Chapter 1

The lights of the talk show set were blinding.

Millions of people were watching, but the only person I saw was Caleb, my husband.

He was on one knee in front of me, tears streaming down his face. His voice, usually so strong and commanding in the studio, was choked with emotion.

"Gabby, my love, I am so sorry."

The cameras zoomed in, capturing every tremor in his voice, every tear that fell.

"It was a mistake. A stupid, drunken mistake."

He was talking about the pictures that had surfaced online, photos of him and his new protégé, Molly Chavez, leaving a recording studio late at night, looking far too comfortable.

The media had gone wild. Nashville's golden couple was in trouble.

"She means nothing to me," Caleb swore, his eyes locked on mine. "It was just the pressure, the whiskey... it will never happen again. I swear it."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet box. Not a ring, but a key.

"I bought us a new home, away from all this. A place for our family."

The audience gasped. I knew what I was supposed to do. I was Gabrielle Fuller, the wholesome country star whose songs were all about love and forgiveness.

I helped him to his feet.

I hugged him.

The crowd erupted in applause.

Later that night, his publicist released a statement. Molly Chavez was fired. Caleb Scott would never again work alone in a studio with a female artist. He was a devoted husband, a man who had made a mistake and would spend the rest of his life making it up to the woman he loved.

It was a masterful performance.

And I believed every word of it.

Because I had to.

Because five years ago, after his first "indiscretion," I had made him sign a post-nuptial agreement. It was my one secret, my only piece of armor. The document was simple and brutal: any proven infidelity, and he would lose everything. Our shared assets, our home, and most importantly, our jointly-owned music production company, the one he had built into an empire.

I loved him, but I wasn't a fool. I had sacrificed my own dreams of a family for his career. I would not let him sacrifice my future for his ego.

That night, watching him sleep, I thought the agreement was just a safety net we would never need.

I was wrong.