The Billionaire's Substitute Husband

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My wife is five years older than me. Besides the age gap, she also has a much higher sex drive.

On our wedding night, we made love seven times. My lips were swollen, and my voice was hoarse.

Three years ago, I agreed to marry the billionaire Nicola.

After the wedding, we were very much in love.

I loved red wine, so she personally made wine for me.

I loved watches, so she bought me 999 of them.

I inevitably fell in love with her and vowed to stay with her for life.

Until one day, I found thousands of photos of men on her computer.

That's when I realized she chose me only because I resembled her first love.

On the day I learned the truth, I was captured by her business rival. They stepped on my face with their feet, forcing me to call her.

But Nicola was setting off fireworks with her first love who had just returned to the country.

The fireworks in Seattle lasted all night.

Yet she hung up on me.

That night, everyone in Seattle knew that the female billionaire Nicola had spent a fortune, setting off fireworks all night just to make her first love happy.

But no one knew that I was tortured nearly to death, and even my right hand for painting was destroyed.

Looking at the medical report in my hand, I smiled bitterly.

Nicola, if you love him so much, why did you choose me?

Since you can't let him go, then I'll make it easy for both of you.

With my trembling right hand, I marked a date on the calendar.

In seven days, I would leave completely, where she could never find me.

Nicola didn't come back until the next day.

When she saw the injury on my face, she ran over without even taking off her coat, holding my face with concern: "Richardson, what happened?"

I glanced at her and shook my head: "Nothing, I just fell accidentally."

She looked at me with heartache: "You're a grown man, how did you fall this badly?"

She didn't seem to be faking it. She looked exactly like a wife who loved me.

A woman who dominated the business world was now carefully applying medicine to my face with a first aid kit.

"Be more careful when you walk from now on. It hurts me to see you injured like this."

I sneered inwardly.

Was she heartbroken that I fell and got hurt, or that I injured this face that resembled his?

I dodged her touch and said to her indifferently: "Let's eat first."

But Nicola looked at me with difficulty: "Richardson, I have to work overtime at the company tonight. I won't be able to have dinner with you."

In three years of marriage, no matter how busy she was, she had never missed having dinner with me once.

It was only because I told her that when I was young, my parents divorced and my mom was busy with work, so I always ate dinner alone.

After hearing this, she hugged me with heartache and promised that she would eat dinner with me every day from then on.

"Richardson, I have no choice. This work is too important. You'll understand, won't you?"

I nodded. Only then did Nicola leave satisfied.

Half an hour later, I also went out.

I arrived at a villa under Nicola's name.

The place was brightly lit, and I could hear laughter from outside.

Through the iron railings, I saw a group of people partying downstairs in the villa.

The main characters in the center were Nicola, who said she had to work overtime, and her first love, Jacobs.

They were playing truth or dare, and Jacobs lost.

His punishment was to kiss someone of the opposite sex present.

The only person of the opposite sex present, besides Nicola, was no one else.

Those people jeered: "Nicola, if you don't let him kiss you, he'll have to drink three glasses as punishment."

Nicola didn't say anything, but in the next second when Jacobs looked disappointed, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

Jacobs held the back of her head and deepened the kiss.

The two were passionately entangled there.

The jeering fell on my heart, delivering a heavy blow.

Everyone had their backs to me, except for Jacobs.

He saw me outside the iron railings and gave me an ambiguous smile.

"Nicola, you didn't resist my kiss. Does that prove you still love me?"

Everyone present knew about Nicola and Jacobs' relationship.

When Jacobs left back then, Nicola was depressed for a long time.

Everyone waited for Nicola's answer.

Nicola looked at Jacobs and nodded without hesitation: "Yes."

Enthusiastic applause erupted around them.

Jacobs excitedly hugged Nicola, and they kissed again.

Hearing this expected answer, although I was prepared, I still couldn't avoid the stabbing pain in my heart.

I knew Jacobs called me here deliberately to make me see all this. He wanted me to back off.

I smiled bitterly and prepared to leave, but as I turned around, my phone received another message.

[They were right. Nicola married you only because you look like me.

Richardson, you're just a poor boy. I advise you to be sensible and divorce Nicola voluntarily.]

[You saw what happened inside just now, right? The person Nicola loves has always been me. You're just my substitute.]

A substitute? I suppose I already knew that.

Nicola didn't come back until the next day, bringing me many gifts when she returned.

"Richardson, I'm sorry. I worked too late last night. I was afraid of disturbing your rest, so I slept directly at the company. These are gifts I brought you. See if you like them."

I pulled at the corner of my mouth. Nicola's lies came so easily.

There were still suspicious red marks on her neck.

I suddenly thought of the picture Jacobs sent me after I went back yesterday.

The picture showed Nicola's underwear.

