I Supported My Bankrupt Boyfriend for Three Years, Then Met His Wife Chapter 01
I took in the man who once financially supported me after he lost everything.
I joked lightheartedly.
“Back when you had money, I was your kept companion. Now that the tables have turned, how about you become mine?”
“I may be broke, but at least we have a roof over our heads. If this place doesn’t suit you, I’ll work nonstop. I’ll get you a fancy mansion someday.”
Kael Rainer froze on the spot.
After a long moment, he nodded slowly.
During our first year living together, he waited for me by the door every single day when I got off work.
In the second year, I made him a wool scarf. He looked shy and let me put it on for him.
In the third year, he got down on one knee and proposed to me.
Trouble found me when I worked as an in-home professional organizer inside the exclusive gated estate. I accidentally soiled a garment.
The hostess broke into tears instantly. “This is the first dress my husband gave me! It’s limited haute couture. How can you afford to pay for it?”
I tucked the damaged edge of my clothes away awkwardly, speaking in a humble tone.
“Ma’am, I’ll cover every cent of the cost.”
She glared at me and shouted toward the bedroom.
“Honey, come out here. Tell her how much this dress is worth.”
A man walked out from the room, and I went completely still.
It was him, the man who had proposed to me only a few months prior.
…
A sharp pain twisted in my chest. I turned my gaze away and pulled the plain wedding band off my figner.
“Will this be enough to pay for it?”
His eyes stayed fixed on me, and he said nothing.
Seraphina Croft looked back and forth between us, confused. She grabbed his arm gently.
“Kael, who is she? Do you two know each other?”
Her shrill, spoiled voice jolted him back to his senses.
His expression turned cold and empty in an instant.
“I don’t know her. I mistook her for an old friend because of that ring.”
A few simple words cut all ties between us.
“Oh, you still remember those old days from school?” She glanced at me with a hint of embarrassment, a faint blush rising on her cheeks.
“I thought you’d gotten me a cheap gift on purpose back then. I tossed it out in anger.”
“I regretted it right after. I never expected you to send me nicer things later.”
She lifted her hand to show off her pink diamond cocktail ring, staring at me with clear disgust.
“That cheap ring of yours isn’t worth a single dollar.”
The well-kept band resting in my palm felt burning hot.
I fought to keep my hands steady under his furious stare, forcing a smile onto my face.
“You’re right. It’s worthless.”
“So what do you want me to do to make amends?”
She frowned and thought hard. He cut her off before she could speak.
“Seraphina, this dress is old, but not just anyone can afford it.”
“Let her just apologize. I’ll buy you a brand new one later.”
My fingers curled tight inside my sleeves until they turned pale.
I recalled an incident from the week before.
An elderly customer had falsely accused me, and their family had stormed to my door.
They demanded I kneel down and apologize, plus pay for medical fees.
He had rolled over in his wheelchair straight in front of me and shot all of them down.
He’d tangled with enemies after going bankrupt and broke his legs in a fall.
I stared at his wheelchair, my eyes stinging with tears.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
I knew his broken legs had wounded his pride. He hated showing his disability to strangers.
He sighed and laced his fingers through mine softly.
“I could have looked the other way, but I can’t stand seeing you bullied.”
“Celeste Mercer, I know you’re not the type to bow down easily.”
The warmth I’d felt back then now stabbed straight through my heart.
He could ask me to surrender so easily in front of another woman.
I lifted my head high and spoke in a firm tone.
“I made the mistake. I will take responsibility.”
His face darkened at once.
“Why must you be so stubborn?”
Maybe I was.
If I had a colder heart, I would have left without taking a penny the moment I realized I was just a stand-in for his first love.
I wouldn’t have pitied him and brought him home on that rainy night.
Seraphina.
The mumbled name he slurred every night in bed finally made perfect sense.
I studied her closely. Her facial features resembled mine by nearly seventy percent.
Yet her face stayed soft and sheltered, while years of hard work had worn me down.
Especially my voice.
My voice grew rough from working as a server, handing out flyers and performing at haunted houses.
No wonder he always covered my mouth during intimate moments.
I transferred every last dollar from my savings to her account. Then I was politely shown out of the mansion.
I left the wedding band on the cabinet by the front door before I walked away.
I did not take it with me.
