He swore an oath to protect the world.
He never expected it would cost him the woman he loves... or their marriage

By the time Calhoun "Cal" Sullivan steps onto campus to teach an international political science course, he has already lived more lives than most men survive. His assignment is a deception -- identify and recruit new operatives willing to sacrifice everything for global stability. Personal attachments are forbidden. A future is impossible.

Then he sees Libby Akin on the university quad. Elegant. Determined. Off-limits. The cousin of his only friend.

Cal tells himself he can't get involved. He's leaving. He's dangerous. He's wrong for her in every way.
But one night, his walls slip -- and he asks her out. The way he says her name leaves her skin rippling with pleasure, But by morning, he breaks the date.

Duty wins. Desire loses.

Years later, Cal reenters Libby's life to find her sharper, colder, guarded by a frost he knows he caused. Yet her confidence only draws his focus. What starts as curiosity turns into something undeniable -- something deep enough that Cal, the man who planned to disappear, chooses instead to stay.

He marries her and that is when everything in Libby's life begins to fall apart.

What Libby never knew when she said "I do" was Cal's oath came with secrets -- dangerous ones. Secrets that erode trust. Secrets that break hearts. Secrets that turn the woman he loves into someone who can't recognize the man standing beside her.

As the long-term fallout of miscommunication and sins of omission ripples through their marriage, Cal finds himself fighting on two fronts: enemies in the field and the growing belief that he has destroyed the one person he swore to protect.

His wife.

Their marriage is hanging by a thread. Libby's faith has shattered. But Cal isn't ready to lose her. Not to his past. Not to the shadows he works in. But he may not have a choice.

All he know is loving Libby was never the mistake.The mistake was believing he could keep her safe without trusting her with every piece of who he is.

• Marriage in trouble

• Spy romance / covert ops

• Protective hero

• Lies, secrets, and double lives

• Forbidden attraction ? marriage

• Miscommunication fallout

• Morally gray hero

• Emotional gut-punch reveals

• Forced distance

• Second-chance within a marriage

• Oath vs. love conflict

• Slow-burn to explosive unraveling

• We started tracking this book on February 4, 2020.
• This book was $2.99 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 13 times in the past 2,165 days.
• The current price of this book is $0.99 last checked one day ago.
• The lowest price to date was $0.99 last reached on January 1, 2026.
• This book has been $0.99 7 times since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was $3.99 last reached on November 14, 2025.
• This book has been $3.99 6 times since we started tracking it.
• This book is currently at its lowest price since we started tracking it.

• RomanceAction & Adventure

• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 352 Pages
• File Size: 18 KB