My Ex-Husband's Costly Lie

I was five months pregnant when I finally signed the marriage papers with my billionaire CEO husband, Silas. Twentyfour hours later, he declared bankruptcy.

He started delivering takeout to make ends meet. I stayed cooped up in our cramped apartment. Bored out of my mind, I scrolled through my feed.

My thumb stopped on the city's toptrending video: The Hottest Delivery Guy. [This is too cute!

Our CEO pretended to be broke and moved into the slums just to be closer to the pretty shop owner.

He literally bought the apartment right next door!] [She casually mentioned she wanted a gift bought with hardearned sweat, so he spent half a month delivering takeout!] My thumb jerked against the screen.

I accidentally swiped into a live stream. The streamer pointed at a couple snuggled up in a booth behind her, eating highend sushi.

She clutched her chest. [This is true love, guys! That girl wanted premium sushi, but she also wanted to save her boyfriend's money.] [And guess what?

He actually sold his family's heirloom ring just to make her wish come true!] [But your girl here has a heart of gold.

I bought the ring back from the shop, and I'm going to surprise them with it later.] I took a screenshot. I stared at the glowing image of that ring for thirty minutes straight.

The ambient noise of the apartment faded into a sharp ringing in my ears. Slowly, my joints stiff and mechanical in the dead silence, I raised my left hand.

My eyes locked onto my ring finger. Empty. Just a pale, indented tan line where my wedding band used to be. My phone vibrated against my cold palm.

A text from Silas. [Blair, the customer canceled their sushi order today. The restaurant let me keep it.

You can have this for dinner tonight.] Chapter 1 I glanced at the text message and swiped back to the live stream. The streamer had already returned the ring.

She sat across the table, chatting with the couple. The camera angle tilted downward, cutting off their faces just above the jawline. I casually sent a random emoji.

On the screen, the phone resting near the man's hand vibrated. I sent another emoji. The phone buzzed again.

The man finally picked up his device with a subtle shift of his shoulders. [Blair, I'm still out delivering orders.

Stop blowing up my phone.] He shoved the phone back onto the table and poured a glass of water for the girl sitting next to him.

Silas never once checked my water glass when we ate out, but the familiar line of his jaw gave him away. That man was my husband.

The ring resting in front of him wasn't a coincidence either. I didn't need a magnifying glass to know it had a tiny "B" engraved on the inner band.

It was the wedding ring I supposedly lost a few days ago.

The streamer watched them, practically sighing into the microphone. "Your boyfriend loves you so much." The girl bit her lower lip.

She playfully swatted at Silas's shoulder, but he caught her wrist in midair, his thumb gently rubbing her knuckles. Bile rose in the back of my throat.

Five months pregnant, and this was the first time I actually felt like throwing up. My eyes drifted to the shiny new band on the girl's finger.

The logic clicked into place with sickening clarity. He had to sell my ring to fund their matching set. Couple rings came in pairs. There was no room for a third.

The streamer and the live chat were swooning over the PDA. They shifted the topic, digging for the juicy details of their romance. This time, Silas actually spoke up.

He talked about how they met on his favorite kind of rainy afternoon. He noticed her because her umbrella had such a unique pattern.

He laughed about how they both loved the crispy drumsticks on a roast chicken, so they always split them perfectly—one for each.

He promised her a grand wedding, swearing that he had been planning it for a long time.

He said they just needed to wait out their current financial reality, and he would make it all up to her. I always thought Silas was just naturally careless.

He never noticed that I loved the rain too, or that I always saved the drumsticks for him. Forget noticing the pattern on an umbrella.

The man couldn't even remember which drawer he shoved my prenatal ultrasound reports into. The day Silas agreed to marry me, the smile on his face was tight and forced.

It was nothing like the genuine, effortless grin radiating through my phone screen right now. I had trusted him blindly.

Even when his billiondollar company went under overnight without a single warning sign. I never suspected a thing. Chapter 2 I scrubbed the wetness from my face.

