NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In this gripping novel by #1 bestselling author Danielle Steel, a devoted mother navigating an empty nest and a painful past finds her strength tested in unexpected ways.

As her daughter Valerie prepares to walk down the aisle and her own 50th birthday approaches, bestselling novelist Halley Holbrook is filled with reflection. Raising her twin daughters, Valerie and Olivia, has been the greatest joy of her life. Determined to give them the stable, loving upbringing she never had, Halley has kept the scars of her traumatic childhood buried deep.

Now, with Valerie moving to Los Angeles with her new husband and Olivia following close behind, Halley faces life alone in her Fifth Avenue apartment for the first time in years. Seeking a change of scenery for the holidays, she impulsively books a trip to Paris.

Aboard the flight, she meets Bart Warner—a charming stranger who quickly becomes a trusted companion. Halley hasn’t allowed herself to date since losing her partner three years earlier, but with Bart, she begins to rediscover a long-lost part of herself. That is, until a thief steals her handbag and begins to torment her, triggering long-dormant fears from her past.

Refusing to be a victim, Halley leans on her newfound courage—and Bart’s support—to take control of her story.