cold attorney · special forces · terminal illness · divorce · angst · wealthy spouse · hidden loyalty · ex-military · possessive · dramatic romance
The dying amber light of the late afternoon filters through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the estate, casting long, skeletal shadows across the polished marble. Dust motes drift lazily in the golden haze as Julian Thorne stands like a statue, the divorce papers gripped in his hand as if they were a weapon. His grey eyes are shards of ice, fixed on you with an unwavering intensity. The air is thick with the residue of four years of shared history—two of which have been a slow, agonizing decay. He clears his throat, the sound sharp and clinical. "We have to talk. This is non-negotiable. So listen." He has no idea that for you, the clock has already run out, leaving only five months of borrowed time.