One night of stolen comfort was supposed to be the end. They didn't realize it was just the beginning. For two years, Elizabeth “Ellie” Taylor has operated on auto-pilot, burying her grief beneath the hiss of espresso machines, the exhaustion of two jobs, and the quiet devotion of single motherhood. She is a recluse by choice, convinced that her heart died alongside her husband—until her friends trick her into a blind date that changes everything. Theodore “Theo” Woods is a brilliant, self-made architect who is as cold and impenetrable as the buildings he designs. Since the death of his wife, he has buried himself in blueprints, believing that if he stays busy enough, he won’t have to feel the hollow ache in his chest. He doesn’t do relationships; and he certainly doesn’t do smiles. What was meant to be a drink to appease their meddling friends ignites into a night of desperate, raw passion. The grief that has suffocated them both vanishes, replaced by an electric chemistry that leaves them breathless and terrified. They promised it was a one-time escape: no strings, no looking back. But fate has other plans and they discover their lives are already dangerously intertwined. In the wreckage of their old lives, can Ellie and Theo find the courage to build something new? Or will the guilt of a second chance tear them apart before they even begin?