All Chapters of My Billionaire Husband Faked His Downfall: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

I stood at the entrance of the auction house, lifting my gaze to the grand, lavishly decorated hall. A sigh escaped me, unbidden.In the past, when life was good, I was a regular here. I was one of the top-tier guests, the kind they'd serve water and pastries to the moment I sat down.But times have changed. Now, I'm the one serving tea and water.I didn't want this job, but the daily pay at the auction house was too tempting, as if a pile of cash was beckoning to me.Weighed against the mounting costs, I took it. My husband, Lance Ford's illness demanded weekly therapy sessions, each costing hundreds, not to mention the monthly assortment of medications.All in all, his medication alone cost us five to six hundred a month, and that didn't even cover the crushing debt.Once, this kind of money would have barely bought me a handbag or a necklace. But now, every penny we spent was carefully calculated. Even when I shopped for groceries, I waited for discount days.Before leaving

Chapter 2

The necklace was my grandmother's gift for my eighteenth birthday.When Lance went bankrupt, I took the necklace and its matching earrings to the pawnshop, trading them for cash to ease the financial crisis that had come crashing down on us.He saw the hesitation in my eyes as I handed it over, and he pulled me close, his arm around my shoulders. "Lucy, this is from your grandmother. Why don't you hold onto it?"Tears streamed down my face as I shook my head, refusing his suggestion.At that point, our phones were ringing non-stop with calls from creditors. Day and night, the relentless sound of debt collectors pushed me to the brink of collapse. And then there was Lance, already sinking into depression.His hand trembled on my shoulder as he watched me cry, promising me through the tears that once he got back on his feet, he would buy the necklace back.But a year had passed since. I'm twenty-nine now, and his promise remained unfulfilled.The necklace, sealed away in the pawns

Chapter 3

At that moment, my mind was foggy, as though I had lost the ability to think.Numb, I sprinted toward the lounge outside the auction hall, my legs screaming with prickling pain, but I didn't stop. My hands trembling, I fumbled for my phone in the pocket of my discarded work clothes and quickly sent a message to Dr. Phie.His reply hit me like a ton of bricks. He told me he'd left the country for a month-long training program last week and wasn't even in the country right now. He also revealed that Lance hadn't seen him for therapy since last year.The words on the screen blurred as I collapsed to the floor, my body sinking, my breath shallow and erratic. My mind went blank.Lance had been lying to me all along!But why?If he had a lover on the side, we could've just divorced. Why lie to me? Why pretend he had depression? Why go through the elaborate act of staging a financial downfall?I used to live a life of luxury—untouched by hard labor, never worrying about anything. But

Chapter 4

After the auction ended, I unexpectedly stumbled upon a post on social media titled, "The Man Who Once Pursued Me Is Married, But I Regret It."The cover photo featured a ring adorned with a small wave pattern. It was the very ring that Lance kept hanging around his neck, day and night.Intrigued, I clicked on the post. The second image was a selfie of the poster. I immediately recognized her as the woman who had been by Lance's side today.The third photo appeared to have been taken recently. It showed their clasped hands adorned with the rings, the backdrop unmistakably that of the auction venue from earlier.The caption read: "The man who once pursued me is now married. Now that I'm back in the country, I find that he's still willing to spend a fortune on gifts for me. Do we perhaps still stand a chance?"In the comments, some users condemned her as a mistress, to which she replied, "We were lovers to begin with; I just went abroad. That woman used underhanded tactics to forc

Chapter 5

Lance didn't even think before saying without hesitation, "This afternoon, I was just..."Then he stopped. Suddenly, he sensed something was wrong. The lies that had slipped so easily from his lips all night finally came to a halt. Silence hung heavy in the air, thick and unmoving.I didn't give him any breathing room. "You know," I said, "I was at the auction tonight."His dark eyes widened with shock. "Why were you...""You're curious why I was there, aren't you?" I replied calmly, finishing his thought for him."To pay for your so-called depression treatment, I—once a girl of privilege—lowered myself to be a hostess at the auction. For your so-called depression, I've been working myself to death, leaving early, and coming home late. I've been living like a dog."Lance, for all the times that you lied to me, did you feel even a shred of guilt?"My words struck him like lightning, leaving him frozen, as if turned to stone. He stood there, paralyzed, unable to speak for what f

Chapter 6

In truth, I was lying. The excuse about seeing someone else was just a way to push him toward divorce. But the part about meeting someone today—that was real.Last night, shortly after I had returned to my room, I received a friend request from a stranger on Telegram. He said he had something important to give me and insisted that I meet him at a downtown restaurant at 1 PM. At first, I dismissed it, uninterested, until he sent me an audio clip that made me reconsider. After hearing it, I agreed to meet him.Lance leaned over, his hands braced on either side of me, his expression dark and brooding. "Who is it?"I smiled slightly. "None of your business.""So you're divorcing me because of him?" he asked.I shook my head, and the smile vanished from my lips."Do you have any idea that my father died because of you? He worked three days and nights without rest, trying to resolve the bankruptcy crisis. He didn't sleep, and in the end, he suffered a brain hemorrhage. You're the r

Chapter 7

Once I snapped back to reality, I started struggling again. However, the sudden movement pulled at my injured ankle, and the pain made me grimace. Michael had held me tightly, ignoring my attempts to wriggle free, and carried me all the way up to the sixth floor without stopping.When we finally reached my apartment door, he gently set me down. Instinctively, I stepped back, putting some distance between us, my guard immediately up. I had heard enough stories about the circles people like him moved in—money could buy many things, and I wasn't about to let myself get caught up in something like that.Though I had been spoiled and willful for most of my life, I came from a good family and had never crossed any moral lines. Whatever deals he was offering, I wanted no part of them.Michael paused for a moment, looking a little surprised before breaking into a low chuckle. His voice dropped so much that I could barely make out what he was saying, but I caught snippets like "forget

Chapter 8

Blood fell, and Sarah's scream of pain filled the room. She clutched her ear, but the crimson liquid still seeped through her fingers.Lance jumped in shock, stepping back and pulling Sarah farther away from me.I let out a cold snort. "You think you're worthy of wearing this?"Then I shot Lance a glare and said, "She should consider it a compliment I slapped her. Has she even looked at herself? What gives her the right to challenge me?"Just then, Michael pushed open the door after finishing his call. He raised an eyebrow, surprised to find two unexpected guests in the room at this moment.The sight of Michael made Sarah recoil like a mouse spotting a cat. Despite the pain, she scrambled behind Lance, desperately seeking shelter.Michael walked over to me. When he saw the red mark on my face, his usual smile slipped from his features. His face hardened. He called for the waiter and asked for a bag of ice, which he handed to me for the swelling. Then, turning toward Sarah, his

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP