of Amara's dress. Everything was perfect. Except the seat across from her was empty. Again. Amara checked the time on her phone for the fifth time that night 10:47 PM. Dylan
he knew. Or maybe... he never really knew her. The SUV that picked Amara up was matte black with tinted windows and silent doors. The man in the front seat nodded without speaking. They drove through the city in smooth silence, headed for the Lagos branch of the Monroe Foundation. She entered through the private elevator. Everyone greeted her with quiet respect. "Madam Monroe," her assistant whispered, handing her a tablet. "The Paris deal press release has leaked in France. Forbes Africa is asking who the lead investor is." "Keep them guessing," Amara replied smoothly. "For now." She stepped into the glass-walled boardroom, her heels clicking confidently. Executives stood. The meeting began. Amara Monroe wasn't invisible here. Back at home, Dylan couldn't stop pacing. He opened her side of the closet. There were clothes he hadn't noticed before luxury labels, rare designer pieces. He never paid attention before. He thought she wore what he gave her, but clearly, she had her own. He grabbed her laptop off the nightstand. It was locked. Not unusual, but somehow, it felt different now. Like there was something in there he wasn't meant to see. His phone buzzed. Chloe again. Chloe: "Lunch? I have something you'll want to see." He typed a reply, paused... then erased it and dropped the phone on the bed. Instead, he opened Instagram. Not Amara's page his explore feed. There she was. Amara. Sitting front row at a luxury women-in-business event. Elegant. Poised. Confident. The caption read: "Mystery woman in black stuns at the Lagos Wealth Collective event. Sources say she may be tied to the Monroe International Group." Dylan's chest tightened. Monroe? No. It had to be a coincidence. Right? He scrolled again. Another photo. Amara shaking hands with a governor's wife. Smiling beside the CEO of a top African fashion brand. The comment section was flooded: "Who is she?" "New billionaire wife?" "That's Dylan Grant's wife... right?" He dropped the phone. For the first time in three years, Dylan felt like a man watching someone else live with the woman he married. Someone who valued her. The silence in the penthouse was thick. Dylan sat on the couch, scrolling mindlessly through social media, trying to ignore the rising buzz around Amara. She was everywhere now. Paparazzi photos. Business blog headlines. Anonymous tip-offs. "Monroe Heiress spotted in Lagos!" "Mystery Billionaire Wife of Chef Dylan Grant?" "How one woman is changing the power game quietly." And yet, she hadn't said a word to him. No denial. No confirmation. No fight. Just distance. He barely noticed the front door open. Amara stepped in gracefully, dressed in a tailored navy jumpsuit, heels clicking softly as she walked to the console and dropped her keys. She looked fresh from another closed-door event - calm, composed, unreachable. "You're home early," he muttered. "I didn't want to be late for this," she said simply, placing a manila envelope on the glass table. Dylan frowned. "What's that?" She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she walked to the bar, poured herself a glass of water, and took a slow sip before turning to face him. Her eyes didn't carry anger. Just resolve. "I'm leaving," she said. Dylan blinked. "What do you mean?" "I'm asking for a divorce." The words hung in the air like smoke from a blown-out candle soft, final, undeniable. "You're not serious," he said, laughing without humor. "This is about the anniversary? Chloe? What now?" Amara shook her head. "This isn't about one night. This is about every night. Every time you ignored me. Every time you made me feel small. Every time your mother mocked me and you said nothing." He stood, voice rising. "We can work through this " "No," she said firmly. "We can't. Because you don't love me. You never did. You loved the idea of being a savior. A man who married a 'nobody.'" She walked closer, placing a soft palm on his chest. "But I was never nobody, Dylan. I was everything. And you didn't see it." His breath caught. "Amara She stepped back. "The contracts are inside. I won't fight you for anything. I don't need your money. I never did." Dylan's mouth opened, but no words came. "I gave up everything for you," she continued. "My name. My legacy. My world. Just to be your wife. To be loved for me, not for Monroe. But even when I was silent, I was still too much for you." He sank into the couch. "I didn't know " "You never wanted to know," she said softly. Silence fell again. Then he asked the question he never thought he'd ask: "Who are you, really?" Amara smiled not cruelly, not proudly. Just... peacefully. "I'm the woman you prayed for... and threw away when she arrived." She picked up her bag, turned to the door, then paused. "You know, I used to dream of hearing you say you loved me. Now I just dream of peace." And with that, she walked out. No screaming. No breakdown. No second look. Dylan sat frozen, the envelope untouched on the table. The woman he ignored had just left him quietly, beautifully, completely. And only now did he realize: He had never deserved her. The camera light turned red. The studio fell into silence. Amara smiled gently from the velvet seat as Nigeria's most respected talk show host leaned in and asked, "So... who are you really?" Amara's lips parted slowly. "My name is Amara Monroe. I am the only daughter of Charles Monroe