Anakin was unknowingly using the Force to influence Padme into falling in love with him in Attack of the Clones. At the beginning of the film, Padme isn't remotely interested in Anakin romantically, and is creeped out by his general obsessiveness. She even calls him out on it. Anakin, being both extremely powerful and unstable, isn’t in full control of his powers, and his desire for her begins to leak into her mind during their time on Naboo, where at one point, she even asks if he’s pulling a Jedi Mind Trick on her. This explains why she seems to do a complete 180 on him during the movie, and proclaims that she’s in love with him before they’re to be executed on Geonosis: His influence finally worked. It makes the bad romance of the film make so much more sense, and take on a bit of a simultaneously creepy and tragic vibe.

While I’m not as sold on the rest of this, you could use this to explain her general character decay in Episode 3, and perhaps her death as well (something about breaking the link over her).

Edit: Whoa, thanks for the response!

Edit 2: AND the gold. I have no idea how it even works.