No Second Chances for My Billionaire Ex

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On our fifteenth wedding anniversary, Ethans mistress showed up at my doorstep.

She played a video of their intimacy right in front of my face.

It was filmed in our own bedroom.

Ethan was holding Amber, whispering over and over again how much he loved her.

Amber caressed her flat stomach. Im pregnant. It's his.

I froze. "And?"

She smirked with pure provocation. "Ethan said he wants me to keep the baby."

I didnt break down the way she wanted me to.

I even smiled and told her, "Okay."

I just thought to myselflove really does have an expiration date.

Fifteen years ago, I saved his life and lost the ability to ever become a mother.

Back then, Ethan knelt by my hospital bed, crying, promising he never wanted kids.

He said I was the only one he needed for the rest of his life.

But promises expire.

Since he forgot his, I would be the one to fulfill it.

Starting today, I will arrange a grand exit.

I will make sure Ethan never finds me again for the rest of his miserable life.

Olivia's POV

When Amber slid her phone across the table, the muffled, heavy breathing of a man started playing from the screen.

Soft piano music filled the cozy coffee shop, while outside, the rain beat down on the busiest street of downtown Seattle.

Everyone knew today was Ethan and my fifteenth wedding anniversary.

The whole city was waiting to see what grand romantic gesture Ethan had prepared for me tonight.

But as I looked down, I was greeted by a very different kind of "surprise."

In the video, Ethans shirt was torn open. Ambers soft arms were wrapped tightly around his neck, her face tilted up, her voice sickeningly sweet.

"Ethan, I'm pregnant."

The camera shook slightly.

Ethan didn't push her away.

My fingers clenched. The coffee in my cup trembled, and a drop of the dark liquid splashed onto my snowy white cuff, leaving an ugly, stubborn stain.

Amber sat across from me. She slowly took her phone back, her smile innocent yet triumphant.

"Olivia, did you see that clearly?"

I looked up at her.

In her eyes, I saw my reflection. I looked beautifulthe kind of beauty that remained unbroken even after years of quiet suffering.

I didn't show her the panic or despair she was desperate to see.

"Faking a video isn't hard," I said softly. "Do you really think Im that gullible, Amber?"

Amber giggled, then tapped her screen to open another video.

This time, there was no hiding behind clever angles.

It was security footage from a hotel hallway. Ethan was carrying a disheveled Amber into a room.

He didn't walk out until three in the morning.

As he stepped into the hallway, he pulled out his phone and made a call. His voice had been so gentle, almost cautious.

"Olivia, something came up at the office. I won't be home tonight. Go to sleep early, okay?"

I remembered that call.

That night, my chronic stomach ulcer had flared up. I was sweating cold from the pain, but I still forced a smile over the phone and told him, "Okay, babe. Don't work too hard."

It turned out he wasn't working.

He was in another woman's bed.

Amber watched the color drain from my face, her hand gently resting on her belly.

"Im six weeks pregnant. Ethan said we are keeping this baby."

My breath hitched.

A baby.

Those words felt like a dull, rusty knife stabbing into the deepest, most sensitive part of my soul.

Fifteen years ago, Ethan and I got married.

Back then, he was the black sheep of the wealthy family, surrounded by ruthless business enemies.

Three months into our marriage, Ethan was kidnapped. His captors didn't want moneythey wanted his life.

I went to the drop-off location alone, trading myself to get him out of that abandoned warehouse.

They kept me locked up for three days.

When I finally woke up in the ICU, the sharp smell of bleach made me gag. The doctor stood by my bed, his voice full of pity.

"Olivia, the internal damage was too severe. I'm afraid you can never have children."

That day, Ethan knelt by my bed, his eyes bloodshot.

He squeezed my hand and sobbed, "Olivia, I don't care about kids. I only want you. Just you."

For the next fifteen years, whenever his snobbish mother, Madeline, brought up the family line, Ethan would block her cold.