founder of Monroe Holdings International." The audience gasped. Even the camera crew froze. "I'm the CEO of Monroe Africa. We've been operating quietly in Nigeria and Ghana for the last five years under subsidiaries," she continued, cool and calm. "Until recently, I kept my identity private." The host's eyes widened. "So... you're a billionaire?" Amara smiled. "Yes. Quietly. I never wanted the attention." "But weren't you married to Dylan Grant?" the host asked carefully. "The celebrity chef?" "I was." "Did he know?" Amara paused. "No. He didn't." By morning, the interview had reached every corner of the country and beyond. Clips of her declaration flooded Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. Business journals released think pieces: "The Billionaire Wife You Slept On" "Amara Monroe: How a Boss Played the Long Game" For weeks, Amara had trended globally. She was now one of Africa's most talked-about women. She went from being Dylan's "silent wife" to a global power figure. From ghost to queen. Dylan... watched it all alone. And bitter. A month later, the Golden Chef Battle semifinals aired. Dylan stood on stage, sweat forming at his temple. He'd trained for this, pushed through humiliation, rejection, and heartbreak. This contest was his comeback. His redemption. His chance to be seen again. But he didn't win. The crowd roared not for him... ...but for Charly Edebayo. Young. Fearless. Passionate. Dylan clapped stiffly, swallowing his pride. Then he saw her. Amara. Walking onto the stage in a black power suit, presenting the $100,000 prize to Charly. The crowd lost it. Cameras flashed. Bloggers screamed. She hugged Charly. Too long. Too warm. Too perfect. The next morning, tabloids ran wild: "Billionaire Amara Monroe spotted cozy with rising chef!" "Did Amara dump Dylan for Charly?" Dylan slammed his phone on the table. "No. No way." He drove straight to her office. Past glass doors. Past marble floors. Into a private elevator that required a biometric scan - which he didn't have. Security stopped him. "I need to speak to Amara." "She's in a meeting," one replied. "And you're not on the list." "She's my-" The guard raised a brow. "She's your what, Mr. Grant?" Dylan stepped back. Even her guards looked at him like a memory. That night, he waited outside the Monroe building. When her SUV finally pulled up, he walked toward her quickly. "Amara-please." She paused, eyes calm. "You shouldn't be here." "Was it true? You and Charly?" She blinked. "Do I owe you that answer?" His voice broke. "I thought you loved me." "I did." "Then why why support someone else publicly?" "Because he earned it, Dylan. He worked. He didn't mock others for their journey. He respected me." He laughed bitterly. "So, you reward him with hugs and smiles?" "I reward people who don't cheat," she replied coldly. He flinched. "You think I don't know about Chloe?" she added. "The late-night visits. The lipstick. The lies." "That was" She raised her hand. "Don't insult me by explaining." He swallowed. "Please... I messed up. But we were good once. Can't we try again?" Amara's eyes softened for just a second. Then she turned away. "I've already left you once, Dylan. This time, I'm choosing me." She entered the SUV and disappeared into the night. Meanwhile... Chloe watched it all. Her obsession had grown into madness. Her hands trembled when she saw new headlines of Amara and Charly. The way Dylan still chased his ex-wife made her feel like a ghost. "I gave you everything," she whispered, scrolling through old pictures of them together. But she wasn't dumb. She knew the only reason Dylan had ever kept her close was because he thought Amara was less. Now that he knew Amara was more infinitely more he wanted her back. And Chloe? She was just... in the way. Unless... She wasn't. It was raining that night hard, angry drops beating against the windshield of Amara's SUV as it pulled up to the conference hall. Flashbulbs popped in every direction. Reporters pressed against the barricades, calling her name. But Amara was calm. Unbothered. Elegant. She had been invited as the keynote speaker at the annual Women in Power summit. And despite everything her fame, her secrets, the chaos she had shown up. She walked past the crowd like royalty. Poised. Untouchable. What she didn't know was that someone had followed her. Someone furious. Someone dangerous. Deleon had been pacing outside her green room, nerves unraveling. He'd tried everything calls, letters, even contacting her brother. But Amara hadn't said a word since the incident with Chloe. Now, standing outside the event venue in the dark, umbrella in one hand and hope in the other, he waited. She would walk out eventually. He'd say it then. All of it. He'd tell her how sorry he was. How he was wrong-blind in more ways than one. How he missed her, needed her, loved her. And just when he saw her silhouette stepping out through the back hallway door, it happened. A sharp crack echoed through the air. A scream followed. And blood hit the floor. People scattered. Security shouted. The spotlight that once followed Amara now lit up something else: Dylan, collapsed in her arms. The bullet had struck his side - close to his lung. Chloe stood several feet away, the gun still warm in her hand, her face pale with disbelief. "I didn't mean to... I thought it was her," she muttered. Amara stared at her, not with fear... but sorrow. "You were willing to kill for a man who never even chose you." Chloe dropped the gun and fell to her knees. The