Nina Chapman
Damon Westbrook was kidnapped and held in the mountains for three months, subjected to every kind of humiliation.
Three hellish months ground away every bit of fight he had.
After his rescue, he developed severe PTSD.
He hurt himself. He tried to end his life. Nightmares came every night.
Through it all, Eleanor Carrington never left his side, holding him and comforting him again and again.
"Damon, I'll always be here. When you're better, we'll get married."
To help him heal, Eleanor brought back Marcus Keane, a former upperclassman of hers in college, who was finishing his doctorate in psychology overseas.
The first time Damon met Marcus, he seemed calm and gentle, considerate in every way.
"Don't be afraid. Eleanor and I will make sure you recover completely."
Damon was deeply grateful.
He cooperated with every treatment. Even when the sessions left him wishing he were dead, he gritted his teeth and endured.
He believed everyone was doing everything they could to save him.
Until tonight.
The sliding glass door to the balcony hadn't closed all the way, and two low voices carried clearly to him.
Eleanor and Marcus.
Marcus took out a cigarette, his tone light. "When my research hit a dead end, I had no choice but to come to you for help. I never expected—"
Eleanor turned her back to the wind and lit it for him. "Once the experiment is done, your dissertation is guaranteed to win the top international award."
Marcus exhaled a stream of smoke and chuckled.
"I only said in passing that a real case would be nice. I never thought you'd arrange a kidnapping yourself—let alone the kidnapping of the man you're about to marry."