All Chapters of Pretending to Be Poor: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

The moment we stepped out of the car, my son raced toward the brightly lit yacht, where laughter and music floated across the harbor."Dad!"Every conversation on deck stopped.The silence was so sudden it almost hurt.Graham Langford, immaculate in a bespoke suit, instinctively let go of the woman on his arm."Audrey?" He stared at me. "What are you doing here?"Ignoring the whispers erupting around us, he hurried over and caught my hand. His fingers were trembling."Audrey, don't jump to conclusions. This isn't what you think."My eyes burned. Somehow, I managed a smile."Then tell me what it is, Graham. Who is she? And what exactly are you celebrating your third anniversary of?"My gaze slid to the other woman. Emeralds gleamed at her throat, and gold glittered from her wrists.Suddenly, the gold-plated jewelry I was wearing felt like a cruel joke.When I'd married Graham five years ago, he supposedly had nothing. To keep my parents from worrying, I'd secretly bought a c

Graham leaned down and kissed my forehead as gently as if nothing had happened."I still have three years left on my agreement with the Prescotts, Audrey. Just wait a little longer."I looked at him and Oliver, at how little either of them seemed to care.Then I stepped back."Graham, I want a clean break. You can keep Oliver."His face darkened."Audrey, you want to end this? And you're giving me our son? You think you can just walk away from him? Have you forgotten what you went through to bring him into the world?"Oliver gave an impatient sigh."Mom, you're being dumb. You don't make any money, and you're turning down a mansion? When Mama Viv and I are eating fancy seafood, don't get jealous!"He stuck out his tongue and ran away.I watched him go, remembering all the summers I'd gone down to the shore to gather fresh seafood for him. By the time I came home, my legs and feet would be covered in cuts.Graham and Oliver used to help me wash them, both close to tears."Mo

"Graham!" Vivienne cried. "What is that? Is that... someone's finger?"Graham's brow tightened as he stared at the slender, bloodstained finger lying near the stairs."It probably isn't," he said quietly. "Don't scare yourself."But even as he reassured her, unease twisted inside him.The proportions were unmistakable. That was a human finger.He remembered Audrey two hours earlier, looking as though she had finally reached the end of what she could endure.Something heavy settled in his chest.He put Vivienne down and immediately called Oliver's smartwatch.No answer.He tried Audrey next.The call rang and rang.Nothing.His unease sharpened into dread."Where's Ollie?" he demanded, turning to Vivienne.She blinked innocently."Ollie? Oh, that little rascal. You have no idea how badly he's behaved lately. He's kept me awake for days. But what can I do? Whenever I remember he's your son, I tell myself it's worth it."Graham's face hardened as her syrupy complaints went

I blinked and studied the man opposite me.Rhett Callahan looked almost exactly as he had a few years earlier. He still had that effortlessly arrogant air, that careless confidence, and a wardrobe that seemed determined to get him noticed.Right now, in fact, he was still wearing his stage clothes.Yes, the world-famous singer who'd just finished a sold-out concert, who hadn't even taken the time to change, was kneeling in front of me in the back of a car, carefully applying ointment to my injured hand.I shook my head. The contrast was ridiculous.In a matter of days, I'd discovered the lies, the betrayal, and the fact that my marriage hadn't been real.And now here was Rhett, so clean and untouched by all of it. Being around him felt like climbing out of a filthy swamp and sinking into a warm spring scented with fresh limes.He caught me staring.Naturally, he didn't look embarrassed. He knew exactly how handsome he was. He tilted his chin and gave me a wicked little smile.

Rhett scooped Oliver straight into his arms.Even my son looked startled. He turned to me, plainly unsure how he was supposed to react.I sighed and decided to let Rhett handle it.Graham, on the other hand, looked furious. Seeing the three of us together apparently hurt more than he could stand."Ollie. Come here," he ordered.Oliver stayed where he was.Graham's composure cracked."Oliver Langford. I said come here!"I couldn't stand the way he ordered people around. I stepped in front of Oliver and Rhett."Graham, can't you talk to him like a normal person? You've spoiled him for long enough. What more do you want?"From now on, I'll raise him with someone else. You don't have to worry about us."I held Graham's gaze."We were never legally married, and there are no shared marital assets to fight over. Just go."To me, it was a simple statement of fact.To Graham, every word was a poisoned knife driven into his heart.A year earlier, he'd rushed back to our apartment