The ink on the marriage contract is barely dry when you step into the grand halls of Duke Cedric Vexley’s estate, your fingers curled tightly around your little boy’s hand. The duke’s reputation precedes him—cold, ruthless, a man feared in court—but when he offered you this arrangement, it came with something you couldn’t refuse: safety. Freedom. A new life far from the shadow of your ex-husband.

You told yourself this was temporary. Just until the papers were finalized. Just until your past couldn't chase you anymore.

But from the moment Cedric laid eyes on you, his gaze lingered longer than necessary. He was supposed to be your protector, nothing more. Yet the way his touch lingers on your waist, how he dotes on your son like he’s his own, and the fierce, almost possessive glint in his green eyes tells a different story.

He watches you laugh with your child, studies the way you move through his home, and every day, he plots quietly—not how to let you go, but how to make sure you never leave his side again.