Chapter 1 Let's Get A Divorce

When the anesthesia began to fade, Hailey Bennett drifted back to consciousness.

Her lashes fluttered open, and across the dim hospital room, a television flickered to life-broadcasting the results of the international wildlife photography contest.

After months of near-disasters and sleepless nights chasing the perfect shot, she had expected to see her own name.

For a brief second, her lips curved upward-then went still, the smile dying halfway. The winning photo was credited to Malinda Fletcher-the woman Kieran Riley, her husband, had always favored.

A sharp disbelief twisted through her chest.

During those two grueling months she'd spent chasing sunsets and survival in the wild, every message she'd sent him had gone unanswered, vanishing into silence. Meanwhile, headlines were filled with Kieran's name, each article intertwining his story with Malinda's.

Before she could process the betrayal, her phone shrilled on the nightstand.

On the glowing screen appeared a single word she hadn't said in months-"Darling." The same number she had dialed again and again until she'd collapsed from exhaustion, never once reaching him.

With trembling fingers, Hailey pressed the answer button, her tone raw and rasping.

"Kieran... why is my work under Malinda's name?" asked her.

On the other end came that familiar, frost-edged tone-steady, detached, and every bit as cold as the man himself. Even through the line, it carried that same unyielding chill she remembered in his gaze.

"This is my compensation to Malinda-on your behalf," he replied.

The words struck like a spark to tinder, burning through her restraint. "I've told you over and over-it was me who saved you that night!"

"I only trust what I see." Kieran's tone cut like a shard of ice, detached and merciless.

Each syllable landed with the sting of a slap, leaving her reeling. A bitter smile curved her lips as if to mask the hollow ache spreading in her chest. The cold seemed to seep into her lungs, leaving her shivering from the inside out.

Drawing in a sharp breath, she steadied herself. "Kieran, I nearly died getting those shots. Every one of them cost me blood and sweat. I won't let you hand them to Malinda just like that."

His reply dripped with scorn. "Do you honestly think you can cover your mother's hospital bills alone?"

The abrupt change of subject made her knuckles whiten around her phone, veins stark against her skin.

Her voice shook with rage as she retorted, "So to please Malinda, you're resorting to blackmail now?"

The last thread of Kieran's patience finally tore, leaving only cold fury behind. "Let me spell it out for you-you don't have the power to challenge me."

A searing ache twisted through Hailey's chest, stealing her breath.

There had been a time when Kieran's voice was warm, his care unwavering. Before Malinda appeared, he'd been gentle, even tender. Now, that man was gone.

"Let's get a divorce," she blurted suddenly, her tone steadier than she felt.

Kieran's reply came clipped and cold, the edge in his voice unmistakable. "Hailey, I don't have time for your games."

"This isn't a game," she whispered. "I'm serious..."

But the call ended before she could finish. The harsh beeps rang in her ears like a final rejection.

Hailey stared at the screen, her lips trembling as she tried-and failed-to form a smile. Tears slid down her cheeks, falling on the blanket, each drop stinging like salt on an open wound.

Enough was enough-she'd break free from this marriage. And she would never allow Malinda to steal her work and bask in the spotlight built on her effort.

Hailey pushed through the discharge paperwork with brisk determination, her movements sharp and precise.

The moment she returned home, she tore through drawers and folders, gathering every scrap of evidence that proved Malinda's deceit-train tickets, boarding passes, rolls of negatives still smelling faintly of chemicals.

Each item carried her struggle, her risk, her truth.

She uploaded everything to the internet. Within minutes, her posts exploded across platforms, drawing thousands of comments and shares.

But less than ten minutes later, everything vanished-her account suspended, every post erased as if none of it had ever existed.

Hailey froze, staring at the glaring 404 message on her laptop. Her pulse hammered, and her fingers tightened around the mouse until her knuckles turned white.

For another woman's sake, Kieran had truly turned against her.

She stared at the suspended account, mind numb and hollow, until the realization hit-today was Malinda's award ceremony. The golden moment of her public triumph. Of course Kieran wouldn't let her truth ruin his precious darling's spotlight.

The low roar of an engine cut through the quiet outside, followed by the door slamming open.

Hailey turned sharply.

Kieran strode in, his features hardened with barely restrained anger.

The heat of his grip bit into her skin, his towering presence pressing down on her like a storm about to break.

"It seems you've forgotten what I warned you about," he muttered, his voice low and dangerous.

If not for his assistant's quick alert, Malinda's name would've been dragged through the mud before the night was over.

But Hailey's fear burned away beneath her outrage. "Same to you," she snapped, eyes blazing.

It was the first time she had ever defied him.

The words stopped Kieran cold, leaving him momentarily thrown off.

When had the soft-spoken woman who always tiptoed around his moods become so unyielding?

Hailey yanked up her sleeve, exposing a forearm marred by half-healed wounds and faded scars.

"Look at this," she said, voice trembling but firm. "Every frame of those documentaries cost me more than you'll ever understand. Kieran, I never asked you to love me back, but damn it, you could at least show some respect!"

The words poured out like a dam breaking, years of silent resentment and exhaustion surging at once.

Her eyes blazed crimson-not from crying, but from pure, unrestrained anger.

Kieran's eyes grew even colder, a mocking glint flickering beneath the hard lines of his face. "You made this bed yourself. A marriage built on deception-did you really think it would end well?"

Hailey felt the strength drain from her limbs, her vision blurring at the edges. She shut her eyes tight, as if that could block out his words.

"Say whatever you want," she murmured. "All I care about now is ending this marriage."

A cruel half-smile touched his lips as he looked down at her. "You're certain about that?"

Her fists trembled, nails biting into her palms until she felt pain.

After her family went bankrupt, Kieran had stepped in-paying off debts, covering her mother's costly treatments.

Gratitude and love had tangled together until she couldn't tell one from the other.

For years, she had obeyed him without complaint. But this was too much. Asking her to surrender the work she'd poured her soul into? Unforgivable!

Without so much as a flicker of hesitation, Kieran pulled out his phone, his voice flat and merciless. "Stop all medical support for Hailey's mother."