Chapter 1
The day I was thrown out of the Ludwig residence, snow was falling hard.
My ex-mother-in-law, Ella Ludwig, jabbed a finger in my face and called me a jinx. My ex-husband, Dutton Ludwig, shoved me to the ground in front of the whole household, snarling that I had ended his family line.
I didn't cry. I didn't plead. I calmly collected every penny my family had given me as a wedding settlement and, without a word, married Phillip Sherman, the most notorious rake in Vanderlyn.
One month later, the physician confirmed I was carrying twins.
The real shock? Phillip turned out to be the King's favorite prince.
When Dutton learned the truth, regret ate him alive. He lunged at my carriage, clawing at the door frame, his voice cracking. "Chloe, I was wrong. Give me another chance?"
From inside the coach, Phillip laughed coldly and kicked Dutton back into the slush. "You? Not a chance."
*****
The day I was thrown out of the Ludwig residence, snow was falling hard.
The courtyard of the Ludwig residence felt empty and cold.
Ella jabbed her finger so close it nearly touched my nose. "Chloe, you're a jinx.
"Three years. Three whole years, and your belly hasn't shown a single sign.
"Our family has been scholars for three generations, with only one son each generation to carry the name. And now Dutton is the last of our bloodline, and you're about to end our entire legacy, you barren, worthless woman."
Her voice was razor-sharp, every word cutting deep, laced with venom.
But I couldn't feel it anymore. My heart was dead. It didn't hurt anymore.
Standing beside Ella was my ex-husband, Dutton.
He wore a tailored wool coat with a fur collar, yet his face was even paler than the snow.
There was no pity in his eyes, only disgust and impatience. He couldn't wait to be rid of me.
I didn't look at him. My eyes calmly settled on Ella. "Are you done?"
Ella was taken aback, clearly not expecting me to react like this.
In her mind, I should've been crying, begging, maybe even throwing myself at her feet.
Dutton frowned. "Chloe, what's with that attitude? You're being disrespectful to my mom."
My lips pulled into a wry smile. Pathetic.
Disrespectful? For three years, I'd been up before dawn, waiting on Ella's hand and foot. If she so much as coughed, I'd rush to bring her water.
Whenever she was in a bad mood, she'd lash out at me, scolding and hitting me without a second thought.
All the bitter medicine I'd swallowed could've piled up higher than me. And after all that, all I got is being called disrespectful?
I looked straight at Dutton, speaking each word deliberately. "Dutton, where are the divorce papers?"
He winced at my stare, unable to meet my eyes.
He pulled a document from his coat and threw it to the floor. "Sign it, and we are done."
He said it so lightly. As if our three years of marriage were as flimsy and worthless as that sheet of paper.
I didn't bother to pick it up.
Behind me, my maid Cathy was already sobbing uncontrollably.
She tried to step forward, but I stopped her.
I turned to Dutton. "Did you forget? When I married into the Ludwig family, I couldn't read. And in these three years, you never bothered to teach me."
Dutton's face turned bright red.
He'd always said a woman didn't need an education to be virtuous. Now, that "virtue" was making him eat his words.
Ella shrieked, "You shameless bitch, still got the nerve to argue? Someone, hold her down and make her sign."
Two burly housekeepers rushed forward immediately.
Right then, Dutton suddenly lunged at me and shoved me to the ground.
The frozen snow bit through my clothes, the cold piercing straight to the bone.
Dutton hissed through gritted teeth, "Chloe, I'm so done with you.
"Not only did you fail to give the Ludwig family an heir, but now you are out to ruin my reputation. You poisonous woman."
I lay sprawled in the snow, my hair tangled and loose.
At last, I couldn't help but laugh out loud.
A poisonous woman? A ruined reputation? Who was really ruining whom here?
Slowly, I pushed myself up and brushed the snow from my clothes.
I didn't cry, nor did I make a scene.
My calm put everyone on edge.
Ella shouted, her bluster betraying her panic. "What are you staring at? Sign it now."
I ignored her and looked straight at Dutton. "What about my premarital assets?"
He froze.
Ella jumped up. "What assets? You married into this family. You lived under our roof, ate our food. What assets?
"Chloe, let me tell you, you are not walking out of here with a single penny."
I smiled. "Is that so? When I married you, my family transferred a six-figure sum into this household. Half the county saw the bank drafts arrive.
"The asset inventory was notarized in duplicate. One copy was filed with the county clerk, and one is in my possession. Are you saying the Ludwig family would dare conceal property that is on public record?"