Nicole knew exactly what Blaine was trying to do.

Ever since they got married, she had stopped working and devoted all of her time to taking care of their home. She hadn't earned a single dollar of her own in years.

Now that he had frozen every account she could use, it was obvious what he wanted. He expected her to come back, lower her head, and beg for forgiveness.

At that moment, Nicole regretted only one thing. She hated herself for ever believing she could win his heart.

After taking a slow breath, Nicole forced herself to calm down. With nowhere else to go, she found the cheapest hotel she could afford.

The room cost thirty dollars for the night. It was so tiny that there was barely enough space to move around, and an old stain on the curtains made her avoid looking at them altogether.

She took a shower before quietly lying down on the bed. Her eyes stayed fixed on the ceiling.

Before marrying Blaine, she had built up a decent amount of savings. Back then, she had been completely swept away by the excitement of their new marriage, so she willingly spent every cent she had on him.

Looking back now, she realized she couldn't have been more foolish. A man like Blaine had never needed her money in the first place.

Now every bank card she owned had been frozen, and she no longer had any income. For the first time in years, she had no idea what came next.

She tossed and turned across the narrow bed, unable to settle down. Just then, her phone suddenly began to vibrate.

Blaine's name appeared on the screen.

Nicole stared at the incoming call. She assumed he had finally signed the divorce agreement, so she answered without hesitation.

The line stayed quiet for a moment. Then Blaine's cold voice broke the silence. "Where did you put my Chronos watch?"

Nicole blinked in surprise.

The Chronos watch?

There were more than fifty watches locked inside the safe in Blaine's study. Why was he suddenly so concerned about that particular one?

She didn't have the patience to think about it. "The second drawer of the study. Look inside the black watch box. The one with the blue dial."

She heard drawers being opened on the other end of the call. Silence followed. Then he said, "I don't see it."

Nicole frowned. "That's impossible. I organized the entire collection last week. It should still be inside that black box."

"I told you it's not here." Blaine's tone turned even colder. After a brief pause, he added, "Come back and find it yourself."

Nicole was speechless for a second. Then she laughed in disbelief.

"Blaine," she said as she sat upright, barely holding back her temper. "Are you seriously that helpless? It's just one watch. If nobody took care of you every single day, would you even know how to survive on your own?"

The call fell silent.

She didn't have to look at him to know his face had turned dark with anger.

Then she spoke again. "Your watches are in the drawer. Your dress shirts are hanging in the left section of the closet. Your ties are sorted by color inside the drawer. Do you need me to leave written instructions for every little thing? If you can't find the Chronos watch, keep looking. If that doesn't work, wear another one. Better yet, ask your precious Ballet Goddess to help you. Isn't she supposed to be good at everything?"

Blaine let out a cold laugh. "Nicole, aren't those things supposed to be your responsibility? You never seemed to mind doing them before."

Nicole tightened her grip around the phone until her fingers ached. Her eyes gradually reddened.

She had understood the truth long ago. To Blaine, she had never been his wife. She was simply someone who managed the house and he didn't even have to pay.

Even so, hearing him admit it so casually still pierced her heart.

He had never cared enough to notice that she was capable of far more than cooking meals and organizing his shirts and socks.

"You're absolutely right," she replied calmly. "But I quit. Sign the divorce agreement, Blaine. It's time we ended this."

Before he could answer, she ended the call.

Back at the villa, Blaine's face darkened. His eyes settled on the Chronos watch lying right in front of him as his jaw slowly clenched.

Even when he gave her a chance to come back to him, she refused to take it. So be it. He wanted to see how many days she could survive out there without any money.

...

Nicole tossed her phone onto the bed, and her breathing remained uneven. A few seconds later, she clicked her tongue in frustration. She hadn't gone far enough. She should've left him with words he could never forget.

Still, there was no point dwelling on it. Finding a way to earn money mattered far more.

Nicole took a slow breath before picking up her phone again. She opened the music platform she had abandoned three years earlier.

The moment she logged in, notification after notification flooded the screen.

Unread private messages kept appearing. Comments poured in endlessly.

One look and she realized her account had grown to 5.37 million followers.

Nicole froze. She stared at the screen in complete disbelief.

As she scrolled through the messages, she slowly realized something. People had continued leaving comments for her every single year she was gone.

"Aurora, are you doing okay? Why did you disappear?"

"It's already 2021, and I still can't forget your song 'Deep Sea.'"

"Please come back. Your music carried me through my entire senior year of high school."

"It's 2022. I'm still waiting for you."

"It's 2023 now. Are you ever coming back?"

Nicole's eyes slowly filled with tears until everything in front of her became hazy.

Back at the conservatory, she had always been one of its brightest students. Whether it was singing or songwriting, she had stood at the very top. Even before graduation, millions of people were already following her career.

One record label after another had tried to recruit her.

Had she not chosen to leave everything behind for Blaine and devote herself to being his wife, she might have already become one of the country's most celebrated singers.

She opened her profile page. The first thing she saw was the song pinned to the top of her account. It was still "Aurora," the final release she had shared three years earlier.

She had written every lyric herself and composed every note of the melody. She still remembered how excited she had been while recording it. Back then, she had promised herself that once her followers reached six million, she would hold an online concert to celebrate with everyone.

Nicole tapped the play button. The familiar melody slowly echoed through the tiny hotel room. She closed her eyes and quietly listened, allowing herself to sink into memories she had buried for years.

She had no idea how much time had passed. Just as she was about to exit the page, a new private message suddenly appeared.

"Hello. I'm Sean Miles from Starlight Records. I sent you a message three years ago, though I'm not sure whether you remember me. I've been waiting all this time for your account to come back online. If you still want to sing, my offer still stands. You're welcome to visit me anytime."

Nicole stared at the message without blinking. Her heartbeat quickened.

Starlight Records ranked among the biggest record labels in the industry. Over the years, they had produced five legendary singers whose names had dominated the music world.

Three years ago, when Sean first reached out to her, she had been so excited that she barely slept that night.

She immediately showed the message to Blaine and happily told him that Starlight Records wanted to sign her.

Blaine barely glanced at the screen before speaking. "Do you really think my wife has to earn a living by singing?"

Because of those words, she ignored Sean's invitation.

Afterward, she abandoned the account completely. For three years, she never logged in again.

But things were different now.

Nicole took a steady breath. Then she typed a reply with renewed determination. "Hello, Mr. Miles. This is Aurora. I'd like to meet with you."

She pressed send.

Although she had been away from the music industry for years, she had nothing to lose by trying again.

More importantly... She had never stopped loving music.

A reply came not long after. "Three o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Starlight Records headquarters. I'll be expecting you."