The Hourglass Deception

Anahid Barseghian, a horologist of unparalleled talent, wants nothing more than to be left alone with her research and her naps. Her preternatural ability to perceive and untangle the timelines of objects makes her a genius, but the constant temporal noise makes her chronically exhausted. Her quiet life shatters when Levon Makarian, the grim heir of a rival House, abducts her on her wedding day. Consumed by grief, Levon believes Anahid sold the secrets of a sacred Temporal Anchor to his enemies, leading to his father's death. His revenge is meticulous and cruel: a forced marriage, binding her to him as a prisoner in her own home, the Karsian Archives, which he seizes. He forces her to use her unique powers to restore his broken family heirlooms, a constant, painful reminder of what he thinks she destroyed. But as the cogs of his vengeance turn, Levon finds himself captivated by his brilliant, infuriatingly passive captive. He sees glimpses of a truth that doesn't fit his narrative, even as the real traitor, his first love, watches from the shadows, ensuring her own devastating endgame falls into place. Can Anahid break through her apathy to fight for her freedom, and can Levon unravel the deception before his revenge consumes them both?