Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English
Synopsis
Tags: Matrilocal Husband, Infidelity, Wrongfully Imprisoned, Male Lead Awakening, Regretful Ex-Wife, Single Dad, Rebirth
Chloe Frost had a reputation for running wild, yet I fell head over heels for her the moment we met. After chasing her relentlessly, I finally married into the wealthy Foster family.
In the third year of our marriage, the Fosters tracked down their long-lost biological daughter. Furious, Chloe threw a massive tantrum, severed all ties with her family, and walked away without a single cent.
My devotion never wavered. I swore to protect and cherish her for the rest of my life.
In our fifth year together, someone anonymously reported me for assaulting the real Foster heiress. I was convicted and thrown behind bars.
When I was finally released, Chloe looked at me like I was a piece of trash. She held another man's hand while our autistic daughter stood beside them, trembling.
"You're an ex-con now. How could you ever be good enough for me?"
"Lily and I don't need a pathetic piece of garbage like you. We're signing the divorce papers tomorrow!"
Heartbroken, I finally walked away once I learned the sickening truth.
Yet the moment I gave up on her, why did she break down in tears?
The words barely left Chloe's lips, and I stared down at her fingers intertwined with that stranger's. A wave of bitter cold washed over my chest.
"Chloe, the police already cleared me. I was framed—"
Before I could finish, Chloe spat on the ground. Pure revulsion burned in her eyes as she pointed toward the road behind me.
"Ethan Vance, if you're so innocent, why was Clara Foster rushing here to see you? Guess two weeks apart was too long for you two whoring around!"
Ever since the Fosters brought back their long-lost biological daughter two years ago, Chloe had treated Clara like a sworn enemy. When she couldn't outdo her, she cut ties with the entire family in a fit of rage.
"Yeah, Ethan," the man beside her sneered, casually adjusting his collar. "You're an ex-con now. Where do you get the nerve to stand in front of Chloe?"
His tone dripped with mockery.
"Sleeping around like a stray dog... If you catch some filthy disease, dying would be doing the world a favor. Just don't drag other people down with you!"
Looking at his arrogant smirk, fury exploded in my chest. I lunged forward and tore his hand away from my wife.
I never expected what happened next.
Chloe whipped out a pocketknife and slashed it across my forearm.
I knew that knife. I had picked out the steel and polished the blade myself, giving it to her so she could protect herself.
The blade was surgical-grade steel. In a split second, my skin split open, and blood gushed out. The searing pain stole my breath.
"Ethan Vance, you're filthy! Don't touch us!"
"Marcus is right. Trash like you belongs with a slut like Clara. Marrying you was the biggest mistake of my life!"
Her words hit me like a sledgehammer, shattering what was left of my heart.
"Ethan, are you okay?!" A familiar voice cried out. Clara ran up to us, her face pale with concern. "Chloe, are you out of your mind?! If you ruin Ethan's hands, you won't be able to pay for it in ten lifetimes!"
I caught Clara's gaze and gave her a slight nod, trying to reassure her that I was alive.
"Aw, look at you two," Chloe scoffed, crossing her arms. "The cheating couple showing off their love right in my face? Have you no shame?"
Listening to her ridicule, half of me was devastated and the other half raged. But then I saw my daughter standing beside her—eyes red, shaking like a leaf. I couldn't bring myself to make a scene.
"Chloe, I know it's my fault you're suspicious. I can explain everything. Please stop this. Arguing like this is bad for Lily's condition. Let's just go home and talk, okay?"
Clutching my bleeding wound, I stepped toward her, pleading softly.
*Slap!*
Before my hand could even reach her, her palm cracked hard across my face.
"Ethan Vance, you make my skin crawl!"My ears rang violently. Clutching my split lip, I looked down—and froze.
On Marcus Cole's thumb rested a jade signet ring.
My family heirloom. An antique passed down through six generations of my family.
"Chloe, are you insane?!" Clara yelled, rolling up her sleeves to jump in.
I quickly grabbed Clara's arm, my voice trembling as I whispered, "Stay calm. Please."
I was a chief engineer hired by Foster Industries, having worked at the family plant for years. Clara had recently graduated and was interning under me.
Maybe we had gotten along too well at work, which gave someone the excuse to report me anonymously.
Wiping the blood from my mouth, I stepped back in front of Chloe. I stared at the face I had loved for so many years.
Love makes a man humble. Even after all this, I hated myself for still feeling that lingering attachment.
Our daughter Lily was terrified, trembling like a frightened bird. Fearing her condition would worsen, I gently pulled her into my arms and rubbed her back.
"Chloe, I know you're just not thinking straight right now. Cool off. I'll take Lily home and wait for you."
Seeing that I was still speaking gently, a flicker of guilt crossed Chloe's face. She reached out, tugging on my sleeve as if she wanted to take it back.
"Ethan, drop the nice guy act," Marcus chimed in, curling his lip. "You must've committed too many sins in your past life to end up with a retarded kid like this!"