They slept together last night, but she was still lying to me.

I suddenly really wanted to ask her.

Since you don't love me, why didn't you tell me earlier?

Why did you hide it from me and secretly be with him?

If she explained it clearly to me and just told me the truth, I wouldn't have pestered her either.

I didn't look at those gifts.

Only then did Nicola notice something was wrong:

"Richardson, what's wrong? Don't worry, I'll definitely have dinner with you next time. Please don't be unhappy, okay?"

I shook my head and got up, wanting to get some water from the table.

But I forgot that my right hand had long since lost its strength. I couldn't even hold an ordinary cup.

The cup fell to the ground. Nicola ran over and grabbed my hand: "Richardson, what's wrong with your hand?"

My fingers unconsciously grasped lightly, and I said indifferently: "Nothing, from that fall last time."

Nicola pulled me with heartache, full of guilt: "It's all my fault. I should have taken you to the hospital right away. Come on, I'll take you now."

She pulled me toward the door, but at that moment, her phone rang.

After Nicola answered the call, she looked at me with difficulty:

"Richardson, can I take you to the hospital this afternoon? I have something urgent I need to deal with right away."

I suddenly felt like laughing.

Nicola, you've once again missed the chance to know the truth.

I wonder if you'll regret it when you look back on this later?

I obediently nodded and said to her: "Okay, you go ahead."

She kissed me on the face before leaving.

After Nicola left, I vigorously wiped my face.

Thinking about how she used this mouth to kiss someone else's mouth last night made me feel disgusted.

Nicola didn't come back until evening.

I received another message from Jacobs.

It was nothing more than him showing off how sweet he and Nicola were.

Along with some mocking remarks to make me back off.

I said softly: "Soon, I'll be leaving very soon."

I saved all these messages as screenshots, and after turning off my phone, I looked at the date on the calendar.

Four days left.

I started packing up things in this house.

I had quite a few things in this house, almost all bought by Nicola.

I didn't want to take these things with me, so I just threw them all away.

The next day, I wanted to go buy a new SIM card.

But as soon as I got downstairs, I saw Nicola and Jacobs.

The two were like a young couple, drinking each other's coffee.

Nicola panicked for a moment when she saw me, and quickly came over to pull me:

"Richardson, this is Jacobs. He just came back to the country, and I thought I'd show him around."

Jacobs looked at me provocatively and extended his hand: "Hello, Nicola often mentions you."

I didn't extend my hand.

To ease the atmosphere, Nicola said she would go buy me another cup of coffee.

After she left, Jacobs said to me: "You see, she lied to you again and again just to be with me. Since I came back these past few days, we've had sex countless times."

"Richardson, if I were you, I'd get divorced quickly."

I suddenly found Jacobs somewhat laughable.

He was clearly over thirty, yet he acted like a teenage hothead, only putting on a show in front of his partner.

What was the point?

Just as I was about to speak, Jacobs stood up and poured the coffee from the table onto his own head.

The moment the coffee poured down, Nicola appeared.

"Jacobs, what happened?"

Jacobs pulled Nicola's hand, pretending to be aggrieved:

"Nicola, don't blame Richardson. He's young, and he probably misunderstood our relationship. It's normal for him to throw a little tantrum."

Hearing this, Nicola looked at me with dissatisfaction: "Richardson, apologize."

She didn't even ask me what happened before demanding I apologize.

I stared at her steadily: "It wasn't me."

"It wasn't you? Would he deliberately frame you then? Richardson, I told you, Jacobs and I are just friends. You can't be this rude. Apologize now!"

She was certain I did it. She never believed me.

Seeing my stubborn refusal to apologize, Nicola looked completely disappointed: "Richardson, how did you become like this? Let me tell you, if you don't apologize, I won't agree to relocate your mother's grave!"

I looked at Nicola in shock.

My mom's wish was to return to her roots.

Although three years ago, with Nicola's help, she lived two more years, in the end she still couldn't defeat her illness.

It happened suddenly, so I could only bury her in Seattle.

A month ago, I proposed to Nicola that I wanted to move my mother's ashes back to our hometown.

I never expected she would use this to threaten me into apologizing.

"You really want me to apologize?"

Nicola hesitated a bit, but after Jacobs sighed, she said to me firmly again: "Yes, Richardson. If you do something wrong, you must apologize."

"Fine."

I looked at the smug Jacobs and said softly: "I'm sorry."

Whatever. I was leaving anyway.

It was just an apology, wasn't it?

If she wanted it, I'd say it.

I didn't pay any more attention to Nicola. After buying a SIM card, I went home.

Looking at the now much emptier home, I didn't hesitate for a moment. I burned all the photos of me and Nicola together, then canceled all my identity information.

The day I left would also be the day I completely disappeared from Nicola's life.