Chapter 1

Flames lit up the night sky. Thick black smoke billowed overhead.

Sophie Young lay on a stretcher inside the ambulance, gasping for air. Every breath burned through her chest.

With the last of her strength, she pressed her cracked phone to her ear. Her hand wouldn’t stop shaking.

One ring. Then another.

No answer.

She couldn’t stop shaking. She’d thought she was going to die, and every part of her body hurt.

Then she heard a familiar, gentle voice.

“Don’t be scared. I’m here.”

It wasn’t coming from the phone.

Beyond the crowd gathered at the scene, police lights flashed through the darkness. Adrian Pierce was walking toward her.

He looked as though he’d rushed over from an event. His tailored black suit seemed out of place amid the noise and chaos. Usually so composed and distant, he looked tense for the first time she could remember.

The moment Sophie saw him, something inside her gave way. All the fear she’d held back while trapped in the fire came rushing out in tears.

A doctor leaned over her. “Did you get hold of a family member?”

“Yes. My husband…”

“Adrian! You’re finally here! Everyone’s been picking on me!”

A woman ran straight into his arms. Her oversized sweatshirt had slipped off one shoulder.

She puffed out her cheeks and punched him lightly in the chest. She looked indignant, though her voice was sweet and teasing.

“Do you even consider me a friend? What took you so long? They’ve been giving me such a hard time!”

Adrian looked her over. Once he saw she was unharmed, the tension left his face.

He took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders, a fond smile tugging at his lips.

“No one’s going to give you a hard time while I’m here.”

A police officer beside them couldn’t hold back his anger.

“Miss, you need to be careful about what you’re saying. You smoked in a no-smoking area and tossed your cigarette butt aside. That’s what started this fire. If the firefighters hadn’t arrived when they did, who knows how many people would have…”

“No one died, did they?” the woman cut in. “Why are you yelling at me? I never said I wouldn’t pay for the damage. You have no right to threaten me.”

The officer moved toward her, furious at her attitude, but Adrian stepped in front of her. He shielded the woman, who still looked ready to argue, and said something to the officer.

Sophie couldn’t make out the words.

Her mind had gone blank. All she could hear was an endless, piercing ring in her left ear.

The doctor followed her gaze. “Where’s your family? Is it that couple? We need to get you to the hospital. You’re not doing well.”

Sophie’s lips moved, but no sound came out.

She watched Adrian scoop the woman into his arms and carry her toward a black Bentley parked nearby.

“No,” she finally whispered. “Doctor, please. Let’s go. I can sign the forms myself.”

As the ambulance doors closed, Adrian turned in the direction his assistant, Michael Carter, was pointing.

The doors slammed shut, cutting off his view.

---

Who was the woman whose cigarette had started the fire? What was she to Adrian?

Lying in her hospital bed, Sophie couldn’t stop seeing the way he’d held her. The warmth in his eyes. How openly he’d taken her side.

In three years of marriage, Adrian had always taken care of Sophie. He never let her do a chore. When she said she wasn’t comfortable having a housekeeper look after her, he took care of everything himself.

He was just as generous with money. Whether she wanted them or not, new designer bags and jewelry kept appearing in her closet. The black cards he’d given her had no spending limits.

Yet the more perfectly he played the part of a husband, the farther away he seemed. Sometimes it felt as though he was following a script.

Tonight was the first time she’d seen such real, unguarded emotion in his eyes.

So he could look at someone that way.

Had he only married her because…

“Miss Young, were you born without hearing in your left ear?”

The doctor looked at her with concern. She was disheveled and clearly shaken.

Sophie lowered her eyes. “I was in a car accident a few years ago.”

She’d saved Adrian’s life in that accident.

It had also ended the career she loved.

With no hearing in her left ear and bouts of tinnitus that came without warning, she could no longer do the precise work simultaneous interpreting demanded.

The loss still hurt, but she’d never regretted saving him. She’d acted on instinct.

Even if she could relive that moment, her body would push him out of the way before her mind could weigh the consequences.

“I see,” the doctor said, his voice tinged with regret.

Sophie was strikingly beautiful. Her long hair framed her fair face, accentuating her bright eyes, straight nose, and soft lips. Even in plain clothes, sitting quietly against the pillows, she had a presence that drew the eye.

Life had given her extraordinary beauty, only to take away her hearing.

“Miss Young, your test results are back. There’s no infection in your lungs, but your other injuries are fairly serious, and you have a mild concussion.”

The doctor glanced toward the door. “Where’s your family? Are they still not here?”

Sophie paused. “Thank you, Doctor. I’ll call them now.”

She picked up her phone. A faint glow struggled through the cracked screen.

There were no new calls.

Three hours had passed since she’d called Adrian more than a dozen times. He still hadn’t called back.

Her chest felt tight. She held her breath, gripping the phone as she reached for his name at the top of her contacts.

The door flew open with a violent kick.

The bang echoed through the quiet hospital room. It was the middle of the night.

Several men in black suits walked in. They looked like bodyguards.

Everyone in the room had been injured in the fire. The disturbance drew angry complaints from the other patients. The doctor strode toward the men, his face darkening.

“Who are you? Who gave you permission to…”

Two of the men grabbed him by the arms and hauled him out before he could finish.

The patients went quiet. One of them called out in alarm, “You can’t just barge in here! What do you think you’re doing?”

The man leading the group shut the door and locked it. He smiled.

“Everyone, relax. I’m here on behalf of Miss Grant to check on you and offer a little something for your trouble.”

He took several checks from his briefcase.

“Each one is for five hundred thousand. It’s a gesture of goodwill from Miss Grant. All she asks is a small favor in return.”

The bodyguards took out agreements and went from bed to bed.

“Sign, and the money’s yours.”

At the mention of five hundred thousand, one patient’s eyes lit up. After confirming the check was genuine, they signed at once, delighted.

Another patient was furious.

“This Miss Grant of yours is the woman who was mouthing off to the police at the scene of the fire, isn’t she? You think five hundred thousand will make this go away? Forget it. She belongs in jail!”

The man in the suit gave a cold laugh.

“You may not know Miss Grant, but surely you know Mr. Pierce.”

At the far end of the room, someone pressed a check into Sophie’s hand.

She looked down at the account number printed on it. Her fingers closed around the paper so tightly her knuckles turned white.

It was Adrian’s account.

The man kept talking, no longer bothering to hide the threat in his voice.

“Miss Grant is Mr. Pierce’s wife. He’d do anything for her, and you’re in no position to cross them. Sign the agreement, take the money, and leave. You’ll regret making this difficult.”