My Ex Dumped Me for a Rich Bully, but My Wife is a Billionaire!

When my girlfriend and I got reborn back into our high school days, she dumped me on the spot.

She thought I was a loser with no future, so she turned around and accepted the school bully's confession.

Just like that, she became the trophy wife of a wealthy bad boy, winning at both love and her career.

Meanwhile, I was still just painting.

When we met again, she was clinging to the very bully who used to torment her. Looking down at me, drenched and shivering, she sneered,

"Without me, is the great artist Liam really living such a pathetic life?"

I just smiled faintly.

But later, when my childhood sweetheart

Amelia, the sole heiress to the massive Montgomery fortunewrapped her arms around mine and pouted,

Chloe's eyes went red.

"Liam! You promised you'd be with me forever!"

When I arrived at the reunion party,

I still spotted Chloe instantly in the crowd.

She was leaning against Zacks shoulder, smiling sweetly.

The old classmates around them were practically kissing their feet.

"Chloe, you're so famous now."

"Yeah, a major influencer! You have over a million followers on TikTok, right?"

"And you actually snagged Zack. He was the school king back then."

Chloe smiled shyly.

Zack, clearly loving the attention, waved his hand dismissively.

"Tonights tab is on me. Drink up, everyone."

The crowd cheered.

Amidst the laughter, I heard someone mention my name.

"Wheres Liam? Why isn't he here yet? I know you guys broke up, but he was the school heartthrob back then."

Chloes smile faltered, and she gave a casual shrug.

"Liam and I just weren't compatible. We haven't kept in touch since the breakup."

Zack glanced around the room, his eyes turning cold.

"Let's not bring up the past."

Seeing that Chloe and Zack looked annoyed,

the others quickly changed the subject.

I walked in quietly, pretending I hadn't heard a thing.

A few old friends spotted me and immediately threw their arms around my shoulders.

"Look who finally made it!"

"Our former school heartthrob!"

"Whoa, dude, why are you so messy?"

"Hey, waiter, get some towels over here!"

I offered a polite smile, taking the towel.

I played it down.

"I had a little wipeout on my bike on the way here."

"I like riding my bike for exercise. The hotel wasn't far from my place, so I just rode over."

Chloe had been staring at me since the moment I walked in.

Feeling her gaze, I looked back.

Our eyes locked for a fraction of a second.

In that moment, I saw pure mockery and disdain in her eyes.

She snuggled closer to Zack, sporting flawless makeup

and a designer outfit that screamed luxurya stark contrast to my mud-stained clothes.

Beside her, Zack was watching me too.

Zack came from a ridiculously wealthy family. They were practically royalty around here.

The two of them sat in the center seats like the perfect power couple.

And then there was me.

I wiped the dirt off my clothes, looking like a total mess.

But honestly, I didn't care.

When I paint, I often end up covered in paint anyway.

I gave them a polite smile, looked away, and started chatting with other classmates.

Zack smirked, his eyes dripping with contempt.

Since we hadn't seen each other in years, everyone had endless things to talk about.

"Hey, do you guys remember Amelia Montgomery from the Honors class?"

"The school queen? Of course!"

"Yeah, her! I heard the Montgomery family officially announced her as the sole heiress to their entire empire."

"Oh my god. Beautiful, rich, and the sole heir. Whoever marries her is set for life."

"But a girl boss like Amelia probably doesn't even care about men."

I looked down at my phone,

keeping quiet.

My wet clothes were clinging to me uncomfortably.

Since the food wasn't served yet, I got up to wash some of the mud off in the restroom.

My phone kept buzzing in my pocket.

I patiently replied to the texts on Snapchat. But when I stepped out of the restroom, I ran right into Chloe at the corner.

I knew she was with Zack, so I ignored her and tried to walk past.

But she called out to me.

"Liam, all these years, and you're still the same useless loser."

"Just thinking about the fact that I used to date you makes me cringe. You don't even have a decent car."

I turned to meet her mocking eyes and said calmly,

"I like my life."

"You"

Chloe's face flushed with anger.

"Fine. If you love being a loser, I hope you stay one forever."

I smiled and turned to leave, but her voice followed me.

"You're still so stubborn, never willing to back down. If you had just listened to me back then, you could be driving a sports car right now, being worshipped by everyonejust like me."

"But I know you. Even if you claim you like this life, deep down, you regret it."

Regret?

I dazed off for a moment, my mind drifting back to my past life.

My history with Chloe actually started because of Zack.

Chloe was a transfer student in our class.

Her family was poor, and somehow, she rubbed Zack the wrong way.

Zack was the notorious school bully. Even the teachers turned a blind eye to him.

So, he targeted Chloe.

He used a pocket knife to leave horrible scars on her arms,

locked her in the dirty bathroom stalls,

and cornered her in alleys after school just to beat her up.

I was the one who saved her.

After calling the cops, I rushed into that alleyway.

The moment Zack's blade was about to slash Chloe's face, I threw myself over her.

Before the police arrived, Zack unleashed all his rage on me.

I was an art student.

But Zack used his expensive sneakers to stomp on and break my fingers.

Because of that, I missed my portfolio submission for CalArts.

Chloe and I ended up going to a mediocre college together and got married right after graduation.

But soon, we started having screaming matches.

It all started at a high school reunion. When she saw how lavishly Zack treated his girlfriend,

her heart began to waver.

Zack was a famous wealthy playboy.

After graduation, he had actually confessed to Chloe.

He claimed he had fallen in love with her *while* he was bullying her.

But Chloe was already with me back then, so she rejected him.

Now, she regretted it.

Honestly, our life back then wasn't even bad.

Even though I couldn't go to my dream art school, we both graduated from a decent university.

I never gave up painting in my spare time.

