Chapter 1

The first hint of trouble came from a sleazy music blog, a headline screaming about unscripted passion in my wife' s new music video.

"Nicole Anderson and Jayden Hughes: More Than Just Acting?"

I laughed it off. It was the kind of garbage the industry churned out to sell clicks. Nicole, my wife of five years, was America' s pop sweetheart, and I was the Grammy-winning country guy. Together, we were the picture of musical royalty.

That night, she came to me, her mascara running down her perfect face.

"Ethan, I have to tell you something."

She confessed that Jayden, the bad-boy rapper from the video, had gotten aggressive during the shoot. He' d cornered her, taken advantage of a moment. She called it a "one-time mistake," a horrifying lapse in judgment she swore she' d never repeat.

"I've already told my label he's blacklisted," she sobbed into my shoulder. "I'll never work with him again. I promise. It's you, Ethan. It's always been you."

I held her, my heart aching for her. The anger I felt toward Jayden was a hot, solid thing in my chest. I believed her. I had to. She was my wife.

To prove her devotion, she did something extravagant. She poured millions into a new record label, a boutique venture with a single purpose: to produce my next album. The media ate it up, dubbing her "The Ultimate Muse." It was a grand, public gesture that silenced all the rumors.

It worked, for a while.

The world saw a pop queen dedicating her empire to her country king.

I saw a wife desperate to make amends.

I was a fool.