Evelyn stared down at the bold cursive handwriting at the bottom of the torn page. The name written in dark ink burned into her mind like a hot iron.

Julian Vance.

Her breath hitches in her throat, and her blood ran ice cold. She backed away from the bed, dropping the leather journal onto the soft mattress as if it had turned into a burning fire.

Her mind raced with a terrifying surge of thoughts. Was Julian involved in the dirty deal twenty years ago? Did he sign that document to take her father's money? Was their contract marriage really just a clever trap to keep her silent, or worse,...