Summary
All Shen Zhiyun wants is a comfortable life as a wealthy widow. Then her stepson returns from seven years at war, bringing imperial rewards, dutiful visits—and a troubling change in her sleep. The wounded boy she once protected has become a formidable young man, and his devotion no longer resembles a son’s. As old memories resurface beneath his cool exterior, Zhiyun must reckon with feelings that threaten every rule governing her life. In a capital where a woman’s reputation can decide her fate, tenderness may be as dangerous as desire, especially when the person offering protection is the very one she ought to fear.