He used to tell everyone, "If anyone pressures Olivia about kids again, you're dead to me."

I believed him.

I thought the whole world might judge me for being barren, but never Ethan.

Yet here was Amber, rubbing her stomach, telling me Ethan wanted this child.

How pathetic.

I sacrificed my womanhood to save his life, and he went and got another woman pregnant.

Seeing my silence, Amber assumed she had finally broken me. Her smirk widened.

"Olivia, you have to understand Ethan. The family empire needs an heir. Since you can't produce one, you can't expect him to stay childless forever, right?"

I slowly raised my eyes.

Amber leaned in close, whispering, "So what if he loves you? A man's love is nothing compared to his legacy. Besides, when he was holding me last night, he certainly didn't look like he was being forced."

Slap!

The sharp sound cut through the quiet coffee shop. Even the piano music seemed to skip a beat.

Ambers head snapped to the side. She clutched her burning cheek, staring at me in utter shock. "You... you slapped me?"

I stood up, looking down at her cold-eyed.

"That was for ruining my morning."

Ambers eyes flared with pure venom. "Who do you think you are, Olivia? Ethan is keeping my baby! You've clung to the title of his wife for fifteen years, but in the end, you still couldn't give him what he wanted most!"

My chest throbbed with a suffocating pain, but I didn't let myself take a single step back.

Olivia's POV

I picked up a napkin from the table and slowly wiped the coffee stain from my sleeve, as if wiping away something utterly repulsive.

"Amber, you better pray he can protect you for the rest of your life."

Amber sneered. "Of course he will. Because the heir to the family fortune is inside my belly."

I looked at her, and suddenly, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion hit me.

I wasn't tired of losing to Amber.

I was tired of the fifteen years of love, trust, and the marriage I had built with my own hands, all collapsing into dust in a single second.

I didn't argue.

Arguing was cheap and pathetic.

I grabbed my purse and turned to leave.

Behind me, Amber's voice chased after me, dripping with smug victory.

"Don't forget to look at the giant billboard downtown tonight, Olivia! Ethan's anniversary confession is broadcasting live city-wide!"

My footsteps paused, but I didn't look back.

I pushed open the glass door of the coffee shop. The cold wind rushed over me, making my eyes sting.

The next second, the massive digital billboard in the center of the plaza lit up.

The crowd around me gasped in awe.

"Oh my god, look! It's Ethan!"

"Wow, his wife is so lucky. Fifteen years of marriage and he's still this romantic!"

I stood frozen in the middle of the crowd, slowly raising my head.

On the screen, Ethan wore the custom black suit I had handpicked for him. His eyes were as warm and gentle as always. Looking straight at the camera, his deep voice echoed through the speakers.

"Happy fifteenth anniversary, Olivia."

"You are the only one I will ever love."

All around me were whispers of envy and admiration.

To me, it was nothing but a sick joke.

I thought of the hotel video, of his heavy breathing as he held Amber. I thought of him kneeling by my hospital bed, swearing he didn't want kids. I thought of our wedding day, when he promised that if he ever betrayed me, he would disappear from my life forever.

Promises really do expire.

Looking at the deeply devoted man on the screen, I let out a soft, cold laugh.

Since Ethan forgot his vow...

I would make sure it came true.

Starting today, I would plan my disappearance.

I would make sure Ethan could never find me again.

On the screen, Ethan was still smiling.

His face was magnified to a towering height, the city lights reflecting in his dark eyesperfect, handsome, and utterly flawless.

"Olivia, thank you for being by my side for fifteen years."

Below the screen, a young girl holding a cup of boba sighed. "This is true love. Fifteen years and he still does this."

"She must be the happiest woman in the world."

Standing in the crowd, listening to the waves of envy crashing over me, I felt like a prized exhibit in a museum.

Everyone was admiring my "perfect life."

But only I knew that beneath the shiny, golden shell, it was completely rotten.

On the screen, Ethan lowered his head slightly, as if looking directly at me through the sea of people.

