My Cheating Billionaire Wife Funded My Escape

Julian's POV

It was late at night. I had just burned the 98th love letter Sienna Taylor had written me. The ashes were still warm.

Suddenly, my phone lit up. Gavin Reed had sent me a photo.

In it, a torn tie lay beside Sienna as she slept.

I stared at the photo, but I didn't reply. There was barely anything left of our relationship, yet the ache in my chest remained.

I took a deep breath and forwarded the photo to Sienna.

Two minutes later, my phone buzzed.

"Sienna transferred one million dollars to you."

Then, she sent me a voice message. Her voice was cold, but I could hear the exhaustion. "I'll take you to the auction tomorrow, Julian. I'll get you anything that catches your eye."

I stared at the string of zeros before accepting the money.

If Sienna couldn't give me her love, then I'd take her money instead.

If I lost both of those, I'd walk away with nothing.

The next day, Sienna went out of her way to make it up to me. She even reserved the entire second floor of the auction house for us.

Just as the auction began, the door swung open.

Gavin entered the private suite wearing a sporty varsity jacket. He had a bright grin. "I'm just here to see what the auction is like. I'm sure Julian won't mind, right?"

He leaned against Sienna and linked arms with her.

She frowned slightly but didn't push him away.

I found myself running my thumb over my wedding band beneath the table.

I'd worn the ring for ten years, but it no longer fit.

It was stuck against my knuckle and dug painfully into my skin.

I didn't even look at Gavin. I lowered my head and took a sip of coffee to swallow the bitterness I felt.

Just then, the auctioneer brought out a limited-edition luxury watch. The opening bid for it was eight million dollars.

Sienna was about to raise her paddle when Gavin beat her to it. With a confident grin, he called out, "20 million dollars!"

He then turned to me with an innocent look on his face.

"Sienna said I could pick out a gift, too. You're an adult with responsibilities, Julian. Surely you won't compete with a student like me, will you?"

The suite fell silent.

I set my cup down and turned to Sienna.

I calmly held her gaze. For a brief moment, I caught a flicker of panic in her eyes. "Is this how you make it up to me?"

She visibly tensed under my stare.

Then, she placed a bid for me.

"The watch is yours," she said.

Gavin's smile crumbled, and a frown creased his forehead. "Sienna, did I do something wrong? Why do you always take Julian's side?"

Sienna immediately pulled him into her arms. She soothed him with a voice I'd never heard her use on me.

"Come on, don't cry. I'll get you something else next time."

How ironic.

She had spent millions on a gift for me, yet here she was, holding another man and comforting him.

"I'll leave you two to catch up."

I got to my feet and left without looking back.

The cold wind hit me as I stepped outside the auction house, drying the tears I'd been holding back.

I couldn't stop thinking about the way Sienna had just comforted Gavin.

Ten years ago, I'd insisted on marrying Sienna even though she had nothing. My mother was so furious that she cut ties with me on the spot.

Pointing a finger at me, she roared, "Do you think she's poor because she's had bad luck? You're wrong! That woman is consumed by ambition! She's only keeping you happy because she needs your help to get ahead!

"Once she gets the power she wants and no longer needs you, the first thing she'll do is dump you!"

Back then, I was young and stubborn. I thought my mother was simply prejudiced against Sienna.

I held up the love letters Sienna had written for me, certain they would prove her wrong.

"Mom, look. 100 love letters," I boasted. "She said the most important thing in her life was to build a home with me."

How could anyone spend four whole years pretending to love someone?

That night, I nodded through my tears and agreed to marry her.

It wasn't her words that moved me, but the way her eyes lit up with warmth reserved only for me when she looked at me.

But my mother had been right all along.

Sienna had made it big, just as my mother had predicted.

The first thing she did was grow tired of the husband who'd stood by her when she had nothing. She started chasing the excitement of being with younger men.

My mother's words echoed in my ears.

The wind coming off the harbor picked up and rushed past me.

I started to regret everything.