I Dumped My Fake-Poor Billionaire Husband

Chapter 2

I thought I was his true love, but I was just his pawn.

Even our happy marriage had been nothing more than an illusion he'd carefully crafted.

Ethan Sinclair wasn't some orphan struggling to make ends meet. His story of going bankrupt and being deep in debt? A complete lie. His family was wealthy, influential.

And then I overheard voices from the private room.

"By the way, I heard Isabella was thrilled when she got the necklace you sent her last night. She even wants to get back with you. Don't you think she'd be heartbroken if she found out you're married?"

"Serves her right! She dumped Ethan to chase her acting career abroad."

"None of you know the real reason Ethan married that country girl—it was for revenge against Isabella."

My body froze, my breath catching in my throat.

He didn't love me. I had been nothing but a tool to hurt someone else.

I clutched my chest, feeling my heart crack open.

Isabella Montgomery—his first love. Back then, his parents had disapproved of her acting dreams, so she left him.

Afterward, Ethan decided all women were untrustworthy, so he made a game out of manipulating their emotions, dating one after the other. Finally, he settled on marriage—to get back at Isabella.

But afraid his wealth would attract the wrong type of woman, he hid his identity and chose someone plain and ordinary.

And I was the fool who fell for it.

Isabella was the one who had wronged him, not me. So why had he destroyed my dignity like this? Why had he trampled on my heart?

A suffocating wave of pain hit me. Just as I turned to leave, I heard another voice from inside the room.

"Mr. Sinclair, what if Audrey finds out the truth?"

Ethan's voice dripped with disdain. "She's too busy working to support me. She doesn't have time to care about anything else. After work, she runs to the market to buy discounted groceries just to cook for me."

"If she finds out? Doesn't matter. I'll make sure she signs the divorce papers—empty-handed."

All the color drained from my face.

And then I saw her—Isabella, stunningly dressed and glowing, walking toward the private room. The moment she entered, the room lit up with compliments.

By pure chance, a waiter opened the door to serve the dishes, and I caught a glimpse of Isabella sitting next to Ethan, their gazes locked in an intimate exchange.

She touched the diamond necklace around her neck and smiled coyly. "I love the necklace. Thank you, Ethan."

His lips curled into a slight smile. "As long as you like it."

How generous he was with his first love—a four-million-dollar necklace, given without hesitation.

Yet, in his eyes, I wasn't even worth a two-hundred-dollar handbag.

I couldn't bear to hear any more. I stumbled out of the restaurant, nearly losing my footing on the steps.

Outside, the tears came—hot and fast, the sobs wracking my body as I finally let myself fall apart.

For three years, I had loved Ethan with everything I had.

I worried about him working too hard, so I'd made nourishing soups to keep him healthy.

I stuck to cheap skincare, saving every penny to buy him nice clothes and shoes—lying that I'd gotten them with online discounts.

And he'd praised me for being clever.

But the truth was, I had been a fool.

By the time I made it home, the night had fallen. Ethan was in the kitchen, cooking.

When he heard me enter, he looked up with that warm smile of his. "Honey, you're back. Dinner's ready."

There he was, wearing an apron in our tiny kitchen. It was hard to believe he was the heir to a billionaire fortune.

As he stirred the pan, he chirped, "The fish was fresh today. The vendor even gave me a two-dollar discount."

"Oh, and I sold all the cardboard boxes I'd saved up for two weeks—made sixty-eight bucks. After groceries, I still have five left."

I closed my eyes, the pain in my chest almost too much to bear.

He'd gone to such great lengths to keep up this charade.

The table was set with four dishes and a soup. In the past, I would've rushed to him, calling him the best husband in the world.

But now? All I felt was bitterness.

I remembered what I'd overheard at the restaurant and clenched my fists. Ethan had learned to cook—for Isabella.

Yet, he'd told me he only started after marrying me.

He'd also claimed he grew up unloved, hungry, and bullied—that he wouldn't have survived without charity.

I had felt my heart break for him.

But none of it had been true. Not a word of it.

Not even when he said he loved me.

Tears started streaming down my face.

Ethan set down the dish and hurried over, concern filling his eyes. "Honey, did something happen at work?"

When I didn't answer, his frown deepened. "Talk to me. Who upset you? Seeing you cry like this breaks my heart."

"Once I start making real money, you won't have to work anymore. Just stay home. I'll take care of you."

He kept calling me "honey," his handsome face filled with worry—as if he actually loved me.

Was he for real? Because all I could think was he was full of crap.

My lips trembled as I asked, "Ethan, do you love me?"

He smiled tenderly. "Of course I do. You're the woman I love most in this world."

I stared into his eyes, thinking of every cruel word I'd overheard in the restaurant—each one a bullet to my heart.

He looked down on me. He saw me as nothing more than a stepping stone to get back at Isabella.

So when he said he loved me, all I felt was disgust.

He was a liar.

When he reached out to embrace me, I took a step back, wiping my tears. My voice was steady, but cold.

"Ethan, you're an amazing actor."

He feigned confusion. "Honey, what are you talking about?"

I pulled out my phone, showing him the screenshot I'd saved the night before. My voice shook as I said, "Mr. Sinclair, have you had your fun yet?"