Chapter 1
I spent seven years with my “wealthy” boyfriend Mason, but received not a single gift from him.
When he finally proposed, he demanded the ring back the next day for a refund. At our courthouse appointment, he balked at the $35 marriage license fee, calling it “highway robbery,” and stormed out.
But the very next day, he married his childhood sweetheart, renting the most luxurious venue in Houston for their wedding.
When my grandmother heard the news, she suffered a heart attack and collapsed.
Desperate and broke, I begged Mason to return the savings I’d kept in his account for her emergency surgery.
“I don’t help freeloaders,” he sneered, arm wrapped around Ivy as if I were a stranger, then summoned security guards to escort me out.
Two days later, on Christmas Eve, my grandmother passed away.
While arranging her funeral alone, I accepted a position with Google’s executive development team in Switzerland.
When I returned to collect my passport, Mason appeared, fresh from introducing Ivy to his parents. He assumed I was sulking.
“What’s the big deal about your grandmother? I’ll give you a fancy wedding if that’s what you want. Let your grandmother satisfy her vanity for once!”
But little did he know that from the moment my grandmother took her last breath, I had absolutely no desire to ever marry him again.
I had just picked up my passport when Mason snatched it from my hand, his nose reddened from the cold outside.
“What are you looking for so intently that you didn’t even notice me come in?” he asked, his smile quickly fading as he recognized the document. “What do you need a passport for? Running away because you’re upset? I already told you, I’m only marrying Ivy because her family’s pressuring her. We’ll quietly divorce after a while.”
Without looking at him, I coldly grabbed my passport back while he thoughtfully rubbed his fingertips with his empty hand.
In the past, I would’ve immediately asked if he was cold, prepared a blanket and hot latte, but today I remained distant.
Noticing something was off, he cupped my face, forcing me to look at him as his eyes turned icy.
“Ava, are you seriously that jealous? Think about it–there were so many high society people watching. If my father found out about us, we’d both be screwed!”
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Just a Stand In?! My Billionaire Hubby’s OTHER Wife…
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Chapter 1
I responded with a bitter smile, realizing I was just his dirty little secret.
When I pushed his hands away, he persisted, tilting my chin to examine the small scratches on my cheek with feigned concern.
“Those security guards have a death wish, turning my Ava into a scratched–up mess. I’ll dock their entire paycheck!”
The same old routine.
Before, no matter how angry I got, his persistence would always make me forgive him–but not this time.
Seven days ago at his wedding to Ivy, security guards–on Mason’s orders–threw me out of the hotel, pushing me to the ground while one sneered, “Like a peasant trying to be royalty. Mr. Huntington and Miss Lockwood are perfect together. I’ve seen gold–diggers like you before!”
Meanwhile, passersby pointed and mocked me for “begging men for money” while on my knees.
My heart died completely in that moment.
Seeing I was still upset, Mason played his trump card by grabbing a box of health supplements from by the door.
“These are for your grandmother. Stop using her surgery as an excuse to get my attention. It’s pathetic.”
I internally scoffed, remembering how my grandmother, who had raised me, wanted to witness Mason and me get married to give her blessing. Instead, she saw Mason marrying another woman and collapsed on the spot.
At the hospital, doctors told me she needed a $10,000 surgery to survive, yet despite begging everyone I knew for money, I was only rejected or blocked.
Two nights later on Christmas Eve, my grandmother closed her eyes forever, leaving me completely alone.
As thoughts of her pale face flooded my mind, my heart twisted in pain and my eyes instantly reddened. Fighting back tears, I ignored the supplements and said coldly, “Mason, let’s-”
Before I could say “break up,” Mason interrupted while taking out his phone: “Look, I know you’ve been with your grandmother for Christmas, and you’re probably short on cash.”
He quickly transferred me $200, adding, “Consider this for your grandmother’s supplements. No need to write an
IOU this time.”
The irony wasn’t lost on me.
When we first got together, he made me surrender my salary, claiming he feared I was a gold–digger. He’d approve and give me an allowance, requiring IOUS for every penny over seven years, leaving me owing Mason a mountain
of debt.
I used to think he was just financially cautious because of his family business, but now I understood his frugality
only applied to me.
While he could splurge on diamond necklaces for Ivy and buy her mansions without blinking–making headlines
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Just a Stand In?! My Billionaire Hubby’s OTHER Wife…
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Chapter 1
with every purchase–I finally realized that money follows love.
Since his love wasn’t with me, I immediately sent the $200 back.
“No thanks. I don’t need it.”
Mason finally looked at me seriously before sighing with exasperation.
“Not enough? Fine, I’ll give you a wedding too, okay? Let your grandmother satisfy her vanity for once. Your whole family is the same…”
Vanity?
How that word stung after hearing it for seven years. I only wanted normal couple things–exchanging gifts, shopping together–yet he always accused me of being vain and greedy, claiming I was after his family’s fortune.
A bitter smile formed on my face as I replied, “No need for a wedding. We’re not even married.”
Mason’s face completely fell, revealing his familiar look of anger just as someone knocked at the door.
After glaring at me, he answered it, his voice immediately brightening: “What are you doing here?”
I turned to see Ivy standing at the door wearing a matching puffer jacket with Mason’s.
She playfully punched his chest while laughing. “Prince Charming, my besties came over today and wanted to meet my husband. Come hang out with me for the day?”
Looking past Mason at me, she batted her innocent–looking eyes and taunted, “Ava, you won’t mind, right? You didn’t mind the other day either. Mason and I are just like siblings, you know what I mean.”
She then complained about being cold, prompting Mason to warm her hands, their matching wedding bands visible as their fingers intertwined.
With an adoring look, Mason expertly tucked her hand into his pocket.
“What could she possibly be mad about? Don’t worry, I’ll save face for you!”
With that, he grabbed his car keys, but after a few steps, as if suddenly remembering me, he released Ivy’s hand, came over, and kissed the corner of my lips.
“Don’t worry, this is the last time. I’ll be with you every day from now on.”
But Mason, there is no “from now on” for us.
As I vigorously wiped away his kiss, watching them playfully leave together, I turned and picked up the resignation letter I had prepared long ago.
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Just a Stand In?! My Billionaire Hubby’s OTHER Wife.
