Aurora Hale never believed that one mistake could change the entire direction of her life.She's used to handling things on her own working, studying, and carrying the responsibilities her father's death left behind. Love has never been part of her plans, especially not when she's barely keeping her family together.Then she meets Lucien Ashford.A billionaire heir who has everything except the ability to trust people.Cold, arrogant, and frustratingly composed, Lucien has spent years keeping everyone at a safe distance. To him, love is nothing more than a weakness people eventually use against you.So when their families offer them a contract that could solve both of their problems, neither of them expects it to become personal.One year.That's all they have to pretend.One year of living under the same roof.One year of following rules they promised not to break.No falling in love.No interfering with each other's lives.And absolutely no expecting anything real.But rules become harder to follow when stolen glances turn into lingering touches, arguments become late-night conversations, and the stranger they were supposed to tolerate slowly becomes the person they look for in every room.Aurora begins to see the man behind Lucien's perfect image.And Lucien begins to realize that protecting Aurora is no longer part of the contract.It's something he wants to do.But just when they begin to believe their arrangement might become something real, secrets from their families' pasts threaten to tear them apart.They were never supposed to fall in love.But sometimes, the person who was never meant to stay becomes the one you can't imagine living without.And for Lucien Ashford, Aurora Hale was never supposed to be anything more than a temporary agreement.Until she becamehis greatest exception.