Annie placed her cup back on the saucer before she explained, “I’m sure you’ve heard about my past already, especially when it comes to the other Duke.”

The fact that she struggled to say Greg’s name earlier and was avoiding saying his name now didn’t go unnoticed. The fear and discomfort was very much alive and lingering in Annie even after all these years.

Lucianne’s face was unperturbed as she said softly, “I have.”

Annie smiled meekly before she took a deep breath and said, “When I slowly started to believe that Christian really loved me, my fear of the people he works with never really went away. The other...