Chapter 5

A week later, we stood in court. Ethan showed up with Clara. Both of them were dressed in expensive designer clothes, looking smug.

"Chloe, I'm going to make sure you regret today," Ethan sneered.

A lawyer in a sharp suit walked up behind them. Ethan smiled proudly. "This is the head attorney for Clara's company. Since you wanted to do this the hard way, we're going to make sure you walk away with absolutely nothing."

I let out a soft laugh and ignored them, walking past them into the courtroom.

Ethan grabbed my arm. "I'm going to fight for full custody of Lily, too. You're a jobless, single woman. You don't have the means to raise her."

The moment he mentioned Lily, rage flared inside me. I violently shook off his grip.

"How dare you bring up her name? You aren't fit to be her father!"

"Oh, come on. Is she still mad at me? Fine, I've been busy making money lately. Once this is over, I'll buy her some toys and she'll forgive her daddy."

Listening to his delusional babbling, the veins on my forehead throbbed. "I told you a hundred times, Ethan! Lily is—"

Before I could finish, Clara quickly cut me off, wrapping her arm around Ethan’s.

"Oh, Ethan, why waste your breath on her? Let the judge's verdict do the talking."

Ethan nodded, kissing her cheek. As they walked away, I heard him say, "Baby, once I get all the assets, I'm investing two-thirds of it straight into your company."

I watched their retreating backs. We'll see who gets laughed out of court.

Once the trial started, Ethan’s lawyer was indeed aggressive. He presented a list of fabricated faults against me, trying to paint me as an unstable wife.

But then, my lawyer played our trump card: the photos of Ethan and Clara in our bed.

The courtroom fell silent. Ethan’s face turned from smug to pale in a second. Because of the clear evidence of adultery, he was legally deemed the party at fault.

To make matters worse, my lawyer played the audio recording of Ethan slapping me and admitting to it.

Realizing he was losing, Ethan lost his mind. He jumped up, pointing a finger at me, and screamed, "You bitch! You spied on me?!"

The jurors began whispering, glaring at him with disgust.

"What a pathetic loser."

"He cheats on his wife and then tries to leave her homeless? How shameless."

"Wait, isn't that woman next to him his mistress? She actually had the nerve to show up to his divorce court?"

Clara heard the whispers. People were looking at her like she was a parasite. Unable to take the humiliation, she grabbed her bag and fled the courtroom.

In the end, the judge ruled in my favor. I was awarded all our remaining assets. Ethan was left with absolutely nothing.

Since Ethan had already emptied our bank accounts for Clara's stock, our only real asset was the house. The court signed it over to me.

I met Ethan's furious, bloodshot eyes. I slowly mouthed two words to him:

"You lose."

Before he could jump over the table, I walked out of the courtroom, free.

The moment the house deed was officially in my name, I put it on the market. Because it was in a prime location, it sold in three days for $3.5 million.

With the cash in hand, I reached out to my old college friend, Serena Miller.

Serena was now a powerhouse in the financial world. I had seen her face on the cover of Forbes while buying books with Lily. We had drifted apart over the years as our lives took different paths, but I knew she was a true friend.

We met at a quiet, upscale cafe. The moment she saw me, she threw her arms around me. We talked about the old days, laughing and crying.

But when she asked about my marriage, my smile faded. I told her everything. Then, I looked her straight in the eyes.

"Serena, I have three million dollars. Teach me how to play the market. I want to ruin them."

Serena slammed her hand on the table, her eyes blazing with anger.

"Deal! I'm in. Let's make those bastards lose every single thing they have!"