Chapter 1

I was working the ER night shift on our anniversary when the ambulance doors suddenly burst open.

“Move! Make room!”

Several men rushed in, carrying two people.

I looked up and froze.

Caleb Partridge. Don of Partridge Organization.

My husband.

The same husband who had called me hours earlier to say he couldn't come home because the Partridge Organization had a serious problem.

“I’m sorry, Jasmine. I really tried to get away, but I've got business to deal with. I'll make it up to you tonight, okay?”

“Sure,” I'd said.

I used to get angry when Caleb chose the organization over me. I used to wait for him, cry over him, and wonder when I'd finally become more important than his business.

Not anymore.

But now, on our anniversary, my husband had just been carried into my ER.

And he wasn't alone.

A woman was with him.

Her face was bright red, her hair was a complete mess, and she looked like she wanted to disappear.

I knew her.

Trixa.

Caleb's so-called female friend.

I quickly pulled on my gloves and walked over. “What happened?”

One of Caleb's men looked like he'd rather get shot than answer. “Don Caleb and Miss Trixa... they're stuck.”

I frowned. “Stuck?”

He swallowed. “His... you know. His dick won't come out.”

I stared at him.

Then I slowly looked at my husband.

What a fucking anniversary gift.

Caleb's face was dark with embarrassment and fury. “Don't fucking stand there,” he snapped at his men. “Get a doctor!”

Then his eyes suddenly met mine.

The anger disappeared.

Panic took its place.

“Jasmine...”

I didn't answer.

One of the nurses came rushing over and whispered, “Ma'am, we need to keep this private. Should I call another ER nurse?”

I shook my head. “No. Prepare a room. I'll handle it.”

Everyone around me went quiet.

One of Caleb's men stared at me. “You're really going to treat him?”

“He's a patient,” I said. “That's my job.”

The man lowered his voice. “But that's your husband.”

“I know and call the gynecologist now.”

Outside the treatment room, I could hear the others whispering.

“Fuck, it's the Don's wife.”

“He's dead.”

“Do you think she'll kill Trixa?”

“Probably not. She's working.”

“Are you kidding? Last time Trixa tried to get into the boss’s private office after midnight, Donna dragged her out by the hair.”

“I heard she slammed Trixa against the wall and told her she'd break every finger if she ever touched Caleb again.”

“Shut up. She's definitely going to lose it this time.”

I heard every word, and I almost laughed.

They still thought I was that woman. The wife who couldn't breathe whenever another woman got near her husband. The woman who'd begged Caleb to stay away from Trixa.

The woman who'd swallowed her pride just to keep this marriage alive.

That Jasmine was gone.

I checked Caleb's condition, spoke with the doctor on duty, and helped stabilize the situation. Trixa was treated separately while Caleb's men stood outside looking like they'd rather face a rival family than their own boss's wife.

Caleb kept staring at me.

I didn't look back.

A few minutes later, the doctors finally managed to separate them.

Trixa was taken to another room while Caleb was given a few minutes to clean up.

At 4:20 a.m., I stepped out of the treatment room and pulled off my gloves.

Caleb was already waiting in the hallway.

His men had brought him a fresh suit. He was fully dressed again, his tie slightly crooked and his hair still a mess.

Much better than when he'd been carried in naked.

I walked toward him.

“The situation's handled. Both of you are fine.”

His jaw tightened. He looked angry—no, he looked scared.

I continued, completely calm. “Don't have sex until you've fully recovered. And next time, be careful. You're not twenty anymore.”

His eyes widened.

I turned around.

“Jasmine.”

I kept walking but his hand suddenly grabbed my wrist.

Hard.

I stopped and looked down at his hand, then at him.

His fingers tightened around me. “What the fuck is this?” he asked, his voice low and rough. “That's all you've got to say?”

I didn't answer.

He stepped closer. “You're not angry?”

“No. Why?”

“You don't want to ask me what happened?”

“I already know what happened.”

His eyes darkened. “You don't even want to fight with me?”

I looked at him quietly. “Why would I?”

His expression changed. For years, Caleb had known exactly how I'd react.

I'd cry. I'd scream. I'd demand answers.

I'd ask him to cut Trixa off. I'd tell him I couldn't stand watching another woman stay by his side.

But what was I supposed to fight for now?

A man who couldn't even come home for our anniversary because he was supposedly busy protecting the Partridge Organization?

A husband who'd somehow ended up in the ER with another woman that same night?

I looked at Caleb and slowly pulled my wrist from his hand. “Isn't this what you've always wanted? A wife who doesn't complain, doesn't cause trouble, and knows when to stay quiet? I've become exactly that. So why the hell are you still unhappy?”

Caleb's jaw tightened. His throat moved, but for a moment, no words came out. He stared at me as if he couldn't recognize the woman standing in front of him, then suddenly let out a cold laugh. “Fine. If this is the game you want to play, then keep it up. Let's see how long you can pretend you don't care.”

He stepped closer, his eyes dark, before lowering his voice beside my ear. “But don't get too proud, Jasmine. You're a damn good ER nurse, but you were never that impressive as a wife in bed. If Trixa ends up needing help again, I'll bring her straight to you.”

I didn't react. I simply looked at him, wondering if he seriously thought those words could still hurt me. After everything he'd done, did he really believe he could break me with a few cruel words?

Before I could answer, a weak voice came from behind us. “Caleb...”

Trixa was being wheeled out of the treatment area, still groggy from the medication. Caleb's expression changed instantly. He turned away from me and went straight to her, taking her hand as his voice softened. “Does it hurt? Tell me where it hurts. I'm right here.”

I watched them for a few seconds before looking away. There was nothing left for me to say.

I went into the duty room, closed the door behind me, and pulled my phone from my pocket. There was one number saved in my contacts that I'd never called, not once. I stared at it for a moment before finally pressing the button.

The call connected. “Hello. This is Jasmine Peters. Mr. Graves, I need your help. I want the divorce finalized within a month. After that, I'll come home to the Graves family and let you officially acknowledge me.”

Silence filled the other end.

A month ago, the man on the phone had shown up with a DNA report. He was my biological father.

I was the missing daughter of the Graves family, one of the most powerful mafia families in the capital. I'd been taken when I was two and had spent twenty-five years growing up without knowing where I came from.

When the Graves family finally found me, they begged me to come home.

I refused.

Back then, I couldn't accept them. Part of me was angry that they had found me twenty-five years too late. But the bigger reason was Caleb.

I still believed there was something worth saving between us.

How stupid was I?

My father's voice finally came through, careful and uncertain. “Jasmine, my daughter... you really want a divorce? You loved Caleb Partridge so much. What happened? Did he do something?”