Chapter 1

On our 9th wedding anniversary, I received a 30-second video from my sister, Imogen Maxwell.

My nephew made a wish before the cake, while my husband, Calvin Newman, stood beside him, crooning the birthday song fondly.

I rubbed my ear and took off my hearing aid.

It turned out that even with my hearing aid in, he was unwilling to say a single word to me.

It turned out that birthdays could be celebrated and that he was capable of smiling, too.

I finally realized that using a debt of gratitude to coerce love was inherently wrong.

I pulled out the re-signed divorce agreement and set it on the table.

I said, "Calvin, I'm giving you back the freedom and life you've always wanted."

*****

The sound came from the front door. The group that looked like a family of three had walked into my home.

The smile faded from Calvin's face the second he saw me, replaced by the cold expression I knew so well.

His gaze landed on the divorce agreement I had signed for the 33rd time, laid out on the dining table.

Calvin gave it a quick glance, completely indifferent, and said coldly, "Kiara, how long do you plan to keep playing this divorce game?"

How long?

For the three years since Imogen had come back, every time I had put a divorce agreement in front of him, he had coaxed me into taking it back with a few soft words.

But as he saw those papers more and more, he stopped pretending altogether.

Calvin barely came home anymore. He was either away on business or claimed he was too busy at work, sleeping at the office instead.

On the rare occasions he did step through the door, he only came to grab his clothes.

He wouldn't even stay for a single meal with me.

Fighting back tears, I met his gaze and said firmly, "I'm not joking. This time, I mean it."

Calvin stared into my eyes for a brief, stunned moment before his cold mask slid back into place.

Just then, Imogen called out, "Calvin, if it's not a good time, Barry and I can head back. Kiara doesn't look too well. She probably needs some rest."

As soon as Calvin heard Imogen, his whole tone shifted, soft and doting. "Don't be silly. I invited you over. Why would I send you away? Barry would be upset."

Imogen nodded, looking moved, and clutched Calvin's shirt tightly.

So that was the hold his first love had over him.

I could never compete with that.

It was like my heart had been smashed with a hammer, the ache so deep I could barely breathe.

Calvin had never once spoken to me with that same softness. I had no one to turn to with my troubles, and I had always handled everything on my own.

As I stayed silent, Calvin's voice cut through the quiet again.

He said, "Kiara, I remember you had a book that director, Ms. Camille Tillman, wanted to turn into a movie. Why don't you tell her to cast Imogen as the female lead?"

My head snapped up at his words. So that was what Imogen was after all along.

I had lost count of how many times the same thing took place. When the news spread about a screen adaptation of my book, Calvin moved fast to reserve the best role for Imogen.

Even if Imogen weren't cast as an actress, he'd still find a way for her to be involved in the soundtrack or some other part of my projects.

Once, she had refused to wear the costume the studio had prepared for her, insisting that the custom piece Calvin had made for her was a better fit for the scene.

So the whole crew had to wait for her outfit to be delivered.

Her assistant had gotten caught in a heavy downpour and a traffic jam on the way.

I had done everything I could to make sure we wrapped up filming that day.

I had ridden an electric bike through the rain in a raincoat to track down the assistant and retrieve the dress.

I had ended up bedridden with a fever for three days because of that storm.

Would I really give him what Calvin wanted this time?

No matter how I looked at it, Imogen was not right for the lead role in my book.

"Sorry, I can't agree to that. I poured everything into this book, and honestly Imogen doesn't fit the female lead's character at all," I said.

I watched the smile fade from Imogen's face, replaced by a sharp, venomous look in her eyes.

Calvin hadn't expected me to refuse him.

After all, I'd always agreed to whatever he wanted before.

I had told myself he was doing it to boost the Newman Group's stock, that he could make the show a hit.

And it was true that my work had brought him massive profits.

Calvin sneered. "That's not your concern. I will talk to Ms. Tillman. All you need to do is stay out of it and collect your royalty check."

"But I need to talk it over with Ms. Tillman before anything gets filmed. And even if Imogen wants the part, she still has to audition like everyone else," I said.

Calvin acted as if the things I said weren't even problems, as if money could fix everything.

"Are you even listening to me?" he snapped.

I looked at him, my eyes filled with disappointment.

I had no other choice.

I nodded and agreed.

I watched him turn to Imogen and tell her not to worry, that he would fix any problems that came up.

So that was what he looked like when he loved someone.

I had never seen him look at me that way.

There was only one exception. It was my senior year of high school, right after the Maxwell family had found me, changed my name, and transferred me to Calvin's school.

During break, a group of girls shoved me into a corner and bullied me.

Calvin was the only one who heard the noise, came over, and chased them all away.

He bent down, held out his hand to me, and looked into my eyes. After a moment, a smile broke across his face.

He said, "You're the Maxwell family's daughter. You shouldn't let them treat you like this. You need to stand up for yourself."

Then Calvin took off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

In that moment, I thought he was a knight sent from heaven to save me.

From that day on, I followed him everywhere. Harvey Newman, his grandfather, had even teased me for being Calvin's little shadow.

So when had everything changed?

It had started the day he heard Harvey say he wanted us to get married and that I had agreed without hesitation.

Calvin stormed into the room, furious, and started yelling at both me and Harvey.

I still remembered the last thing he said to me. "You know I don't like you, and you still threw yourself at me. Do you only care about being Mrs. Newman?"

Back then, I didn't care what he said. I always believed he could forget Imogen and build a life with me.

Now I knew how foolish I had been.

Their laughter drifted over from the nursery. Calvin was showing Imogen and Barry around the house, taking them through every room.

They were checking out the nursery I had decorated myself, pointing things out as they went.