Forced into marriage as her sister's replacement, Ann Vaughn became the wife of the ruthless magnate Cyrus Hawthorne. She believed in their union until betrayal struck on the operating table—his icy stare the last thing she witnessed before darkness claimed her. "You're nothing but a vessel for another. I could never love someone as cruel as you." Ann abandoned all illusions and escaped his world. Four years of freedom followed. Their reunion at a high-society banquet shocked everyone. Spectators anticipated her downfall, only to watch the coldly distant Mr. Hawthorne trap her against the wall in a searing kiss, their bodies entwined in desperate passion. "Release me, Mr. Hawthorne!" "Ann Vaughn, stay with me. I'll surrender my heart, my entire existence—everything belongs to you now."