"I know you've endured a lot of pain over the years, and I know I owe you so much. I promise to spend every anniversary with you for the rest of our lives."

My fingers went numb.

Owe me so much.

Oh, he absolutely owed me.

He owed me a body that could no longer bear life. He owed me for the fifteen years I swallowed my pride to keep his family happy. He owed me for every single time I had to pretend everything was fine in front of his toxic mother.

And he owed me an explanation.

But he didn't give me one.

Instead, he gave Amber a baby, and gave me a public humiliation masquerading as a love letter.

My phone buzzed in my hand.

It was an image from Amber.

Olivia's POV

The photo showed a womans hand with pale pink nails resting gently on a mans wrist.

The watch on the man's wrist was one I knew too wellit was the birthday present I had bought for Ethan last year.

Below the photo was a text message:

Hes on his way to see you right now, Olivia. Guess whose bed he just got out of?

I stared at the text, a sharp pain twisting my stomach.

I didn't reply.

I tossed my phone into my purse and walked away from the crowd.

My car was parked at the end of the block.

My driver, Joe, noticed my pale face and immediately got out to open the door for me.

"Are we heading home, ma'am?"

I sat in the backseat, pausing for a long moment before saying, "Not yet."

Joe glanced at me through the rearview mirror but didn't ask questions. "Where to, then?"

I gave him an address.

It was a small consulting firm located in an old building in the industrial district. It had a very ordinary name: The Clean Slate Agency.

Three years ago, I had helped the founder of this agency during a charity gala.

When she handed me her business card, she had said only one thing: If there ever comes a day when you need to safely disappear from your life, Olivia, call me.

Back then, I thought it was ridiculous.

I had Ethan. Why would I ever need to disappear?

The city lights blurred past my window. I closed my eyes, but I couldn't block out the voices from the video.

"Ethan, I'm pregnant."

"We are keeping this baby."

I suddenly recalled the first time Madeline, his mother, had told me to my face that the family legacy couldn't end with a barren woman.

That night at the dinner table, everyone had gone dead silent. Only Ethan had put down his fork, his voice icy.

"I married Olivia because I love her, not to use her as an incubator."

At that moment, I genuinely believed I was cherished.

But people change.

And vows turn into the ultimate mockery.

The Clean Slate Agency was on the twelfth floor.

The receptionist recognized me immediately. Without any surprise, she quietly led me into a private conference room.

Ten minutes later, a middle-aged woman in a sharp gray suit walked in.

"Olivia, its been a while."

I looked at her. "Sam, I need you to arrange my disappearance."

Sam sat down, pushing a glass of warm water toward me without asking probing questions.

"A divorce, moving abroad, a new identity, or cutting all ties completely?"

I wrapped my hands around the warm glass, the heat stinging my cold palms.

After a long silence, I spoke.

"A fake death."

Sams eyes flickered.

"Olivia, thats not a standard package. It means leaving everything you own behind. Your wealth, your social circle, your status, and even your name."

"I know."

"Ethan is a powerful man. If he suspects anything, he will dig until he finds the truth. It will be very difficult."

I looked up. "That's why I need you to make it absolutely flawless."

Sam studied me for a few seconds. "Timeline?"

I looked out the window.

In the distance, the giant billboard was still flashing Ethan's face, playing his confession on a loop like a beautiful knife repeatedly slicing open my heart.

My voice was dead calm. "One month."

Sam asked, "Why one month?"

I lowered my eyes.

Because I wanted to see just how deep Ethan could cut me before I left.

And because fifteen years of marriage deserved a clean, final wrap-up.

But I didn't say any of that.

I just set the glass down, my voice as quiet as falling dust.

"I want Olivia to be completely dead to Ethans world in exactly one month."

Olivia's POV

By the time I walked out of the agency, the night had turned pitch black.

I didn't let Joe drive off immediately. I just stood on the sidewalk, letting the freezing wind bite my face.

When my phone rang, I saw the caller ID. My finger hesitated.