The livestream was winding down. The camera bumped as the streamer stood up, finally panning across the booth. And there she was. Amber. The girl from next door.

The whole reason Silas pretended to go bankrupt and dragged us into this rundown apartment building. It was past midnight when heavy footsteps echoed up the stairwell.

The cheap motionsensor lights flickered on, illuminating the narrow hallway. Silas had his arm wrapped tightly around Amber's waist.

He froze the second he saw me standing in our open doorway. He yanked his arm back like he'd been burned. "Blair?" he stammered. "I… Amber was feeling dizzy.

I was just helping her up the stairs." I glanced at Amber, who was leaning heavily against the peeling wallpaper, playing up her fainting act.

I ignored the calculated gleam in her eyes, turned around, and walked back into our apartment. Silas trailed in a minute later.

He set a plastic container on the dining table. "Blair, you haven't eaten dinner yet, right? Have this. I know sushi is your favorite." I stared at the clear plastic lid.

You didn't need to be a genius to see the empty gaps and the soy sauce smears. It was their leftovers.

He hadn't lost his massive fortune, but he wouldn't even spare the cash to buy a fresh box to lie to me. "I'm not hungry," I said flatly. "Give it to Amber." Silas's jaw tightened.

He reached out to grab my hand. I took a halfstep back, letting his fingers grasp empty air. "What are you talking about?" he forced a laugh. "You're my wife.

I save the good stuff for you. Why would I give it to the neighbor?" A cold rush of blood drained from my head, leaving a hollow ringing in my ears. My chest seized.

I met Silas's gaze.

The corners of my mouth twitched upward into a sharp, brittle smile. "Then why is your grandmother's pearl necklace resting on Amber's collarbone?" Silas's neck flushed a dark, angry red. "Pearl necklaces all look the same!

How the hell would I know where she got it?" He pointed a finger at me. "Besides, you're the one who lost the necklace my grandma gave you before she passed!

Look, Blair, just because you have a problem with Amber doesn't mean you get to make wild accusations!" Blair. He used my cold, formal name. But she was Amber.

The edges of my fingernails dug into my palms. Hilarious. A faint flutter kicked against my lower abdomen. The sensation sucked the remaining oxygen from my lungs.

I kept the polite, plastic smile pinned to my face. "My mistake, then. I apologize for the misunderstanding." The fight drained out of Silas. His shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry.

I've just been under a lot of pressure trying to make ends meet lately." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Blair, just go to bed if you're tired.

I know you have your prenatal checkup tomorrow." I went to the bedroom and lay down on the stiff mattress. Sleep didn't come.

When Silas finally crawled into bed next to me, I stared at the dark ceiling. "Silas," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "Did you really go bankrupt?" He didn't even miss a beat. "Yeah.

We ran into cash flow issues, so…" I tuned out the rest of the lie. I rolled over, putting my back to him.

I pulled out my phone, the screen brightness turned all the way down, and typed out a quick message to my wealth manager. [Cancel the hundredmilliondollar wire transfer to Silas.

He doesn't need the capital.] I hit send. Then I typed another line. [Also, I need a background check pulled on someone.] I toggled over to the private hospital's patient portal.

I canceled tomorrow's prenatal checkup. I clicked the dropdown menu and booked an abortion instead.

The encrypted file containing Amber's background check hit my inbox right as I walked out of the recovery room the next day.

Amber had been playing the role of the stubborn, fiercely independent damsel since college.

She publicly refused all financial aid, yet conveniently only picked up parttime shifts at the city's most exclusive VIP lounges and highroller nightclubs.

The investigator included a photo of her first meeting with Silas. It was a painfully cliché setup.

Silas, a man who ruthlessly guarded his pristine corporate image, had half a glass of red wine splashed across his chest. He wasn't even mad.

He was staring down at Amber, his eyes practically glowing. It made perfect sense now. I never saw him wear that custom dress shirt again.

He had lied to my face, claiming he kept it tucked safely in the back of his closet because it was a gift from me and he couldn't bear to ruin it.

