Her fiancé gambles away their wedding robes and marriage papers to his childhood sweetheart—then expects Clara Sinclair to accept life as his concubine. When bandits strike, he even pushes her into their hands. Done waiting for a man who treats her as disposable, Clara accepts an imperial decree to marry the newly crowned top scholar instead. Only then does her former fiancé discover the truth about who once saved his life. But regret won’t make her his bride again.
