Love's Obsession, Her Freedom

My name is Ava Hayes, and according to the little gold-embossed placard next to the painting, I was the artist.

But tonight, my real title was "trophy," paraded at the Vance Gallery, a glittering cage built by Ethan Vance.

He' d bought my family' s gallery, swooping in like a vulture when my father' s business teetered on the edge of bankruptcy.

Then, my younger sister Lily got sick, a rare autoimmune disease with astronomical medical bills.

Suddenly, Ethan wasn' t just a bitter ex-fiancé; he was the only lifeline, holding Lily' s future-and mine-in his cruel hands.