Chapter 1
Caleb Graham was my fiancé, but he was keeping a darling girl on the side.
Hidden away in a secret folder on his computer were photos of his darling girl.
But in those pictures, the lively, adorable girl was gazing at another boy with deep affection.
The boy was strikingly handsome, and even though his clothes looked a little faded, he couldn't hide his undeniable charisma.
I pointed to the boy in the picture and casually asked the butler, "How about this one—think he'd do?"
"Miss?" The butler blinked in confusion, not quite sure what I was getting at.
I arched an eyebrow and smirked. "You know, I suddenly feel like giving him a little boost myself."
"A boost for what dreams exactly?" he asked, still looking baffled.
Just then, Caleb stepped out of the bathroom, his hair still damp at the temples, a faint mist lingering behind him. He arched an eyebrow at me, clearly curious.
I waved the butler away, and once he was gone, I turned to Caleb with a smile.
"There's a project at Harborview University lately, and I was thinking of sponsoring a few underprivileged college students," I said offhandedly.
He frowned ever so slightly, then strode over and swept me up into his arms.
"Always the philanthropist, Rihanna," Caleb teased softly. "But instead of using your dad's money to help people we've never even met, why not ask him to invest in the new project our family just started?"
"If this project takes off, I'll give you the wedding of your dreams," he promised, his voice low and full of warmth.
We'd been together for five years now.
Every year, he'd feed me sweet promises about a big wedding, but it always ended up being just talk.
When I was younger, I didn't really care about when we'd get engaged. But now, I couldn't help asking, "So, how exactly do you plan to make that happen?"
Before I could finish, Caleb's phone suddenly rang, cutting me off mid-sentence.
He glanced at his phone, and his expression suddenly shifted to anxious panic.
Caleb was always the picture of calm, but this was the first time I'd ever seen him so rattled.
He stepped aside to take the call, completely tuning me out as he started lecturing whoever was on the line.
"Emmalyn! How many times have I told you? Focusing on your studies is what matters most right now!" Caleb said sternly, his voice firm and brooking no argument.
"I'm supporting you through college so you can learn, not get tangled up in romance. Be careful with the people you hang around—remember, those guys aren't always what they seem!" he warned, a mix of frustration and concern in his tone.
His tone was sharp and serious—the way he would talk to an unruly little sister, not just some darling girl he had taken under his wing like Emmalyn Graham.
But buried beneath all that sternness was something else lurking in his words, jealousy.
I lowered my eyes, idly stirring my food.
After hanging up, Caleb's expression turned grim. He snatched his coat and strode straight to the entryway.
"Rihanna, Emmalyn's head isn't in her studies lately. I have to go and deal with her. I can't spend our anniversary together tonight, but I'll make it up to you later," he said, his tone cool and decisive.
"I'm sure you won't mind," he added, not really asking—just laying it out.
Was he really asking me what I thought? It didn't sound like a question at all—more like he was just informing me how it was going to be.
Just knowing about his secret already made me feel totally grossed out.
But since today marked our five-year anniversary, I figured I'd try to give him another chance.
Who knew he'd just blow it, like always.
Great, all that effort hiring a fancy chef was for nothing.
"Of course, go ahead," I said, not trying to stop him. I just watched him rush out, a faint smile staying on my lips.
For some reason, it hit me—I'd watched his back disappear out the door more times than I could count these past few years.
Not only was he getting colder and more indifferent towards me, but in all those important moments, he'd drop everything for her in a heartbeat, just over some minor drama with his precious darling girl.
But I always told myself: at least I'd loved him for so many years.
Even if I knew deep down he was only sticking around for the business marriage, taking advantage of my father's clout to level up his own family.
If there was one thing I knew, it was that love never lasted; only shared interests had real staying power.
As the heiress of a powerful family, keeping up appearances was all that really mattered. So long as everything looked respectable on the outside, I could turn a blind eye and pretend not to notice.
That was until word got out that he'd been secretly sponsoring a poor student behind my back.
Caleb was never known for being generous or into charity work.
Yet for his adopted sister—a girl who brought him nothing but trouble—he blew all the savings he'd scraped together since launching his business, just to buy her favorite necklace, flew her to Glaciara for the aurora lights, and Afralon for the wildebeest migration.
He'd even humbled himself before me, desperately pulling strings, just to land her a spot in a college exchange program.
People said he was hiding a darling girl in a golden cage.
But Caleb insisted he was raising a flower that belonged to him and only him—a girl no one else could ever have.
"Miss Anderson," Henry Lester came over, clearly bristling with indignation on my behalf. "Mr. Graham is just too much. He's taking advantage of your name and generosity to sponsor another girl, even bringing her into this house and leaving you behind for her over and over. Honestly, I think he doesn't even know where his priorities lie anymore."
"Henry, you know," I sighed a little, giving his shoulder a gentle, reassuring pat.
With a faint, almost ironic smile, I said, "Maybe Caleb does make a weird kind of sense after all."