I Cashed In His Lies Chapter 1

After Julian Hart and I got back together, I was the one who brought up getting engaged.

He swore I was the only woman he'd ever love. I smiled and held out my hand, and a chime sounded in my head as the system deposited another $150,000 into my account.

From that day on, I became his lowest-maintenance fiancée.

I stopped asking why his notes app still had his ex-wife's period tracker.

I never called out the hotel receipt from the "business trip" he'd lied about.

Not even when Vanessa Lane posted the diamond ring he'd bought her, with the caption "My ex-husband still knows me best."

Not even when he went over in the middle of the night to fix her pipes and stayed out until morning, or when he bought two sets of Valentine's gifts.

Even when he told me marrying me was his greatest dream, his eyes sliding away as he said it, I could still smile sweetly and play along.

"I know. You love me most."

It wasn't that I was dying to marry him.

It was that the system's rewards had a clear price tag. Every lie he told me put more money in my account.

I'm not stupid. If I was going to let him lie to me this long, I might as well get something out of it.

* * *

By the time I reached the bar, Julian Hart had his arm hooked through Vanessa Lane's arm, the two of them drinking like newlyweds.

The moment he spotted me, he started explaining on reflex.

"Hannah, it's not what it looks like."

A second later, a chime sounded in my head. Another $150,000 had just landed in my account.

I nodded.

"Relax. I get it."

His buddies muttered to each other.

"Does Hannah actually love Julian?"

"Did you forget she almost died jumping into the river over him last time?"

"But her expression hasn't changed once this whole time."

Julian got up from the booth and ground the cigarette ash out under his shoe.

His buddies went quiet, their eyes darting between him and me.

Vanessa caught his sleeve. "Julian..."

Julian looked at me, his expression hard to read.

"Why aren't you jealous?"

I used to be.

Three years ago, on the day Julian and I made things official, Vanessa stormed into the restaurant in her old wedding dress, threw her arms around him, and cried as she wished us happiness.

I smashed the cake into her face and grabbed her by the hair, and we went rolling across the floor until security threw us both out.

On a trip once, Julian ditched me to take care of Vanessa when she suddenly came down with a fever.

I didn't sit still either. I hired twenty cars to block the hospital entrance so the ambulance couldn't get in.

My friends said I was the jealous type. Julian's mother, Diane, told me to be the bigger person.

"Vanessa is his ex-wife, after all. Julian can't just leave her to die."

I got torn to shreds for it and was forced to apologize to Vanessa.

Then she turned around and swallowed half a bottle of sleeping pills.

When she came to, she weakly held Julian's hand, sounding like someone giving her last wishes.

"Julian, don't blame Hannah. She's young. I'm the one who crossed the line.

"Go back to her. Don't let her be upset."

The fear of almost losing Vanessa crushed Julian.

He broke up with me.

I said fine.

Then I turned around and jumped into the river.

That was when the system found me.

It offered to turn every lie I heard into money: $150,000 per lie.

I looked up and gave him a perfectly measured smile.

"You don't like it when I get jealous, so I won't get jealous anymore."

Julian's brow eased a little, and his buddies started hooting.

"Julian's the man. He's got his fiancée trained to be this easygoing."

"Julian's got it made from here on out."

A few more fake compliments, and another few hundred thousand dollars hit my account.

"Julian, your phone lit up a minute ago. I was worried it was urgent, so I took a quick look. Martha was asking what time you're coming home for dinner tomorrow."

Vanessa, who'd been quiet the whole time, handed the phone over.

Someone nearby teased her.

"Vanessa, you're still running the household? Julian, aren't you with Hannah now?"

Vanessa waved it off.

"Don't be ridiculous. I've known Martha since I lived at the family house. She's just used to asking me."

She shot me a quick glance, the corners of her mouth curving ever so slightly.

Julian took the phone, switched off the screen, and slipped it into the inside pocket of his suit jacket.

"It's getting late. I'll have someone drive you home."

Vanessa stood, picked up her bag, and walked over to me.

"Hannah, Julian doesn't eat cilantro. Martha's getting older and forgets things, so remember to remind her."

Before she'd even finished, she clutched her stomach, her face suddenly pale.

"Julian, my stomach really hurts."