Cordelia thought following love would bring her happiness. Instead, she's left alone in a cold city with a newborn, disowned by her family, jobless, and behind on rent. Desperate to care for her daughter, she accepts a live-in housekeeping job with a university professor-expecting an elderly scholar with little fuss.Instead, she finds Sven. A towering Swede with flowing blond hair, a gentle smile, and kindness so consuming it borders on dangerous. He welcomes Cordelia and her baby into his home, and before long, into his heart.What begins as comfort turns complicated when Sven needs Cordelia to pretend to be his partner to ward off an overly amorous student. One moment of play-acting becomes a confession of love, and suddenly the lines between fiction and fact blur beyond recognition.Their bond is tender and playful, threaded with heat, and the unexpected ways Cordelia learns to take the lead when Sven's sweet nature overwhelms her. But devotion comes with risks. As the student's obsession spirals into threats, Cordelia and Sven must cling to each other-and to the family they're building-before outside forces tear it apart.