Chapter 1

The lawyer was reading out the divorce agreement in the conference room.

He said, "Mr. Griffin, Ms. Potter, please sign here."

I stared at the contract he had prepared long ago. The terms were simple. Other than the properties I owned before marriage, nothing from the Griffin family had anything to do with me.

Lucas held the pen, looked at me, and said, "Hailey, remember what we agreed on. This is only temporary."

I nodded and signed my name.

Just then, a strange calm washed over me.

Two hours earlier, Lucas rushed into the house and said, "Hailey, we need to get a divorce."

I had been sorting invitations for a charity dinner. My hand shook, and a handful of fancy cards scattered across the floor.

He explained, "Maisie is threatening to go public. She says if I don't divorce you, she'll go to the media."

Lucas picked the cards from the floor. "You know the Griffin Group's stock can't afford another hit."

I looked at the man I had loved for ten years and married for five.

"So, is divorce your answer?" I asked.

"It's temporary. Once everything blows over, we'll get married again." He took my hand. "Hailey, trust me. I'm doing this to protect the Griffin family and our future."

Really?

I remembered the breakdown I had the first time I caught him cheating three years ago, the nights I faced his family alone, and the days I lived tiptoeing around to keep up the perfect Griffin family image.

"Okay," I said.

Lucas froze, not expecting me to agree that easily.

He said, "Hailey, I'll make it up to you after this is over."

Make up? That was funny.

Two hours later, we went to the lawyer, and everything went smoothly.

After all, the prenup had already done all the work.

*****

As we walked out of the law firm, Lucas started repeating all those promises again.

I didn't listen. I just stared up at the sky.

The sky in May was so blue that it looked almost unreal.

"I need to get back to the office and take care of a few things. You go home, pack up, and stay in the downtown apartment for a few days," Lucas said, barely looking up from his phone.

"Give me a couple of days, and I'll sort things out with Maisie," he said.

He made it sound so casual, as if getting divorced was no more complicated than moving to a new place.

I watched him rush off, and for the first time, he felt like a stranger to me.

Back at Griffin Manor, I stood in the middle of the living room, just looking around.

It had been five years. For five years, I lived cautiously here, learning the Griffin family's rules, remembering everyone's preferences, and managing the endless chores of this household.

And now, I had to leave, and shockingly, I felt nothing. Not even a shred of regret.

Footsteps echoed from upstairs as Loretta Griffin, Lucas's mother, came down.

"Lucas just told me. Hailey, are you two really getting divorced?" She sounded shocked.

"Yeah," I replied, still treating her as my family.

"Why? Why are you getting divorced?" Loretta stepped right up to me. "Is it because of Maisie Harrell?"

I didn't answer.

"Hailey, you can't get divorced. I won't allow it." Loretta grabbed my hand. "The Griffin family needs you."

The Griffin family needed me? But Lucas clearly didn't.

"I'm sorry," I said softly, gently pulling my hand away. "The agreement is already signed."

Loretta's eyes instantly welled up with tears. "Hailey, you made the wrong decision. Lucas just lost his head for a moment. How could you actually divorce him?"

I looked at this woman who'd always treated me like her own daughter, and a pang of sadness hit me.

"Loretta, I'm truly grateful for all your kindness over the years, but this time, I need to put myself first," I said.

I turned and headed upstairs to pack my things.

Loretta was crying behind me, her words muffled and impossible to understand.

I stood in the doorway of the master bedroom, staring at the room I'd lived in for five years.

The room was spacious and elegantly furnished, yet it had never felt warm, just like this marriage.

As I packed, it hit me how few things here were truly mine.

Most of them had been bought by the Griffin family or acquired simply to fit the role of Lucas's wife.

In the end, I only took one suitcase.

As I was leaving, Loretta was still sobbing in the living room. When she saw me dragging my suitcase down the stairs, she started crying even harder.

"Hailey, are you really leaving?" she asked.

"Take care," I said softly.

"Lucas has been spoiled since he was little. Don't be mad at him," Loretta said between sobs. "Just give him some time. He'll come back to you."

I didn't say anything. I just offered her a gentle smile.

At the door, I turned back for one last look at the house I'd lived in for five years.

Goodbye, Griffin Manor. Goodbye to being Mrs. Griffin.

After moving into my downtown apartment, the very first thing I did was turn off all my alarms.

Life at Griffin Manor ran like clockwork. I woke up at six, came to the dining room by six-thirty, and ate breakfast with everyone.

Now, none of that mattered.