I Was His Wife, She Was His Everything Chapter 04
That evening, I showed up at the bar for my first shift, exactly as scheduled.
After changing into the black work uniform, I sat in the break room and ate the tacos I’d bought on
the way over.
The manager held up his phone and compared the photo on the screen with my face.
He looked at me, then back at his phone.
“Why do you look so much like the CEO’s wife from Hayes Group?” He narrowed his eyes. “You’re not here for some ulterior motive, are you?”
I waved him off and took another bite of my taco.
“You’ve got the wrong person. I’m not anybody’s CEO’s wife.”
He looked me over from head to toe, then visibly relaxed.
“Yeah, that makes more sense. The wife of the Hayes Group CEO couldn’t possibly end up looking
like this.”
He waved toward the door.
“Finish eating and get to work.”
I was still getting the hang of things on my first night.
The floor manager walked me through my duties and showed me how everything worked.
But the bar was packed that night.
She barely had time to breathe before turning to me.
“Clara, take this bottle to the Velvet Lounge. Don’t keep the guests waiting.”
I took the bottle and nervously made my way down the hall, checking one room after another.
Every now and then, a drunk customer would stop me and try to flirt.
Finally, I reached the end of the hallway and found the Velvet Lounge.
I was just about to push open the door when I saw someone sitting on the couch.
Someone I knew better than anyone.
Ethan.
He looked like he’d had quite a bit to drink.
Even with his unusually high tolerance, there was a faint flush across his cheeks.
He was wearing nothing but a black dress shirt, the top two buttons undone.
Leaning lazily against the couch, he lifted a cigarette to his lips.
“Is $3 million a month really too little spending money for my wife?”
The friend sitting beside him nearly jumped out of his seat.
“Wait, what? I heard you right, didn’t I? Clara gets $3 million a month and that’s still not enough?”
I knew him.
Carter Vance was Ethan’s childhood best friend. I’d met him several times before.
Ethan exhaled a slow cloud of smoke and nodded.
“That’s what I thought at first. Her father was a gambling addict and treated her like garbage growing up. I figured even if she suddenly had money, she’d still be careful with it.”
He took another drag.
“But Veronica says she never has enough. Apparently, she’s constantly at luxury private clubs. She hasn’t gone a single day without spending.”
Carter shot to his feet.
“Ethan, don’t tell me Clara’s spending all that money on some guy.”
He stared at Ethan in disbelief,
“Who would’ve thought she’d be into that? She always seemed so quiet and innocent.”
Only then did Ethan turn his head toward him.
His eyes narrowed as he crushed the cigarette in the ashtray.
“She’s gotten worse these past few days. She even claimed she was pregnant and started
demanding money from Veronica over and over.”
His expression darkened.
“Last night, she practically cried to me about how she couldn’t afford to live. I had no choice. I had
another $500,000 sent to her.”
He paused, then downed the rest of his drink.
“But this morning, she texted me saying that if I couldn’t afford to support her, I shouldn’t bother.
Then she asked for a divorce.”
I stood outside the door, every word sinking into me.
If I hadn’t opened my own bank account and seen the $500 deposited into it every month, I might
have believed him.
But if he wasn’t talking about me, then the “wife” he was referring to had to be someone else.
My entire body trembled with rage.
I couldn’t hold it in anymore.
I shoved the door open and stormed inside.
The moment Ethan saw me, he froze.
“Clara? What are you doing here?”
Carter went pale and instinctively stepped in front of him.
“Clara, calm down.”
I couldn’t calm down.
I’d survived countless nights on $500.
And he had been spending $3 million a month on another woman.
I slammed the bottle in my hand onto the floor.
Glass exploded across the room, liquor splashing everywhere.
Neither of them moved.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
I stepped forward and slapped Ethan hard across the face.
“Tell me. How many wives do you have?”
Ethan’s eyes turned bloodshot.
His jaw clenched as he answered through his teeth, each word deliberate.
“Only one.”
I froze.
My throat tightened.
“Then why do I only get $500 a month?”
