It has been three years since Hailey and Knox signed a marriage agreement. It was an impromptu agreement where everyone got their share of the deal. Knox got a beautiful wife to please his grandmother. However for Hailey... Her father's crumbling family business was revived. The only reward she was getting out of the deal was the clause where it was stated that none of them was obligated to perform sexual marital rites towards the other. But, Knox's grandmother died and the contract was no longer valid. However, after the divorce, the man was beginning to feel the void left by her presence in his life. He began to notice her more. Eventually, he found himself falling in love with his ex-wife.
New York City Cemetery...
It was the rainy season. Therefore, even though it was mid afternoon, the sky was gloomy and dark. Rain fell in torrents, soaking the ground in water.
The cemetery was crowded. However, even so, it was all quiet and the atmosphere was filled with gloom. People of different classes and genders stood across the well dug grave as the corpse bearers approached with the casket.
Hailey Smith was amongst the crowd of people. She stood at a far end, away from others. She was putting on a black maxi gown coupled with black flat shoes. Due to the rain, she was also holding an umbrella like the others.
As she watched the bearers lift the casket and approach the grave, her gaze constricted and she tightened her fists. A lone tear silently slid down her face which was pale due to the cold.
Her heart felt heavy and several memories flashed through her mind at that moment.
It was just like yesterday when the Old Madam had welcomed her into the King family with wide arms. She had called her their family's charm. She had even given her an ancestral artifact.
Hailey lifted her hand and looked at the green colored jade bangle on her wrist and she felt her heart engulf with more sorrow. It was as though a hammer was slammed into her heart making her unable to breath
.
She choked and a few more tears trickled down her face. Her chest felt stuffy and she wanted to scream to ease the sorrow in her heart. She lifted her hand and patted her chest lightly the ease the blocking in her chest.
Then, she looked in the direction of the grave again. The casket had already been placed in the grave. In fact, the burial was almost done.
People approached the grave one by one to pour sand into it.
Hailey looked at the man in the front of the crowd. The man was tall and straight. He was putting on a simple black shirt and a pair of black pants. His sleeves were rolled up and his collar was tilted to the side. Even his shirt which to Hailey's surprise were wrinkled. It was the first time Hailey had seen him so disheveled.
He stood there motionlessly and only kept staring down at the grave silently. He was very quiet but one could sense the sadness and tension that radiated off him in waves.
He was Knox, Hailey's husband. And the corpse they were burying was Knox's grandmother, the Old Madam of the King family.
Hailey knew how much Knox loved and respected his grandmother. He placed her above everything and he was sure to be the most devastated about her death. No one else might understand but Hailey who had lived with the two of them for three years, understood how good the relationship between them was.
It was just as good as how the Old Madam treated her too.
The man currently had no reaction and he just stood there watching the grave. Hailey had a feeling he still hadn't accepted the fact that his grandmother had died... yet.
But, she knew he wasn't a weak man. He was a very strong entity. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been the head of such a large ancient, aristocratic family like the Kings at such a young age. He wouldn't break down in tears like her.
Hailey felt sorry for him. But, she was just as sad as he was. She also felt the impact of the old woman's death.
After all, except for her dead mother, she was also the only one who had ever shown her kindness and love. She treated her like her own granddaughter and not the daughter in law of the King family. She was the only one who accepted her into the family.
Hailey felt another set of hot years rush to her eyes. They threatened to fall but she managed to keep them at bay.
She lifted her head and looked at the sky. It was all dark and gloomy like the mood of everyone present.
Then, she looked at the burial ground again. The burial was done and a few people were already beginning to part.
Hailey glanced at the mound before muttering in a low voice, "Goodbye, granny. Rest in peace."
Her voice was laced with endless sorrow.
Then, she turned to leave immediately. She didn't want anyone to notice that she was present.
But as she scuttled off, she didn't notice that the man who was initially standing quietly across the grave turned to look in her direction for a moment.
Nor did she notice that his eyes were bloodshot red. There were no tears in his yes but from how red it looked, it could be seen that he was having an internal breakdown.
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"
Joelle thought she could change Adrian's heart after three years of marriage, but she realized too late that it already belonged to another woman. "Give me a baby, and I'll set you free." The day Joelle went into labor, Adrian was traveling with his mistress on his private jet. "I don't care whom you love. My debt is paid. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other." Not long after Joelle left, Adrian found himself begging on his knees. "Please come back to me."
After two years of marriage, Kristian dropped a bombshell. "She's back. Let's get divorced. Name your price." Freya didn't argue. She just smiled and made her demands. "I want your most expensive supercar." "Okay." "The villa on the outskirts." "Sure." "And half of the billions we made together." Kristian froze. "Come again?" He thought she was ordinary—but Freya was the genius behind their fortune. And now that she'd gone, he'd do anything to win her back.
Allison fell in love with Ethan Iversen, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Moonlight Crown pack. She always wanted him to notice her. Meanwhile, Ethan was an arrogant Alpha who thought a weak Omega could not be his companion. Ethan's cousin, Ryan Iversen, who came back from abroad and was the actual heir of the pack, never tried to get the position nor did he show any interest in it. He was a popular playboy Alpha but when he came back to the pack, one thing captured his eyes and that was Allison.
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.