Ethan.

I picked up, my voice showing no emotion. "Hey."

"Where are you?" Ethans deep voice was filled with his usual concern. "Joe said you weren't home. Are you feeling sick again?"

I watched a young couple in a convenience store across the street, laughing as they picked out hot drinks. My throat tightened.

"Just tired. Out getting some fresh air."

"Send me your location. Ill come pick you up."

I wanted to say no, but the words died in my throat.

"Okay."

Twenty minutes later, a sleek black Maybach pulled up to the curb.

Ethan got out, still wearing the exact same suit from the broadcast.

Impeccable cut, perfect cuffs, and the watch I gave him sitting prominently on his wrist.

My eyes lingered on the watch.

In the photo, Amber's hand had been resting right there.

Ethan didn't notice my stare. He quickly walked over and touched my forehead with his hand.

"Why are you so pale? Is your stomach hurting again?"

His hand was warm.

I used to crave this warmth.

Whenever I couldn't sleep, Ethan would wrap his arms around me from behind, and the world would instantly feel safe.

But now, as his hand rested on my skin, I only felt sick.

I turned my head away, avoiding his touch. "I'm fine."

Ethans hand froze in mid-air, but he quickly withdrew it smoothly.

"Are you still upset about the broadcast? I wanted to watch it with you, but something urgent came up at work."

Something urgent at work.

I almost laughed out loud.

He was always like thislying with such smooth sincerity that it made you feel like you were the crazy one for doubting him.

I didn't call him out. I only asked, "Ethan, do you remember what you said on our wedding day?"

Ethan blinked, startled.

"Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?"

"Do you remember?"

The streetlights stretched our shadows. Ethan looked at me, his gaze softening.

"I remember."

Our wedding fifteen years ago wasn't huge.

Back then, Ethan had just taken over the family company, facing threats from both inside and out. Everyone was waiting for him to fail.

At the ceremony, his mother Madeline didn't even smile. She barely tolerated my presence.

But as Ethan led me down the aisle, he held my hand so tight it hurt.

In front of all the guests, he said, "Olivia, you are the only one for me. If I ever betray you, let me lose the right to ever see you again."

The guests had cheered, and I had laughed with tears in my eyes.

I thought it was a lifetime vow.

Ethan smiled faintly as he recalled the memory. "I said, if I ever betrayed you, Id never see you again."

I looked into his eyes.

"Did you mean it back then?"

Ethan frowned slightly, looking a bit helpless at my questioning.

"Of course I did."

He reached out to hold my hand. "Olivia, I know my mother has been putting pressure on you lately. Don't listen to her. Having kids doesn't matter to me. It never has."

I didn't move.

I watched him, feeling something inside me sink into a dark, bottomless abyss.

If I hadn't seen the video, I probably would have teared up at those words.

But now, it was just pathetic.

How could a man tell me kids didn't matter, while simultaneously deciding to keep another woman's baby?

Ethan finally noticed my cold silence. "Olivia, what's wrong with you today?"

I shook my head.

"Nothing."

I got into the car, my movements smooth and completely detached.

Ethan stood there for a second before joining me in the backseat.

On the way back, neither of us spoke.

The car was filled with his usual cedarwood cologne, but there was also a very faint, foreign scent of women's perfume.

I rolled down the window a crack. The freezing wind rushed in, making my eyes water.

Thinking I was cold, Ethan reached over to close it.

I held the button down. "Leave it."

Ethan's hand paused.

"Olivia."

I didn't turn to look at him.

He said softly, "No matter what happens, I will always be here for you."

I stared at the passing neon lights, my heart dead silent.

No, you won't, Ethan.

From the moment you betrayed me, you were already gone.

Since you forgot your vow, Ill be the one to make sure you keep it.

We will never see each other again.

Olivia's POV

By the time we got back to our estate, the maid had reheated dinner for the third time.

Worried about my stomach, Ethan personally scooped a bowl of soup and placed it in front of me.

