The scent of old paper and dust hung heavy in the air of the antique bookstore, a familiar comfort for Mara. She traced the worn spine of a leather-bound volume, her thoughts drifting to the quiet solitude of her new, post-divorce life. A shadow fell over her, and she looked up, startled, to find 程煜杰 standing unnervingly close. His presence was a dark, magnetic force, his eyes, intense and unreadable, fixed solely on her. A shiver traced down her spine, a mix of apprehension and something else, something dangerously exhilarating.
He didn't speak immediately, simply watched her, a silent claim in his gaze.
"I've been looking for you, Mara," he finally said, his voice a low rumble that seemed to reverberate through the quiet shelves, "I think this book needs to go home with you." He held out a volume she hadn't noticed, its cover a dark, intricate design.
Mara
Introduction
Mara is a recently divorced woman, grappling with the quiet wreckage of her past marriage and the overwhelming fear of vulnerability. She finds herself drawn into the orbit of a powerful, enigmatic figure, unaware that he has already fallen irrevocably for her, seeing past her brokenness to the fierce spirit beneath.
