The morning sun cut through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the guest bedroom, hitting Hakeem directly in the eyes.

He groaned, pressing the heels of his hands against his temples to fight off the dull ache of the wine from the night before. He threw off the covers and walked down the hall to the master bedroom.

He pushed the door open. The room was perfectly still. The bed was made.

Hakeem frowned. He walked into the closet and reached for a shirt. As he turned, his eyes caught the empty space on the far left rack. Calleigh's cheap, pre-marriage clothes were gone.

He pulled open the top drawer of her vanity. Her passport was missing.

Hakeem let out a sharp, mocking laugh. He yanked at the collar of his undershirt. She really thinks this will work, he thought. She's throwing a tantrum. She'll be freezing on the streets by tonight and begging to come back.

He turned his back on the empty closet and walked into the shower, turning the water to ice cold.

Miles away, in a cramped, drafty apartment in Brooklyn, Calleigh was smoothing a clean sheet over a lumpy mattress. The wallpaper in the corner was peeling, but the room was clean.

Her phone buzzed on the cheap plastic nightstand.

She picked it up. It was an alert from her banking app.

Incoming Wire Transfer: $8,000,000.00 USD.

Calleigh's breath caught in her throat. Her eyes widened as she stared at the zeros. A second later, a text message popped up from her older brother, Golden.

Hey kiddo. I just sold a minority stake in the racing team to a new investor. This is the advance. You use it first, let me know if you need more. Buy Lily something nice.

Calleigh's eyes filled with tears. She pressed her hand against her mouth. Golden was a mechanic who ran a struggling racing team. He must have emptied his entire life savings and given her every cent of his new sponsorship just to make sure she was okay.

She quickly typed back: Golden, you keep this! You need to save up to get married!

She didn't send the money back, knowing Lily's medical bills would be astronomical, but her heart swelled with gratitude.

She had no idea that at that exact moment, Golden Gilliam was sitting in a custom leather chair on the top floor of the Nexus Retail Holdings skyscraper, looking down at Wall Street with a bored expression.

Before Calleigh could put the phone down, it rang. The caller ID flashed: Adelynn Graves.

Calleigh's jaw tightened. She answered the call, holding the phone to her ear.

"Where the hell are you?" Adelynn's shrill voice blasted through the speaker. "You were supposed to be at the Long Island estate two hours ago to clean the guest rooms! Mother's birthday banquet is tomorrow!"

Calleigh didn't say a word.

"Are you deaf?" Adelynn snapped, the sound of her stiletto heels clicking sharply in the background. "You are so useless. Erlinda was here at 7 AM helping with the floral arrangements. You have no class, no background, and you can't even do basic chores."

Calleigh felt a cold, hard calm settle over her chest. The fear she used to feel around Hakeem's family was completely gone.

"If the Graves family maids aren't all dead, tell them to do it," Calleigh said, her voice dropping to a freezing monotone. "Stop bothering me."

Adelynn gasped loudly. "Excuse me? Have you lost your damn mind? How dare you speak to me like-"

"I'm divorcing your brother," Calleigh cut her off. "I'm not your servant anymore."

She pulled the phone away from her ear, hit the red end-call button, and immediately blocked the number. She tossed the phone onto the bed, picked up Lily, and walked out to find a grocery store.

On the other end of the phone, Adelynn clutched her mobile device tightly.

Calleigh wanted a divorce from Hakeem?

What a ridiculous joke.

Did she actually think this would make Hakeem pay attention to her, or even love her?

Wishful thinking.

Adelynn immediately sent a series of messages to Hakeem:

[Hakeem, what's this about Calleigh wanting a divorce?]

[Control your wife properly. Mom's birthday is this weekend, and there's a ton of housework waiting for her to do.]

[I've always said Erlinda is a much better match for you.]

[I heard you're planning to launch an independent brand for her. That's an excellent idea.]

[CEO Gusta is coming next month, and I'll introduce Erlinda to her. It will definitely boost her career. For Mom's birthday, bring Erlinda and Chloe over. Isn't that child's IQ 115? That's well above average. Erlinda's child is truly exceptional, unlike Calleigh-she's mediocre herself, and she's even dragged down Lily's intelligence.]

Hakeem read the messages and replied with a single, dismissive line:

[It's just a trivial argument.]

He then remembered his mother's birthday banquet; Calleigh's presence was mandatory. He sent her a message at once:

[Quit your petty tantrums. Come home once you're done acting out.]

Calleigh did not reply.

The message was left unanswered, sinking into silence.

Hakeem frowned to himself, convinced he had been too lenient with her, letting her forget her place.

Just then, a message from Erlinda popped up on his screen:

[Chloe misses you terribly and refuses to sleep. Can you come to the hospital to stay with her?]

Hakeem's long, slender fingers typed a single word in response:

[Sure]

After sending the message, he grabbed his coat and strode out of his office.

Outside was the chief secretary's suite.

Secretary noticed the faint smile on her boss's face, a clear sign he was in a good mood.