"Eat a little."

I stared at the soup.

Ethan used to be incredibly busy, but whenever my stomach acted up, he would personally supervise my meals.

Those tiny, caring details were what kept me going through all the cold shoulders I received from his family.

But now, looking at them, they just felt degrading.

How could a man split his tenderness so preciselyone half for his wife, the other for his mistress?

I picked up the spoon and forced myself to swallow a few sips.

Ethan let out a sigh of relief, reaching over to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear.

"I cleared my schedule tomorrow. I'll take you to that art exhibition you wanted to see."

I kept my eyes down. "No need. You're busy."

Ethan paused. "Never too busy for you."

Right after he said those words, his phone on the table began to buzz.

The screen lit up. There was no contact name, just an unsaved number.

But I saw the subtle shift in Ethan's eyes.

He pressed decline, pretending nothing happened, and continued eating.

Within thirty seconds, it buzzed again.

I put down my spoon. "Answer it."

Ethan looked at me. "It's not important."

When it buzzed for the third time, I finally let out a small, mocking laugh.

"Ethan, people don't call three times if it's not important."

He was silent for a moment before picking up the phone and walking out to the balcony.

The sliding glass door had excellent soundproofing. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I saw his shoulders tense up as he rubbed his temples.

When he came back inside, his voice was perfectly normal. "An urgent issue came up with an overseas branch. I have to head to the office."

I looked at him.

"Now?"

"Yeah. I might be late."

I nodded. "Go ahead."

Ethan didn't seem used to my calm reaction. Before leaving, he leaned down to kiss my forehead.

I turned my head.

His lips met empty air.

The room went dead silent for a second.

Ethan asked softly, "Still feeling sick?"

"Acid reflux," I said. "I don't want to throw up on you."

It was a perfectly logical excuse.

A flash of worry crossed Ethan's eyes. "Ill have the family doctor come over."

"No need." My voice was quiet. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Ethan stared at me for a few seconds before finally grabbing his coat and walking out.

The moment the heavy front door clicked shut, the massive villa plunged back into silence.

I sat at the table, motionless.

Ten minutes later, my phone pinged.

Amber had sent another photo.

It showed Ethan's car parked right outside a high-end private women's hospital.

Amber was standing on the steps, wearing Ethans coat over her shoulders. Her face looked pale, but her hand was wrapped tightly around his arm.

Did Ethan tell you he had work tonight, Olivia?

Immediately followed by another text:

He just rubbed my belly. You have no idea how excited he is for this baby.

I stared at the screen for a long time.

Until my eyes burned, I flipped the phone face down on the table.

When heartbreak reaches its limit, you don't scream or cry.

You just feel cold.

A cold so deep that even breathing feels like swallowing glass.

I got up and walked upstairs to our bedroom.

On the nightstand sat a framed photo of us from our tenth anniversary at a ski resort. Ethan was holding me from behind, kissing the top of my head. I was smiling, my eyes full of complete, unshakeable trust.

I picked up the frame, my fingers brushing over my younger self.

How foolish I had been.

I actually believed love could make up for all my sacrifices.

I opened the drawer and pulled out a pair of scissors.

Snip.

The photo was cut right down the middle.

I kept my half, tucking it deep into the drawer, and threw his half into the trash can.

My phone buzzed again.

This time, Amber sent only one sentence:

Tomorrow night at eight, Seattle Auction House. Your mother's heirloom is putting up for bid. Do you have the courage to show up?

My grip on the phone tightened.

My mother's heirloom.

I raised my head. In the vanity mirror, the woman looking back was pale, but her eyes had gone entirely cold.

Amber could ruin my marriage.

But she crossed the line when she touched my mother's memory.

Olivia's POV

The next evening, I went to the Seattle Auction House alone.

Ethan had called me in the afternoon, saying he had a business dinner and couldn't make it home.

I had heard Ambers faint coughing in the background over the phone, but I just replied with a quiet, "Okay."