Chapter 3 Amber refused Silas's money. She rejected the executive assistant he tried to send her. She insisted on working for her own paycheck.

The more she pushed back, the more obsessed he became. When she refused designer bags, he had them tossed on her walking route home so she could "find" them.

When she refused cash, he routed it through a shell agency, paying her ten grand a day just to hand out flyers. I crossreferenced the dates on the report.

That was the exact same month Silas started working late. He stopped replying to my texts. He kept pushing back the wedding date my wedding planner had carefully selected.

Whenever I brought up getting married, his jaw would clench. "Are you that desperate to get married?

You waited seven years, but you can't wait five more months?" So I swallowed the lump in my throat and had my tailor let out the waist of my wedding dress. Again and again.

Even when we finally signed the papers, I never got to wear it. Silas told me he was bankrupt. He said we couldn't afford a wedding. The private investigator sent an audio file.

I pressed play. [The only way I can marry Amber eventually is to marry Blair first.] [I have to.

If I don't pacify a woman like Blair, she'll just use the pregnancy to force my hand. Amber has such a strong moral compass.

She would cut me off completely.] [I'll marry her, but a wedding is out of the question. I'll just fake a bankruptcy.

It's the perfect excuse to move in next door to Amber and take care of her.] [As for the kid… we'll see. If Amber doesn't like it, I'll just hire some guys to… whatever.

If Blair finds out, let her. I'm praying she files for divorce herself.] The audio cut out. I was already standing in front of Amber's door.

Muffled laughter leaked through the thin wood. Ten minutes ago, Silas texted me that he picked up a few extra shifts driving for Uber and wouldn't be coming home tonight.

He spun these lies so effortlessly now. I almost forgot there was a time when he would blush just asking me to dinner. The giggling inside grew louder.

I unlocked my phone, hit record, and slammed my fist against the door. The noise inside died instantly. "Who is it?" Amber called out. I kept my mouth shut.

I held my phone up with one hand and pounded on the door again. The deadbolt clicked. Amber opened the door. She wore a sheer, lace nightgown.

Fresh, red hickeys dotted her collarbone. My eyes swept past her shoulder. Used condoms littered the cheap linoleum floor inside.

Amber's face dropped when she saw the camera lens. "Blair, what are you doing?" I shoved my way forward. "I heard my husband's voice. Just checking in." Amber tried to push me back.

She always played the feisty, independent girl who stood her ground. "Your husband isn't here!

Don't think the whole world revolves around you just because you're pregnant!" My loud knocking had already drawn out a few neighbors into the hallway.

Their eyes lit up at the drama. I locked eyes with Amber. I pointed at the floor inside her apartment. "I'll know if he's here once I take a look.

What, do you blow those up like balloons by yourself?" Amber's face flushed crimson.

A few neighbors muffled their laughs. "Yeah, just let her look," an older woman chimed in. "Blair is pregnant.

Give her a break." "Honestly, you do get awfully close to her husband," another neighbor added. "We've all seen it." "Stop making things up!" Amber bit her lip, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

I shoved my shoulder against the door frame. "Move." Chapter 4 Amber stumbled backward, completely off guard, and fell right against Silas's chest.

He was fully dressed, though his collar was rumpled, his jaw set in a hard line. "Amber's pipe burst. I was just fixing it.

What the hell is wrong with you?" A hard knot wedged itself in my throat. "A burst pipe? And you plugged it with a condom?

Do you think I'm an idiot, Silas?" "You—" Silas raised his hand sharply, freezing midway through the swing. He grabbed my arm and dragged me into the bathroom.

Sure enough, a pipe had burst. Water flooded the cheap tiles. The neighbors craning their necks in the hallway murmured. "He really is fixing a pipe.

Maybe she got it wrong?" "It is a misunderstanding!" Amber rushed over, her eyes rimmed red. "Blair, I know you used your pregnancy to force Silas to marry you, but not all women are like you!" She lifted her chin. "I'm independent.

