After the Betrayal The Billionaire's Ex-Wife Strikes Back

Because my husband said he liked independent women, I built myself into a top second-hand luxury goods blogger entirely on my own. I never spent a single dollar of his money.

Three months into my pregnancy, I was battling morning sickness and nausea, but I kept pushing myself to work.

Then I received a consignment order from a woman who described herself as a sugar daddy's kept woman, looking to offload her pre-owned luxury collection.

The woman sitting across from me in a sprawling villa was draped head to toe in haute couture. "My man said he makes money so I can spend it."

"But I've got way too many bags to ever use. Just look them over, name a price, and take them all."

As she spoke, she hooked a plain band ring off the coffee table with one fingertip and flicked it in my direction.

"Oh, and this piece of junk. You can have it for free if you want. Looks cheap. I can't be bothered with it."

My entire body went rigid. I couldn't move.

Because the ring at my feet was one I knew better than anything in the world.

It was my wedding ring. Mine and Lester Delgado's. Our initials were still engraved on the inside of the band.

……

I stood frozen, unable to process what I was seeing.

Lucy Fox didn't notice anything wrong. She looked me up and down several times. "Come to think of it, my man's wife is probably around your age."

"I'll be honest with you. That ring? It's my man's wedding band."

It took me a long moment to find my voice. "His wedding ring... He just gave it to you? Just like that?"

Lucy's lips curled into a slow smile. "Well, his wife suddenly turned up pregnant. He needed to make me happy, so he brought it over as a little peace offering."

She lifted her chin, practically preening.

"He told me I'm his real treasure."

I met Lester when we were both at our lowest.

I'd just graduated. He'd failed his first startup and was buried in debt.

The two of us crammed into a tiny studio apartment, splitting a single bowl of soup because that was all we could afford.

He told me he didn't like princesses who clung to men for support. He liked a woman who could stand on her own.

So to make sure I'd never be a burden to him, I threw myself into the resale luxury market, starting at the very bottom as an apprentice authenticator.

Even after Lester's business finally took off, I kept building my own career.

When he proposed, he'd secretly spent two weeks in a jewelry-making workshop, crafting a ring for me by hand and engraving both our names inside the band.

I truly believed, back then, that we'd be happy forever.

But it had all been a fantasy.

It wasn't that he refused to spend money on the woman he loved. It was that the woman he loved had never been me.

Even the ring that was supposed to symbolize our love, he'd tossed to someone else without a second thought.

Lucy was still talking. "See this villa? He bought it for me when we first started dating."

I forced a smile, my voice dry and cracked. "How long... have you two been together?"

"Three years."

Those two words drove into my chest like a blade.

Three years ago.

That was the hardest stretch of my career, when I was just starting out. A few thousand dollars in training fees had me barely able to breathe.

For the first and only time, I went to Lester for help. All I wanted was a short-term loan to keep things afloat.

He frowned, his face full of impatience. "Wendy Dudley, I fell in love with you because you're independent. Not because you're the kind of woman who holds out her hand for money. You can't even handle this much on your own?"

His words burned through me. I was mortified, drowning in guilt and shame.

So I gritted my teeth, took out a high-interest personal loan, and clawed my way through those months alone.

What I never knew was that while I was tearing myself apart over a few thousand dollars, he'd turned around and bought Lucy Fox a luxury villa.

The color drained from my face. A dull ache began to tighten low in my belly.