I didn't ask.

Asking would only bring more polished lies.

The auction hall was bright, filled with Seattle's elite dressed in tuxedos and evening gowns.

I sat in the back row, my hat pulled low, quietly flipping through the catalog.

When I reached item seventeen, my fingers stopped.

It was a vintage emerald brooch.

Waterdrop shaped, bordered with delicate diamonds, with a tiny letter "O" engraved on the back.

Before my mother passed away, she had left this brooch to me.

But when my family went bankrupt years ago, our estate was seized, and many belongings were scattered. I had spent years searching for this brooch to no avail.

My chest tightened as I stared at the page.

How did Amber find out about this?

Once the auction started, I kept my bidding paddle down.

When the emerald brooch was finally brought to the stage and the auctioneer announced the opening bid, the light in the VIP balcony on the second floor lit up instantly.

"One million dollars."

Whispers broke out around me.

"Mr. Ethan is bidding."

"It must be for his wife. Their anniversary was just yesterday, right?"

I looked up at the private balcony.

The glass was tinted, obscuring the people inside, but I could make out Ethan's sharp, stern silhouette sitting on the leather sofa.

My phone buzzed.

A text from Ethan:

Heading home tonight. I bought a surprise for you.

Looking at the text, my heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand.

If I hadn't seen those videos, if Amber hadn't rubbed it in my face, I would have truly believed Ethan bought this because he remembered my mother.

A second later, Ambers text popped up:

Don't get ahead of yourself. Want to guess who will actually be wearing this tonight?

I raised my head.

The door to the private balcony on the second floor opened slightly.

Amber stood in the shadow, smirking down at me.

She was wearing Ethan's suit jacket over a sleek, low-cut silk dress, her hand resting protectively over her stomach.

I suddenly realized Amber didn't care about the brooch.

She was just here to stomp on the very last piece of my heart.

The bidding ended quickly.

Ethan secured the brooch for three million dollars.

When the hammer fell, my eyes welled up, but I forced myself to sit still.

Half an hour later, the auction went on intermission.

I got up to use the restroom. As I walked down the side hallway, I heard Amber's soft laughter coming from a private lounge.

The door wasn't fully closed.

I stopped.

Through the crack, Ethan was sitting on the sofa, his brow furrowed with slight impatience.

Amber, however, was leaning close, pulling his hand to rest on her belly.

"Ethan, I think the baby just moved."

Ethan said softly, "It's only been six weeks, Amber. It doesn't move yet."

Amber pouted. "But I just want you to feel him."

Standing outside the door, I felt the blood in my veins turn to ice.

Ethan didn't pull his hand away.

The hand that had once held mine by my hospital bed, swearing he didn't care about having children, was now being pressed onto another woman's stomach.

I couldn't look anymore. I turned and walked away.

By the time I got back to the estate, the living room lights were on.

Ethan arrived thirty minutes after me, carrying a beautifully wrapped jewelry box.

"Have you been waiting long?" He walked over, his voice unusually tender. "Open it."

I looked down.

Inside the box was not my mother's emerald brooch.

It was a brand-new diamond necklaceexorbitantly expensive, dazzling, and completely foreign.

Ethan said, "I thought this suited you better. The brooch was too old and worn out. I had my assistant take it to a specialist for restoration first."

I looked him in the eye. "Where is the brooch?"

Ethan hesitated for a fraction of a second. "I'll give it to you in a few days."

I felt a sudden, profound exhaustion.

Even his lies were getting lazy.

My phone vibrated.

It was a location drop from Amber.

Seattle Auction House, Underground Parking, Section B.

Accompanied by a text:

Your mother's brooch is on me. Do you have the guts to come see?

I slowly closed the jewelry box.

"I feel a bit suffocated. I'm going out for a walk."

Ethan stood up. "I'll go with you."

"No need."

I grabbed my coat and headed out the door.

This time, I was going to see exactly how disgusting Ethan could truly get.