gail's story is a testament to resilience and a powerful message to women everywhere: you are not alone, and there is a way out. Free support and resources are offered at the end of the book.

A gripping and deeply human story for anyone who has ever loved the wrong person...and fought to reclaim their life.