Free Audiobook : Things We Left Behind, by Lucy Score

Lucian Rollins stands as a determined, vengeance-driven magnate, lean and relentless. His mission is to obliterate his father's tarnishing legacy from the family name, dedicating every moment to pulling strings and erecting an unassailable empire. The more power and wealth he accumulates, the more secure he becomes against potential dangers.

However, this sense of invulnerability is challenged when it comes to the spirited small-town librarian who occupies his thoughts late into the night.

Sloane Walton, a fiery individual, is resolute in carrying forward her father's pursuit of justice. She's set on uncovering precisely what role the man she despises played in her family's history. Bound by an ancient, shadowy secret from the past, coupled with their current mutual disdain for each other, Sloane places as much trust in Lucian as she can throw his impeccably dressed figure.

As their quarreling inadvertently transforms into a prelude to passion, these two find themselves grappling with the aftermath of their intense one-night affair. Once ignited, these flames prove difficult to extinguish. Yet, with Sloane yearning to begin a family and Lucian firmly rejecting the notions of marriage and parenthood, these erstwhile adversaries reach an impasse.

Lucian is convinced that broken men damage women in their wake—an outlook he subscribes to due to his own experiences. He is unwilling to risk Sloane's well-being. He'd rather endure a life of solitude than subject her to potential peril. However, he learns the hard way that distancing himself from her also leaves her exposed to other threats.

This marks the second instance where he has ruthlessly excised her from his life. Sloane has no intention of giving him a third chance. He'll have to forge his own path if he intends to earn one.