My Billionaire Ex Wants to be the Other Man

"Even after we broke up, your taste is still trash. These boxers are hideous." My ex hooked his finger through the hanger.

He dangled my bra and a pair of men's underwear right in front of my face. "The boxers aren't mine," I said, a little speechless. He scoffed. "They fell from your balcony.

If they aren't yours, whose are they?" I forced an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. They belong to my husband." "What husband?" I turned and bolted up the stairs.

Footsteps pounded behind me as he frantically gave chase. "Kendall, you better explain this right now!" Chapter 1 Declan froze in place like a statue.

It took him a long time to mutter a confused, "What husband?" I snatched the hanger from him while he was distracted and headed upstairs.

Declan stood stunned for a few seconds before taking massive strides to catch up. "Kendall, explain yourself.

What do you mean they belong to your husband?" I did not stop walking. "Are you deaf? A husband. As in, my legally registered spouse." The color visibly drained from Declan's face.

He followed behind me without another word. He looked like a walking corpse with its soul sucked out. We reached my front door. I turned to face Declan.

His limbs were practically moving out of sync. "Mr. Zombie, I am home now. Please see yourself out." That snapped him back to reality.

His gaze dropped to the men's boxers in my hand. Then it swept over the men's sneakers on the shoe rack. Finally, it locked onto my face. I stared back, baffled.

A few seconds later, he burst into a sudden, knowing laugh. I jumped. I thought he had finally lost his mind. After laughing his head off, he leaned one hand against the wall.

He looked at me with absolute mockery. "Kendall, if you are going to lie, at least come up with a better excuse." I looked at him like he was an idiot.

He smirked and pointed at the men's boxers in my hand and the sneakers on the rack. "Neon pink men's boxers and bright yellow sneakers?

If you want to pretend there is a man living here, pick normal colors." Seeing the triumphant grin on Declan's face, it clicked.

He probably thought I deliberately left men's shoes at the door and hung men's clothes on the balcony to fake having a guy around and scare off burglars.

I opened my mouth, then closed it. I had no idea how to explain my younger brother's atrocious fashion sense. Declan smiled even wider.

He reached out a long arm, trapping me between his body and the wall. "Kendall, you do not need to pretend there is a man in your house anymore." His lips curled into a smirk. "Because your man is here." I was so grossed out by his cheesy line that I could not even find the words to curse him out.

Declan took my silence as a confession. He laughed even harder and casually tossed the sneakers off the shoe rack. "Tsk, tsk. Your taste is terrible.

Let's just throw these ugly shoes away." Dragging footsteps echoed from the corner of the stairs.

A bleachblond punk wearing stud earrings, a massive Tshirt, and baggy jeans swaggered over. It was my actual brother, Tyler. I closed my eyes and took a breath.

No matter how many times I saw that shocking hair color, I still couldn't stomach it. Chapter 2 Tyler swaggered up to us.

He had one hand stuffed in his pocket and a plastic bag dangling from the other. His eyes locked onto his shoe on the floor.

His brow furrowed. "Who is throwing out my shoes?" Declan stopped laughing. He did not drop his arm from pinning me against the wall. He just stood there frozen.

Tyler took in the scene. His frown deepened. "Wait, who the hell are you?

You show up at my door, throw my shoes, and now you are pinning my—" Before the word "Sis" could leave his mouth, I ducked under Declan's arm.

I slapped my hand flat over my brother's mouth. I looked Declan right in the eye. "See? The boxers and the sneakers are his." Declan shook his head. "Impossible.

Even if your taste regressed a century, you would never go for a bleachblond punk." "Hey, what did you just call me?!" Tyler mumbled against my palm. Tyler had a short fuse.

His best trait was that he never let anyone talk trash about me. The downside was that he was basically an idiot. He shoved my hand away, ready to throw punches.

He took two steps before remembering the plastic bag in his hand. He spun around and shoved it into my chest. "The pads you wanted.

They cost eighteen bucks, so you owe me twenty." A harsh scoff echoed in the hallway. Declan let out a humorless laugh. "Kendall, this is what you are settling for?

A freeloader?" Tyler lost it. He lunged forward and grabbed Declan by the collar. "What the hell did you just say? Who are you calling a freeloader—" His voice cut off.

He froze. "Wait." Tyler was notoriously slow on the uptake, but it finally clicked. He turned his head and narrowed his eyes at me.

I flashed him the most innocent smile I could muster. In that exact second, our sibling telepathy synced up. I was begging him to play along. I knew he got the message.

I batted my eyelashes and slipped into a sickly sweet baby voice. "Honey, do not get into a fight." Tyler physically shuddered at my baby voice.

He immediately dropped his hands from Declan's collar. He marched over and threw a heavy arm around my shoulders. He puffed out his chest, trying to look mature. "Excuse me, sir.

Do you need something from my wife?" He leaned down and muttered in my ear. "Two hundred bucks." Declan swayed on his feet. His voice shook. "You are actually married?" "Yes.

Very married." As I spoke, I held up a single finger where Declan could not see. One hundred.

Tyler tilted his head. "One fifty." I kept my face neutral. "Eighty, or I shut this down." Tyler tried to play hardball.

He whined loudly. "But sis—" Declan's eyes immediately lit up. He looked like he thought he caught me in a lie. I slammed my heel down onto Tyler's foot.