I don't rely on men. I'm not the kind of girl who spreads her legs before she even has a ring!" The hallway erupted in hushed gasps.

The neighbors' stares turned mocking and sharp. "Trashy. No wonder she's so paranoid." "I knew it.

I smelled the desperation on her the day she moved in." Amber saw the crowd shifting to her side. The corners of her mouth twitched up. "I already called the cops.

Breaking and entering is a crime!" I stared at her smug face. Blood rushed in my ears, drowning out the noise. I swung my hand and slapped her hard across the cheek.

The sharp crack echoed in the cramped apartment. Silas's eyes widened, the veins in his neck bulging. He shoved me back and swung his arm, backhanding me across the face.

Two uniformed police officers pushed through the crowd. I hit the bathroom floor. Freezing water soaked through my clothes, biting into my skin.

My entire body broke into violent shivers. "Silas… you hit me?" Silas stood frozen, staring at his own hand.

Then Amber pressed herself against his arm, and his expression hardened again. "You're being completely unreasonable.

Why shouldn't I?" He turned to the officers. "Officers, take my wife away. She clearly needs a reality check." Then, he actually asked them to cuff me.

The left side of my face burned like hot coals. My body, still hollowed out and bleeding from the abortion just hours ago, had zero fight left.

I couldn't even force the words out to defend myself as they escorted me to the cruiser. Because I was drenched, a female officer draped a scratchy blanket over my shoulders.

It didn't help. The violent tremors wracking my spine wouldn't stop.

Amber called the precinct directly. "I won't press full charges, but I want her to sit in a cell for the night!" Silas just told the officers he would respect whatever Amber decided.

My body heat eventually dried my stiff clothes. I spent the entire night locked up. Silas never showed up. Not once.

I sat on the metal bench, staring at the fireworks bursting outside the barred window, listening to the nightshift cops chat at the desk. "That Silas guy must be loaded.

Those fireworks have been going off for three hours straight." "You haven't seen the trending tags? His girlfriend threw a tantrum.

He bought out the city's fireworks to win her back, but he's trying to play it off like some rich guy's coincidence." "Didn't the blogs say he filed for bankruptcy?" "Man, you actually believe that PR bullshit?" Chapter 5 I huddled in the corner of the holding cell all night.

By the time I stumbled out of the precinct the next morning, my mind was a blurry, hollowedout mess.

I barely made it past the first street corner before a rough canvas bag was slammed over my head. Unseen hands dragged me into a narrow alleyway.

The bag ripped open, and a heavy palm cracked across my jaw. In seconds, both sides of my face throbbed, swelling fast and hot.

I spat a mouthful of metallic blood onto the asphalt, trying to focus my eyes on the figures looming over me. Another slap cracked across my cheek. "Don't look at us, bitch!

This is what happens when you mess with the wrong people!" The boss claimed that catch. Who do you think you are, trying to take a bite? A steeltoed boot caught my ribs.

Then another. They left me curled up in a dirty puddle, their cruel laughter echoing off the brick walls as they walked away.

The harsh vibration of my phone dragged me back to consciousness. I swiped the screen with numb, trembling fingers.

Silas's voice came through the speaker, light and completely unaffected, as if he hadn't left me in a jail cell all night. "Blair, I'm just totally swamped today.

I don't have time to pick you up. Just walk home. It's only a few miles anyway." He didn't pause for a breath. "And stop misunderstanding Amber. She's proud.

When people falsely accuse her, she gets defensive." "But she's not petty like you. She doesn't hold grudges.

She even said you should come to her birthday party tomorrow." "Make sure you show up and give her a proper apology." "Hello?

Blair?" I braced my hands against the wet pavement and slowly pushed myself upright. A sleek black Maybach pulled up silently to the curb, right in front of the alleyway.

The driver's side door opened. A man stepped out and extended his hand toward me. I kept the phone pressed to my ear. "Alright. I'll get her a gift tomorrow.

Consider it my apology." The line went quiet for a heartbeat, followed by the faint rustle of clothing and the sickeningly clear sound of a kiss before his voice came back on. "Okay.

