Adrian Vale never wanted the marriage.
To him, it was nothing more than an arrangement forced upon him by his mother… a business decision wrapped in a wedding ring. He already believed he had loved once, deeply enough that no other woman could ever compare.
So when Elena Rossi entered his life, calm, independent, and impossible to read, he kept his distance. He assumed she married him for his name, his wealth, and the life he could give her.
But Elena never asked him for anything.
Not the money. Not the attention. Not even his love.
Instead, she built her own life quietly beside him, spending her days in the little store she worked so hard to own while slowly becoming the one place Adrian found peace.
And somewhere between late-night conversations, lingering touches, and the unbearable tension growing between them, Adrian realizes something terrifying:
He never truly understood love before her.
But by the time he finally does, he may have already broken the heart of the only woman he was ever meant to keep.