She knew instantly: Mr. Graves was heading to the hospital to see Miss Erlinda.

It was only a matter of time before he divorced and remarried.

His current wife was utterly insignificant-beautiful, but completely useless in every other way.

Just like the night before, Hakeem stayed at the hospital until early morning.

At half past nine, he returned home to change clothes before heading to the office.

Stopped at a red light, his car remained motionless for nearly five minutes.

Bored with the wait, Hakeem pulled a pack of cigarettes from the glove compartment, tapped one out, and lit it.

The ember on the tip rose and fell, wispy pale gray smoke curling slowly into the air.

Suddenly, his dark eyes sharpened, locking onto a figure on the sidewalk.

He had seen Calleigh.

She was sitting inside an upscale café.

She was not alone.

Across the booth sat a young, handsome man, impeccably dressed with a sleek, metropolitan aura-undoubtedly a top-tier elite.

A surge of displeasure rose in Hakeem's chest.

Who was this man?

How did Calleigh know him?

Inside the café.

Calleigh studied the contract intently, her gaze focused.

The young man sitting across from her was Cliff Sherman,

CEO Gusta's chief assistant.

He wielded immense influence within Aura Group global brand division.

To show their utmost respect for Calleigh, CEO Gusta had personally dispatched Cliff to sign a letter of intent for the launch of the independent brand.

Cliff sipped his coffee, stealing a subtle glance at Calleigh.

Their relationship extended far beyond a simple business partnership.

Ten years prior, Calleigh had been handpicked as CEO Gusta's protégé, her most promising student.

No one could understand why the talented young woman had married so young, abandoning her career.

Thankfully, she had finally woken up. At twenty-six, it was still not too late.

Lost in his thoughts, Cliff was pulled back when Calleigh lifted her gaze, a calm, gentle smile on her lips. "I've reviewed everything. There are no issues. We can sign the contract now."

Cliff smiled warmly. "It is Aura Group honor to collaborate with you, Miss Calleigh."

Calleigh took the pen and signed her name with solemn precision.

Cliff had other engagements and took his leave shortly after.

Word of his visit to New York had spread quickly. A fashion editor had been relentlessly pursuing him, desperate to network and secure a connection with Aura Group.

He supposed he could spare her a brief meeting.

After Cliff left, Calleigh picked up her handbag, ready to head home to be with Lily.

She had barely reached the parking lot when a hand clamped tightly around her wrist.

She turned her head, stunned to find Hakeem standing there.

Hakeem gripped her wrist, forcing her into the backseat of his car.

He slid in right after her, his gaze piercing and accusatory as he stared her down. "Who was that man? How do you know him? What were you talking about?"

He sounded like a jealous husband catching his wife in an act of betrayal, his tone full of harsh interrogation.

Once, Calleigh would have felt a flicker of joy, taking his anger as a sign he cared.

But now she knew better-it was nothing more than the arrogance of a wealthy man. A wife he kept and provided for was not allowed to stray, not allowed to draw the attention of other men.

It had nothing to do with love.

Calleigh leaned back against the leather seat, her tone casual and unconcerned. "A business partner. We were discussing work."

Hakeem's tense features relaxed slightly.

He trusted Calleigh; she never lied.

His eyes raked over his wife, noting how different she looked today.

She wore a tailored, formal dress,

predominantly black with soft blush accents at the collar and cuffs.

A pair of diamond earrings adorned her ears, elegant and stunning.

Only her slender calves were bare, a subtle detail that stirred a flicker of desire in him.

His Adam's apple bobbed, his voice softening. "Those little design projects of yours won't make you any real money. You'd be better off focusing on Lily. Besides, my sister already told you-Mom's birthday is being held at home. You need to handle the cleaning, and cook your signature dishes like you always do. It'll make Mom look good in front of her friends."

He spoke casually, as if her role as his family's servant was a given.

Calleigh blinked back the sting of tears in her eyes, her voice quiet and sharp.

"Handle the cleaning?"

"Cook a fancy meal to please your mother?"

"Hakeem, have you and Adelynn only just discovered you have a mother? Why did your sense of filial piety only appear after you married me? We're getting divorced. If you're so desperate to make your mother happy, ask Erlinda to do it."

Hakeem's expression darkened with annoyance. "Don't be ridiculous. Erlinda and I are just friends."

Calleigh let out a cold, bitter laugh. "I know. She's your perfect little confidante, your long-lost white moonlight."

The words were something her best friend Jocelyn had said.

It was the first time Calleigh had ever dared to speak the truth about his feelings out loud.

Hakeem opened his mouth to snap at her,

but Calleigh spoke first, her voice colder still. "I will attend your mother's birthday banquet. We are not officially divorced yet, after all. But find someone else to do the cleaning and cooking. I'm done being the Graves family's maid."

With that, Calleigh pushed open the car door and stepped out.

Hakeem watched her leave, making no move to stop her.

He would let her cool off. She would come crawling back, obedient as ever.

Calleigh had no real skills, no means to survive on her own. She could never get far.