Don't buy anything too expensive. You know Amber isn't materialistic." I heard the distinct rustle of clothing through the receiver.

Then, a sharp, ragged breath. "Okay," I said quietly, and hung up. Amber stared at the disconnected phone, her eyes calculating. "Blair is so greedy.

The second she thought you were bankrupt, she started causing drama just to force a divorce." She sighed softly. "Not like me.

I really don't care if a man is rich or poor." Silas, thoroughly convinced his elaborate "broke" disguise was working flawlessly, smiled down at her. "Don't worry.

Once Blair can't take it anymore and files for divorce, I'll marry you." "What about the baby she's carrying?" Silas's jaw tightened.

He shifted uncomfortably. "We'll figure out the kid later." Deep down, he knew the truth.

Divorce or no divorce, as long as that kid existed, Blair would never be able to cut ties with him completely. They had been together for seven years. He couldn't just let her go.

Silas claimed he borrowed a massive sum of money just to rent out a sprawling luxury villa for Amber's birthday bash.

He invited everyone in her social circle, giving her the ultimate facesaving moment.

One of Amber's friends nudged her shoulder. "So, when are you two getting married?" Amber blushed furiously, peeking up at Silas through her lashes.

Silas instinctively looked away, his thumb swiping aimlessly on his phone screen.

He had used another excuse to stay out last night, but Blair hadn't even texted to ask where he was. "Let me check where Blair is," he deflected. "She promised to bring a gift today to apologize." He didn't mention the cold knot of anxiety tightening in his gut.

Blair wasn't the type to just obediently roll over and apologize. Suddenly, the heavy oak doors of the villa flew open.

Silas's executive assistant burst into the hall, gasping for air. "Mr. Silas—sir! It's—it's bad!" Silas frowned. "What are you doing?

Stop overreacting and spit it out." The assistant clutched his chest, his eyes wide with sheer panic. "You need to get back to the office right now!

The company… the company is filing for bankruptcy!" Silas sucked in a sharp breath. "What the hell are you talking about?" The assistant wiped the sweat from his forehead.

His next words nearly made Silas black out.

Chapter 6 "Blair filed a whistleblower report against the company under her real name!" The assistant choked on his own breath. "The entire building is on lockdown from the top down.

And that partnership we finalized with Franklin's corporation a few days ago? It fell through! That was a ninefigure deal!" Silas's vision blacked out at the edges.

He stumbled, his palm slapping hard against the doorframe to keep his knees from buckling. Beside him, all color drained from Amber's face.

The carefully crafted, 'Idon'tcareaboutmoney' facade cracked. Her lips pulled back into a tight, ugly line. But she caught herself almost instantly.

She forced her features to soften, her eyes widening into perfect, innocent confusion. "Silas?" She took a step closer. "Didn't you tell me the company was already bankrupt?

What is he talking about?" Her voice trembled. "Were you… lying to me this whole time?" Silas shook his head, tightly pinching the bridge of his nose to ground himself. "I only said that because I wanted an excuse to get closer to you.

Don't panic, Amber." "I know Blair.

She plays hardball in business, but she wouldn't do something this ruthless to me." He forced a stiff, reassuring smile. "She's just throwing a tantrum because I hit her the other night.

She's not like you.

She doesn't know how to let things go." Amber bit her lower lip, her brow furrowing with perfectly timed concern. "Then… what's going to happen to the company?" Silas reached out and gently patted the back of her hand. "I'm going to find Blair right now.

You just stay here and enjoy your birthday party. Even if I lose everything, I won't abandon you." Silas stared down at her, his chest puffing out slightly.

She was looking at him with such unwavering devotion. She didn't care about the money. She didn't even care about Blair or the baby. His jaw clenched tight.

Why couldn't Blair just be this compliant? He shoved down the cold sweat breaking out on the back of his neck, turned on his heel, and strode out to his waiting car.

