Chapter 1 · He Divorced Me Over Peanuts-Then I Inherited Billions

Chapter 1

After five years of marriage, we split everything down the middle. I worked my ass off for just one thousand dollars a month, barely scraping by.

But at a class reunion, he made a joke out of me, saying I was a loser who didn't deserve a guy like him, a million-dollar-a-year hotshot.

To buy his dream girl a designer bag, he even stole the money I'd saved for my mom's surgery.

My heart was dead. I asked for a divorce.

He agreed without a second thought and handed me 100 dollars as a "breakup bonus."

The next day, Attorney Miller showed up at my door. He told me I was the only heir to the family fortune, and I had to sign for a thirty-five billion-dollar inheritance. The only catch? I had to be single.

*****

"Chloe, the utilities for this month are 754 dollars. Your share is 377. Remember to transfer it," Ethan called out.

Ethan Grant's voice drifted from his pricey gaming chair, without even turning around.

On the screen, his character was in the middle of an epic fight, the flashing lights and shadows highlighting his sharp profile.

I glanced at the calculator app on my phone, where I'd just calculated today's grocery expenses. I spent five extra dollars because the tomatoes at the market were more expensive today.

I turned off my phone and replied quietly, "Okay."

Ethan and I had been married for five years, and our marriage ran like a spreadsheet.

We split the rent, utilities, and internet right down the middle. Even buying a roll of toilet paper had to be logged in our household expense app.

Ethan made a million dollars a year, a hotshot in finance, always dressed in tailored suits, sporting a watch that cost tens of thousands.

I made one thousand dollars a month, working as an admin at a small firm, spending an hour and a half every day on the subway, and feeling a little smug whenever I saved five bucks by skipping the cab.

Our closet was like two different worlds.

His side was all Armani and Zegna, neat as a showroom.

Mine was a jumble of random deals from online shops, bright and colorful.

Sometimes, I'd wake up in the middle of the night, look at the guy breathing steadily next to me, and feel like I was lying next to a total stranger.

We were married, but honestly, we lived like the shrewdest roommates ever.

My phone rang, shattering the silence in the room.

It was the hospital.

"Ms. Wynn? Your mother needs surgery right away. The operation and follow-up treatment will cost at least seventy thousand dollars. Please prepare the money as soon as possible," the doctor said.

Seventy thousand dollars

That number felt like a mountain pressing down on me, making it hard to breathe.

I hung up and walked over to Ethan.

The game noises were blasting so loudly, it felt like the whole room was shaking.

I took a deep breath and said, "Ethan, my mom's seriously ill. She needs seventy thousand dollars for surgery. Can you help me out, just for now?"

He finally hit pause and turned to face me.

There was zero worry in his eyes.

"Chloe, we agreed before we got married—we go fifty-fifty on everything, and we each handle our own family stuff.

"Your mom's sickness is your business. Why should I pay for it?"

His words stabbed right through my heart, like a poisoned blade.

I went cold all over, my lips quivering.

"But we're married! She's my mom, but she's your family too!" I blurted out.

"Don't," Ethan scoffed, standing up and towering over me. "I don't have a mother-in-law who only makes one thousand dollars a month. Chloe, get real. Stop trying to take advantage of me."

He pulled out a wad of cash from his wallet and tossed it onto the table.

"That's your one thousand dollars for the month, right? With whatever you've got saved, that should cover it. If it's not enough, go beg your broke relatives. Just don't bother me."

With that, he grabbed his phone and headed to the balcony, his voice instantly turning gentle.

"Hey, Sophia, I was just looking at that bag you sent me. It's really nice. I'll take you shopping for it tomorrow," he said.

I stared at the cash on the table. Just like my five-year marriage, it was a total joke.

In that moment, my heart was shattered for good.

But my mom was still waiting for the money that could save her life. I had to keep it together.

Chapter 1

After five years of marriage, we split everything down the middle. I worked my ass off for just one thousand dollars a month, barely scraping by.

But at a class reunion, he made a joke out of me, saying I was a loser who didn't deserve a guy like him, a million-dollar-a-year hotshot.

To buy his dream girl a designer bag, he even stole the money I'd saved for my mom's surgery.

My heart was dead. I asked for a divorce.

He agreed without a second thought and handed me 100 dollars as a "breakup bonus."

*****

"Chloe, the utilities for this month are 754 dollars. Your share is 377. Remember to transfer it," Ethan called out.

Ethan Grant's voice drifted from his pricey gaming chair, without even turning around.

On the screen, his character was in the middle of an epic fight, the flashing lights and shadows highlighting his sharp profile.

I glanced at the calculator app on my phone, where I'd just calculated today's grocery expenses. I spent five extra dollars because the tomatoes at the market were more expensive today.

I turned off my phone and replied quietly, "Okay."

Ethan and I had been married for five years, and our marriage ran like a spreadsheet.

We split the rent, utilities, and internet right down the middle. Even buying a roll of toilet paper had to be logged in our household expense app.

Ethan made a million dollars a year, a hotshot in finance, always dressed in tailored suits, sporting a watch that cost tens of thousands.

Our closet was like two different worlds.

His side was all Armani and Zegna, neat as a showroom.

Mine was a jumble of random deals from online shops, bright and colorful.

Sometimes, I'd wake up in the middle of the night, look at the guy breathing steadily next to me, and feel like I was lying next to a total stranger.

We were married, but honestly, we lived like the shrewdest roommates ever.

My phone rang, shattering the silence in the room.

It was the hospital.

"Ms. Wynn? Your mother needs surgery right away. The operation and follow-up treatment will cost at least seventy thousand dollars. Please prepare the money as soon as possible," the doctor said.

Seventy thousand dollars

That number felt like a mountain pressing down on me, making it hard to breathe.

I hung up and walked over to Ethan.

The game noises were blasting so loudly, it felt like the whole room was shaking.

I took a deep breath and said, "Ethan, my mom's seriously ill. She needs seventy thousand dollars for surgery. Can you help me out, just for now?"

He finally hit pause and turned to face me.

There was zero worry in his eyes.

"Chloe, we agreed before we got married—we go fifty-fifty on everything, and we each handle our own family stuff.

"Your mom's sickness is your business. Why should I pay for it?"

His words stabbed right through my heart, like a poisoned blade.

I went cold all over, my lips quivering.

"But we're married! She's my mom, but she's your family too!" I blurted out.

"Don't," Ethan scoffed, standing up and towering over me. "I don't have a mother-in-law who only makes one thousand dollars a month. Chloe, get real. Stop trying to take advantage of me."

He pulled out a wad of cash from his wallet and tossed it onto the table.

"That's your one thousand dollars for the month, right? With whatever you've got saved, that should cover it. If it's not enough, go beg your broke relatives. Just don't bother me."

With that, he grabbed his phone and headed to the balcony, his voice instantly turning gentle.

"Hey, Sophia, I was just looking at that bag you sent me. It's really nice. I'll take you shopping for it tomorrow," he said.

I stared at the cash on the table. Just like my five-year marriage, it was a total joke.

In that moment, my heart was shattered for good.

But my mom was still waiting for the money that could save her life. I had to keep it together.