Tyler let out a wounded yelp. "Wife! My beautiful wife!" "My literal queen! These are limitededition kicks!" Tyler crouched down to frantically rub the scuff mark off his shoe.

I stepped up to Declan. "Well, you saw it." I cast an embarrassed glance back at my idiot brother. "This is my husband." Declan swallowed hard.

When he finally looked at me, the edges of his eyes were bloodshot. "Why?" "Why what?" Chapter 3 "Why couldn't you wait for me?

Why is this bleachblond punk fine, but I am not?" Tyler balanced on one foot in the doorway. He wiped his precious sneaker and casually rubbed salt in the wound. "Watch your mouth.

The ugly ones are bleachblond punks. I am a golden retriever." "My sis—my wife didn't pick you. That just means you can't perform." I grabbed Tyler and shoved him inside.

One more word and he was going to blow our cover. Right before the door clicked shut, I caught one last glimpse of Declan. His eyes were hollow. He looked completely shattered.

The second the door closed, my brother and my dog swarmed me. The dog was named Tank. Declan and I adopted him when we were dating.

Right now, Tank was wagging his tail like a propeller. He clearly caught the scent of an old friend. I rubbed his head to calm him down.

Tyler immediately switched to gossip mode. "Sis, was that my exbrotherinlaw I never met?" "How was my acting back there? Wait, why did you guys even break up?

Did that jerk do something to you?" He trailed after me like a shadow. Then he answered his own question before I could speak. "Nah, impossible.

You are a master dog trainer." "No one could ever push you around. But sis, my exbrotherinlaw looked like he was about to cry just now.

What did you do to him?" My head pounded from his endless chatter. I pulled out my phone and transferred him a hundred and twenty bucks. "Keep your mouth shut.

One more word and you send the money back." Tyler instantly muted himself. He slinked back to his room with his tail tucked between his legs.

I walked back to the front door and peered through the peephole. The hallway was empty. Declan was gone. A sudden wave of emptiness hit my chest.

I could not put a name to the feeling. My phone buzzed in my pocket. I swiped the screen. I had deleted this number from my contacts months ago.

The digits were still permanently burned into my brain. Even without a caller ID, I knew exactly who it was.

Him: [What did he mean I can't perform?] Him: [Do you think I can't perform too?] Him: [You used to beg me to stop before you passed out.

How did that turn into me not being able to perform?] A low laugh escaped my lips. It had been over half a year. He was still the same crazy dog.

I ignored him and tossed my phone onto the nightstand. The messages kept rolling in right up until I fell asleep. Him: [So he can perform?

Is that it?] Him: [I call bullshit.] Him: [He is just a kid. Does he even know how to please a woman?] Him: [Kendall, why aren't you answering?

Are you too busy right now?] Him: [Damn…] Him: [Kendall, you are absolutely not allowed to sleep in the same bed as him!!!] Then, a heavy pounding erupted against the wall next door.

I woke up with a groan. I rolled over in frustration. Who does construction in the middle of the night? So annoying. The next morning, neither my brother nor I had slept well.

Tyler walked out of his room sporting a messy bedhead. He rubbed his sleepy eyes. "Sis, what was going on next door last night?

First someone was smashing the walls, and then it sounded like they had a beagle in there. It was whining all night long." Chapter 4 I definitely did not sleep well either.

I glanced at my phone. He had blown it up with 99+ messages. I figured Declan had not slept much either. Otherwise, how could he stay up all night talking to himself like that?

A hurricane was passing through, dumping heavy rain all over our neighborhood. I told my brother to take Tank out to poop. Tyler sprawled on the couch, refusing to budge.

But it was raining, and the dog had to go. If Tyler did not take him, I would have to. Even if hell froze over today, he was walking that dog.

I threw two raincoats—one large, one small—at him and started counting down. "Three… two—" My lifetime of sibling dominance was no joke.

The countdown trick worked every single time. Before I even hit one, his body was already putting on the raincoat, even if his soul was actively resisting.

I sent the two of them out the door. I figured I needed to call building management today about the construction next door.

If someone was going to smash the walls every night, who could live here? Before I could even find the management office's number, Tyler came back. I looked behind him.

No dog. "That was fast. Where is Tank?" I looked closer. Tyler was completely dry. He did not look like a guy who just walked a husky in a hurricane.

Tyler raised an eyebrow at me. "The guy next door took him." "What?" I thought I misheard.

Tyler said the second he stepped out, he ran into Declan coming out of the apartment next door. Tank went wild and lunged at him. The dog was kissing and licking him everywhere.

Tyler could not hold him back. "So you and my exbrotherinlaw raised Tank together?

The guy next door literally called himself Daddy!" Tyler plopped back onto the couch, casually peeled a banana, and started eating.

I walked over and kicked his leg. "And you just handed Tank over to him?" "Why not? He is Tank's real dad.

It is not like he is going to hurt him." Tyler answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You didn't see how excited Tank got.

There was no way I could stop him." "Plus, did you hear that whining beagle next door last night? I bet my exbrotherinlaw has a beagle.

Walking one dog is the same as walking two. Right, sis?" I had to admit, Tyler was good at running his mouth. I could not even argue with that logic.

It was not like I was worried Declan would do anything to Tank. When we first got him, Declan was the one who cleaned up all his pee and poop. But one thing was driving me crazy.

Didn't Declan's apartment used to be downstairs? Why did he come out of the apartment next door