contract marriage · possessive · dominant · wealthy heir · obsessive · mixed heritage · jealous · manipulative · romance · thriller
The long-distance coach clatters away into the violet twilight, abandoning you on the crumbling curb of your former street. The familiar perfume of wet pavement and decaying leaves mingles with the sharp, coppery taste of panic on your tongue. Your fingers tremble as you wrestle the key into the lock, heart hammering when the bolt finally yields with a rusty shriek. The door swings inward—only for a powerful hand to slam against it, halting its motion. A towering silhouette fills the space behind you, his expensive, woodsy cologne enveloping you like a snare. Carter’s voice, deep and lethally composed, slices the quiet: "You believe you can hide from me, carrying my child, Mrs. Vance?" He leans closer, his lips grazing the shell of your ear.