Combined, we had saved over a hundred thousand dollars in our bank account.

But she wasn't satisfied. She believed she deserved better.

"Liam, I'm asking you one last time. Are you coming with me or not?"

My breath hitched as I stared at her in disbelief.

Leave?

It wasn't that simple.

It meant abandoning everything we had built.

Was the wealthy world out there really that great?

I didn't understand.

"Chloe, why are you so desperate to leave?"

She sneered.

"If I don't leave, am I supposed to rot with you here forever?"

"Surviving on these pieces of trash nobody wants?"

I let out a bitter laugh.

The paintings I had poured my heart and soul intothe ones she used to praisewere now just "trash" to her.

"Chloe, is that what you really think of me?"

Chloe interrupted me impatiently.

"Enough! If you won't leave, I'll go by myself!"

"I must have been blind to choose you in the first place."

Even though I was furious, I still worried about her.

I ran after her.

Chloe rushed onto the street, completely ignoring a car running a red light.

The car was about to hit her.

Without thinking, I lunged forward to push her out of the way.

But we were both struck by the car and sent flying.

When I opened my eyes again,

we had both been reborn.

Immediately, Chloe broke up with me and accepted Zack's confession.

She started posting her daily life with Zack on TikTok, quickly becoming a popular influencer.

As for me, I kept a stable job while continuing to hone my painting skills.

Being an artist was my dream.

I respected Chloe's choice.

But no matter what, I would never regret mine.

On my way back to the lounge,

my wife called me on FaceTime.

"Martha told me you fell! Oh my god, why didn't you just drive? Is it bad? Do you need to go to the hospital, babe? I'm coming to get you right now."

Hearing the sheer panic and worry in her voice, I could tell she wanted to fly to my side this very second.

A warm smile spread across my face.

"I'm totally fine. If you're coming, can you just bring me a clean change of clothes?"

I looked down at my torn sleeves and the stubborn mud stains.

"I don't want to look like a hobo for our date later."

"On it! I'm getting in the car right now."

After hanging up, I couldn't help but grin like an idiot.

One of my classmates, noticing I had been gone for a while, came out to find me.

He waved me over.

"Liam, the food is served! Get in here!"

"I heard Zack brought some high-end wine and cigars back from his trip abroad."

"Liam, Chloe, stop chatting and get inside!"

The moment I walked in, Zack offered me a cigar.

"Want one, Liam?"

I glanced around. Everyone was puffing on smoke, praising Zack's generosity.

Even our old teacher, whose hands used to hold chalk, was now holding a cigar and singing Zack's praises.

I shook my head and politely declined.

"I don't smoke, thanks."

I never touched tobacco, and besides, my wife hated the smell of smoke.

I set the cigar aside, intending to just let it go.

But Zack wouldn't let me off the hook.

"Liam, what's the matter? You won't even give me this face?"

He was clearly trying to embarrass me.

I saw the annoyance in his eyes, but I didn't care to engage. I just kept looking at the SnapChat texts from my wife.

Seeing me glued to my phone, some classmates started snickering.

"Maybe Liam's never seen a real cigar before and doesn't know what to say."

"Forget smoking it, he probably hasn't even seen one in person, haha!"

"Liam, didn't you use to be so high and mighty?"

"Yeah, didn't he win a bunch of art awards back in school? Why hasn't he achieved anything major?"

They took jabs at me to suck up to Zack.

Zack chuckled.

"Come on, guys. Maybe my cigars aren't good enough for Liam. My driver is on his way with some business contracts, so I'll have him bring a few more bottles of fine wine. Let's just have a good time tonight."

His words sounded polite, but his eyes were full of arrogance and disdain.

My phone buzzed again. Unwilling to deal with these people, I walked out to text my wife back on SnapChat.

She said she was stuck in rush-hour traffic and the rain was getting worse, so she would be a bit late.

I told her to take her time and drive safely.

My clothes didn't matter; her safety was my priority.

Just as I sent the text, I heard Chloe's voice.

"Liam, do you have a girlfriend now?"

I turned to face her.

The tenderness in my eyes vanished, replaced by cold indifference.

"What I do is none of your business, Chloe."

I tried to walk past her, but she stepped in my way.

"Who is she?"

"Does she know that the once high-and-mighty Liam was once a pathetic simp who gave up his art and his life for another woman? And look at you nowyou're even too intimidated to accept a cigar."

Ah, so she was watching earlier.

"Didn't you always dream of becoming a famous artist? Why hasn't anything happened after all these years? You're still the same, Liamspineless yet full of pride."

"I'm so glad the universe gave me a second chance to dump a loser who will never amount to anything."

"Oh, by the way, Zack and I are getting engaged."

She smirked.

"If you had just listened to me back then and moved to the big city, we might have been married with kids by now."

"But look at you. Your horizon is so narrow."

"Living day to day with zero ambition. Pathetic."

I was getting annoyed.

"Congratulations."

Chloe's smile froze. "What?"

"Congratulations on marrying Zack. But since you're getting married, you really shouldn't be snooping into my love life. It wouldn't look good if your fianc misunderstood."

"Liam, you"

Chloe was furious, her face turning red.

I honestly didn't get why she was so mad.

Even if we had different values, we were married in our past life. I genuinely wished her well.

She glared at me, stamped her heel, and stormed off.

"Mind your own business!"

I frowned, thoroughly confused.

She was acting completely irrational. I shouldn't have wasted my breath on her.

I stood in the hallway for a bit to clear my head before returning to the private dining room.

But the moment I walked in, everyone stared at me in silence.

I was confused.

Someone looked like they wanted to say something, but Zack, sitting at the head of the table, spoke first.

"Forget it. It's just a contract. It's torn, but it's fine. No big deal."