The Billionaire’s Wife Who Couldn’t Afford Anything Chapter 01

The Billionaire’s Wife Who Couldn’t Afford Anything Chapter 01 The Last Day of This Marriage

After marrying Adrian Hawthorne, he gave me his love, but gave all his money to his childhood sweetheart, Vanessa Lowell.

“You say you love me, but how do I know you’re not just another gold digger?

“For the first three years of our marriage, I won’t give you a single dime. I want you to prove yourself to me.”

I had never cared about Adrian’s money, so I stubbornly tried to prove him wrong.

For three full years, I delivered food orders in triple-digit heat, worked three jobs at once, and even when I gave birth to Noah, I couldn’t bring myself to pay for an epidural because I wanted to save every dollar possible.

Until our wedding anniversary.

That day, my son, Noah Hawthorne, got bullied by Vanessa’s child for being poor.

That boy stood safely behind Adrian, wearing soft designer clothes and expensive shoes, surrounded by every luxury money could buy. Adrian protected him without even bothering to ask who was right or wrong.

Meanwhile, Noah had been shoved around and beaten badly enough that he curled into my arms like a frightened stray kitten.

And in that moment, something inside me finally snapped into place.

“Today is the last day.”

I looked at Adrian quietly.

“Mr. Hawthorne, let’s get divorced.”

Adrian stared at me for a second after hearing that.

Then he let out a cold laugh.

“Divorce? Can you really bear to do that?

“You survived three miserable years already. Starting tomorrow, you’ll officially be Mrs. Hawthorne. A two-million-dollar monthly allowance, unlimited cards, luxury vacations, the kind of life every woman dreams about.

“And you want to throw all of that away over something this small?”

I ignored him and lowered my head to gently blow on Noah’s wounds.

He had been shoved onto the pavement hard enough that both his knees and elbows were scraped raw. The iodine painted across the cuts only made them look more horrifying.

But Noah never cried.

He held back his tears so hard that it looked like he was already used to swallowing this kind of pain.

That hurt me more than anything else.

The moment I looked up and saw the culprit hiding behind Adrian, my anger finally exploded.

“This is not something small! You already watched the security footage. Your own son got hurt, and you’re still protecting someone else’s child instead of him.”

I stared straight at him.

“Adrian Hawthorne, do you even have a heart?”

I almost never lost my temper.

So when I suddenly raised my voice, even Adrian looked stunned for a moment.

The atmosphere instantly turned tense.

And right on cue, Vanessa Lowell stepped forward to play the peacemaker.

“They’re just kids. He didn’t mean it. Ryan already knows he was wrong, so I’ll apologize on his behalf.”

She looked at me softly.

“Evie, don’t be angry anymore, okay?”

I glanced at Ryan Lowell, who was standing beside her, making exaggerated faces at us.

There wasn’t a trace of guilt on his face.

My expression turned cold.

“He made the mistake himself, so he can apologize himself. You’re his mother. You can’t apologize for him.”

Vanessa had always been good at acting fragile.

The second my tone sharpened even slightly, her lips trembled, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes.

She turned toward Adrian.

“Adrian…”

Adrian was already irritated after being yelled at by me. Seeing Vanessa cry only made his mood worse.

He frowned and snapped at me.

“That’s enough. Kids roughhouse all the time. Bruises and bumps happen.

“Why are you making things difficult for a child?

“Besides, Vanessa already apologized. Stop pushing it.”

Before I could respond, Noah suddenly spoke from my arms.

“Dad… why do you always defend Ryan?”

His small voice trembled slightly.

“You saw what happened. Ryan insulted Mom first. I couldn’t stand it, so I went to get the teacher. Then he got mad and pushed me. I didn’t even fight back.”

Noah looked up at Adrian, his eyes full of hurt.

“Dad… do you just not love me?”

The disappointment in his childish voice made Adrian’s expression stiffen.

For the first time all afternoon, guilt finally flashed across his face.

He subconsciously stepped forward, probably wanting to comfort Noah, but Ryan suddenly wrapped himself around Adrian’s leg before he could move.

“You just figured that out?”

Ryan pointed at Noah and laughed loudly.

“Our whole class knows Uncle Adrian hates you. Even my mom says your mom’s just a poor beggar, and you’re a little beggar too.

“You don’t deserve to go to the same school as me. Sooner or later, you and your mom are going to get kicked out of the Hawthorne family.

“Then my mom and I can move into Hawthorne Manor and live the good li—”

Before he could finish, Vanessa slapped the back of his head hard.

“Ryan Lowell! What nonsense are you talking about?

“Apologize to Noah right now!”

Ryan immediately opened his mouth to scream and cry, but one sharp glare from Vanessa shut him up.

With tears hanging from his lashes, he reluctantly walked toward us.

“Noah… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed you or made fun of you and your mom.”

Noah glanced at him quietly before lowering his head again.

“It’s okay.”

Then he buried himself back in my arms, his voice muffled and small.

“Mom… I don’t want to go to school here anymore.”

“The tuition is so expensive, Dad won’t pay for it, and you work so hard every day. Nobody at school likes me either.”

Every word felt like a knife twisting inside my chest.

I gently rubbed his hair.

“Okay. Then we won’t stay here anymore.

“I’ll transfer you to another school.”

At that moment, the school bell rang.

The teacher quickly took both children back to class, ending the ugly scene.

Maybe Noah’s words had stirred up a tiny bit of guilt inside Adrian.

As we walked out of the school building, he suddenly offered to drive me home.

“Don’t take the bus today,” he said casually. “It’s too hot outside. I’ll drive you.”

The billionaire CEO leaned against his luxury car, looking impossibly polished beneath the sunlight.

If this had happened before, I would’ve refused without hesitation.

I would’ve continued standing beneath the blazing heat, waiting for the bus, just to prove to Adrian that I wasn’t after his money.

But then I looked down at myself.

My faded delivery uniform was wrinkled and old. Noah’s sneakers were so worn out they’d nearly turned white from repeated washing.

Meanwhile, Vanessa sat elegantly in the passenger seat, carrying a designer handbag, while Ryan wore luxury brands from head to toe.

And suddenly, the stubbornness I had clung to for three years disappeared.

Because I finally realized something.

Whether I proved myself or not had never mattered.

What mattered was whether he loved us enough.

I opened the car door and sat inside for the very first time.

Adrian raised an eyebrow in surprise before laughing softly.

“So you’re finally done pretending to be tough?

“I knew it. The three years are over tomorrow. Once that monthly allowance hits your account, there’s no way you’d actually want to leave me.”

Then he casually started the engine.

“Alright. Where am I taking you?”

I looked at him calmly.

“To the county clerk’s office.

“We’re filing for divorce.”