The envelope was heavier than paper should be. My hands trembled slightly as I opened it, my name awkwardly scribbled across the top in clumsy, deliberate letters. The ink seeped into the fibers as if whoever penned this had been desperate to get these words down.
I took a deep breath and began reading.
Stella
If you're reading this, then the worst has happened.
The worst? My heart pounded.
I wish I could tell you all this in person, but time has never been a friend to men like me. You are more than you know. More than a pawn in someone else's game. The heritage that is yours—
I sat still, my brows knitted.
—is something they will never let you have.
My heart pounded.
James will never release you. He never should have been your husband, only your abductor.
A shiver went through m