Dead silence smothered the luxury villa the second the door clicked shut. The party guests exchanged loaded, uncomfortable glances.

Silas's desperation had been painfully obvious, and his multibilliondollar empire was actually crumbling in realtime.

They awkwardly shifted their eyes back to Amber. "Amber…" one of her friends whispered. "Are we… still doing the cake?" Crash!

Amber's arm swept out violently, sending the towering crystal champagne pyramid shattering across the marble floor. She pointed a shaking finger at the door. "Cake my ass!

Silas is a fucking idiot!" "If he's actually broke, why the hell would I waste my time with him? Psycho!" Her chest heaved, her face twisted and unrecognizable. "No.

I need to figure out a backup plan…" In the backseat of the Maybach, Silas barely had time to slide in before his assistant handed him a sleek velvet box. "Sir.

Blair left this for you." Silas let out a short, breathy laugh. The rigid tension bled right out of his shoulders.

Every single time Blair picked a fight and wanted a way out, she sent a box exactly like this one. A peace offering. An apology letter. "Whatever.

As long as she calls off the lockdown on the company, I'll forgive—" The words died in his throat. He flipped the lid open. There was no apology letter.

Nestled inside was a stack of freshly printed divorce papers, completely filled out.

Right next to it sat a sleek metal USB drive with a yellow sticky note attached. [Wishing you both a long, happy life together!] Silas stared at the signature line at the bottom of the contract.

He had zero memory of ever signing a divorce agreement. But the black ink staring back at him was undeniably his own handwriting. His fingers spasmed.

The papers slipped from his grasp, fluttering down to the floor mats.

His assistant immediately reached down to grab them, but Silas shoved him hard against the window. "Get off!" The driver flinched at the sudden shout and slammed his foot on the brakes.

The harsh deceleration sent the assistant tumbling awkwardly onto the floorboards. "I'm sorry, Mr. Silas!" Silas didn't answer.

He lunged forward, his hands frantically shielding the signed papers. Chapter 7 A memory slammed into him. It was the year he loved Blair the most.

Back then, his company was just a struggling startup, nowhere near the billiondollar empire it was today. He had signed a blank sheet of paper and pressed it into her hands.

Blair had looked at him, bewildered. "It's collateral," he had sworn to her, his voice thick with sincerity. "I'll never betray you, but I want you to have a safety net." His own promise rang in his ears.

That damn signature. She had used his ultimate proof of devotion as the key to unlock their marriage. "Are you kidding me?" he muttered, his voice raw.

He was the one who was supposed to dictate the terms. He was supposed to discard her. What right did Blair have to walk away? She had nothing. No family, no background, no leverage.

His mother's sharp voice echoed in his head: If she wasn't after our money, why else would she cling to you like a leech for seven years?

Silas tore the cramped apartment in the slums apart. He ripped the cheap mattresses off the frames. He even ordered his men to pry up the warped floorboards. Nothing.

Blair hadn't left a single trace behind. His assistant wiped a layer of cold sweat from his forehead. "Sir.

I sent a team to the main estate." We pulled the security footage from the last few days. She never went back.

The assistant swallowed hard. "Also, the situation at the office…" The unspoken threat hung heavy in the stale air.

If Silas didn't show his face at headquarters right now, the entire company would collapse.

Silas, a man who built his empire on calculated ruthlessness, felt his brain shortcircuit. "Blair doesn't have this kind of power," he paced, his dress shoes crunching over debris. "Someone is pulling the strings for her… She has no money.

No connections. She's nothing without me!" A surge of hot, blinding rage spiked in his chest. He kicked a TV remote lying on the floor.

It smashed against the wall, but the impact sent a signal to the cheap flatscreen.

The TV flickered to life. [Breaking News: The Franklin Corporation announced its official heir today. Insider sources confirm the sole successor is Ms.

Blair Franklin, Chairman Franklin's only daughter.

The Chairman publicly stated that his choice was based strictly on merit, not gender…] The broadcast cut to a crowded press conference. Flashbulbs went off in rapid succession