I am the successful head of a noble house. Because of my prominence in high society, a lot of eyes are on me. All my life, I’ve been trained to be strong and steadfast under the weight of expectations that come with my status. Deep down, I know I can never find joy in this life. Everyone always wants something—the gentlefolk, the sycophants, and the mothers with their unwed daughters, masking their true intentions with honeyed words and false flattery. I’ve had enough. All I want is release. To shed these weights, to be stripped of everything people have sought me for, and to crumble down into nothing more than an animal. A certain lady, rumored to dally in vulgar activities involving chains and whips in her boudoir, has not stopped occupying my thoughts since that fateful ball many months ago. Blame it on a gentleman’s curiosity, but I find myself entranced by those rumors. So when this mysterious widow of two offers me an interesting proposition, I can't help but take it.