He needed a wife to protect his empire.She needed an escape from the crushing weight of debt.A signed contract was supposed to keep them safe, clear boundaries and cold terms.Rules were simple but became dangerous when hearts got involved. Just when she dares to dream of a future with him, his first love returns. She discovers she was never meant to be anything more than a mere substitute for the woman he never stopped loving.He chooses the past over the woman standing beside him. Humiliated, heartbroken and carrying a secret he knows nothing about, Elara walks away from the marriage.By the time he realises she was never a substitute, she was gone from his life.Now he's determined to win her back. But can he convince the woman he shattered to give him a second chance, or has he lost her forever?