Every legend begins with the truth.

In May 1996, the popular actress Avonlea Stone appeared in the media headlines when her boyfriend was killed in a tragic accident. While the media and public wanted to know everything about the circumstances, the very private celebrity dropped from sight after she was witnessed running out of a press conference in tears.

Thomas Ridley is on the brink of change but it’s nowhere he hadn’t been before. His son, Brian Ridley, had challenged him from the very beginning. Now Brian is entangled in a life or death situation, Tom rallies his team to come to Brian’s aid. The mysterious circumstances of Brian’s attack weigh heavily on Tom’s mind as a sudden change in world events makes Brian’s survival all the more important.

As the Firm begins its investigation and makes plans, Brian’s status remains uncertain. He is taken home to Sentinel Ridge, Texas, so that his family can assist in his care just as they had in his childhood. It is in this moment that Brian’s past has very important clues to his present, and the future of the world. He is also up against the one thing he was never trained for — The possibility of having a life. Because of a note handwritten by Brian to Avonlea and because of a unique status her grandparents held, Avonlea is given a rare choice to make: Live a normal life without Brian or live a life she would never be able to share with the world.

This is a continuation of the novel Portrait of an Unlikely Affair and contains clean romance, dual timelines, war violence, and tough family situations.