The Bankrupt Billionaire's Bet Chapter 1

My ex-husband, Tom, and his rich buddies recently started a twisted game.

"The Bankruptcy Challenge."

The rules? Fake going broke for a month.

The goal? To test the loyalty of their girlfriends.

To make it look legit, their friends and family were all in on it. They even installed a "new owner" at their companies.

Tom, wearing a $5 t-shirt and a construction hat, confidently went to find the woman he loved most.

Instead of sympathy, his precious Chloe screamed at him and had security throw him out like trash.

Stunned, he sat on the curb for a long time before his trembling fingers dialed another number.

"Sarah... I'm broke. I'm homeless."

A soft, childish voice answered from the other end.

"Daddy, don't be scared. You can sleep in my room."

* * *

When Tom called, I was in the kitchen frosting a cake.

My four-year-old daughter, Lily, was playing Roblox on my phone and picked up immediately.

I don't know what he said, but suddenly Lily’s face lit up. She ran into the kitchen, losing a slipper on the way.

"Mommy! Good news! Daddy went bankrupt! He can come to my birthday party this year!"

Bankrupt?

I looked at the phone. The contact name was still "Ex-Husband."

The last time Tom called was Christmas.

He only contacted me on holidays. Usually to drag me to his parents' mansion to play the "happy couple" and keep the old folks calm.

But the second we walked out the door, he’d drop my hand like it was toxic and speed off to comfort Chloe.

I’d watch him drive away, the backseat piled high with designer gifts, the passenger seat filled with red roses.

I’d stand there in the cold wind, clutching the $2,000 "performance fee" he threw at me. I wasn't sad.

Why would I be? That was six months of rent for me and Lily.

Hearing he was broke, my only thought was: Why isn't he calling his precious Chloe?

Why call me? We hated each other.

Tom’s voice was cautious. "Sarah, I have nowhere to go. I haven't eaten all day. Can I crash at your place?"

I opened my mouth to say "No."

But Lily tugged on my skirt.

Her big, grape-like eyes were wide, filled with hope and pleading.

"Mommy, please? Let Daddy spend my birthday with me just this once? All the other kids have their dads..."

I looked down, and my heart broke a little.

I knew Lily craved a father’s love.

Tom actually liked Lily. He used to take her to Disney World, buy her princess dresses, and get her those expensive blind box sets.

But one day, Lily came home slumped over, saying she would never "bother" Daddy again.

I dropped my spatula and stormed over to his villa.

With the arm strength of a woman who washed a thousand dishes a day, I slapped Chloe silly.

I shoved her face into the toilet to rinse out that filthy mouth of hers.

After that, Tom never asked to see Lily again.