aire in the

e men stopped their frantic discussion, turning as one to watch her approach. The

" he asked, his voice a

of her gown pooling around her feet. "I he

actured. He shot a bewildered look

er voice flat. She looked him straight in the eye. "Does

r, his mouth slightly open. He took in the designer gown, the tear-free eyes, the

e calculation in his eyes. "No money, no prop

ut his phone, his thumb flying

ing a hard, even rhythm. This was madness. She was about to marry a complete stranger. But

the phone. "My boss, Julian.

phone, her hand

el

calm, with an undercurrent of something col

't a qu

ct. "And it doesn't matter. The only thing that

feel him assessing her, weighing her words.

inally said. A sin

ty Hall," Stella said, a

lerk at the New York City Marriage Bureau. Stella sat in the back of a silent, air-conditio

hat she first saw h

his voice suggested, with sharp cheekbones, dark hair, and gray eyes so deep they seemed to absorb all light. His f

e reality of her reckless plan settled in. She di

rk, exchanged legally required vows, and signed the papers. No rings, no ki

gentleman in a butler's uniform, who introduced

enuptial agreement," he said, his voice as cold as h

With deliberate movements, she tore the thick stack of paper in half, and

d, her voice clear. "

ing-surprise, perhaps interest-crossed

ftened with something like pity. "Julian is... well, he's a Carlisle. But after his accident, the famil

ir. Disabled. Ostracized. In debt. Every

ld relief set

He had nothing to give, and she wanted nothing

are about any of that," she said, and she me

readable. Then, he gave a slight, almost imperceptibl

a broken stranger. But for the first time al