The second he said that, I clamped my hands over Lily's ears, ready to tear him apart. But before I could, Chloe violently shoved Marcus back.
Seeing the raw fury on her face, Marcus realized he had crossed a line and stammered out an apology.
Chloe ignored him. Shaking him off, she took my hand and quietly followed me home.
Back at the house, I tucked Lily into bed. Chloe immediately threw her arms around my neck, acting as if she were the victim.
"Ethan, I was just mad earlier. I didn't mean those awful things. Don't be mad at me."
She smiled warmly in my embrace, but all I could see was Marcus strutting around with my family heirloom on his finger.
"Chloe, why is the ring I trusted you with on Marcus's hand?"
The smile froze on her face. A second later, she pouted and let out an annoyed huff.
"I saw how close you and that bitch Clara were getting! I got jealous, and I wanted to make you jealous, so I lent it to him!"
She leaned in, batting her lashes. "If you hate it that much, I'll take it back tomorrow. Don't be so grumpy with me!"
I knew she was lying. Even though my heart was being ripped to shreds, I didn't have the strength to call her out.
"Daddy... Grandpa... hungry. Food."
Lily had woken up from our voices. She tugged at the corner of my shirt, pointing toward the small bedroom down the hall.
My mother died when I was young. When I was sixteen, my father fell down a flight of stairs and ended up paralyzed and mute. I had taken care of him ever since.
"Ethan, go sit down. I'll go feed Dad," Chloe offered, letting go of me and walking toward the room, likely trying to ease her guilty conscience.
The next second, Lily darted over and blocked the door.
My daughter was always quiet and withdrawn. She rarely showed such strong resistance. Chloe blinked in surprise, her patience clearly wearing thin.
"Don't worry about it, Chloe," I said quietly. "You've been out all day. I'll cook. Just stay here and keep Lily company."
Chloe never touched household chores. Usually, when I said this, she would happily agree. But tonight, she snapped.
With a sudden sweep of her arm, she sent the plates and bowls crashing off the table. Porcelain shattered across the floor. Before I could react, she seized my collar.
"Ethan Vance, you don't trust me! You look down on me because I'm not the real heiress, don't you?!"
Her screeching voice made my head throb. I winced, and taking that as a sign of guilt, she shoved me back with all her might.
I stumbled back. A sharp piece of broken porcelain sliced deep into the sole of my foot. Lily rushed forward, wrapping her tiny hands around my leg to hold me up.
"Now that you have Clara the college graduate hanging on you, you don't want a high school dropout like me! Don't play dumb with me, Ethan. You'll never get rid of me!"
Throbbing pain shot up from my foot, making my vision swim.
I shook my head, trying to deny her ridiculous accusations, but an overwhelming wave of exhaustion washed over me.
"I bet you don't give a damn about me anymore! All you care about is that whore Clara and your stupid piece of junk heirloom—"
The jade ring and the jade bracelet were passed down together through generations, carved from the same stone to symbolize lifelong fidelity.
On our wedding day, I had gently slipped the bracelet onto Chloe's wrist.
Now, I watched with wide eyes as she ripped it off.
*Smash!*
She hurled the bracelet onto the floor. It exploded into pieces, mingling with the shattered porcelain.
"You care about this garbage so much, Ethan? I'm breaking it right in front of your face! I want you to know—I don't give a single damn about your family!"
I slowly knelt down, picking through the shards of jade one by one, as if piecing together my own shattered heart.
I no longer knew what love meant. And I didn't know if this marriage was worth saving anymore.
"Chloe... if you hate me this much, let's just get a divorce."Chloe froze instantly. She stared at me in sheer disbelief, tears spilling over her lashes and hitting the floor.
Seeing her face streaked with tears, my resolve cracked. I clenched my jaw, stepped forward, and gently wrapped my arms around her.
When Foster Industries first recruited me, I was a stranger in this city, completely clueless about how the wealthy operated. Back then, Chloe was the only one who smiled and handed me a bottle of water.
Watching her work with such fiery passion, I had fallen completely and utterly in love with her.
"Chloe, I still love you. But do you still love me?"
She kept her head down, refusing to speak. Her silence confirmed my worst fears, suffocating me.
*Just one last chance,* I told myself with a heavy sigh, gently wiping away her tears.
I would give her one final opportunity. When this heart completely died, I would take my daughter and walk away forever.
"Chloe, do you know what day today is?"
She blinked, shaking her head dismissively before wrapping her arms around mine, swaying playfully.
"If I don't remember it, it's not important! Ethan, stop cluttering your head with pointless dates. Promise me you'll only ever love me!"
Looking at the smile on her face, the words *Today is my birthday* died in my throat. A wave of bone-deep fatigue dragged me down.
Fresh out of jail, I immediately had to pick up my engineering duties at the plant. Knowing I had been wrongfully accused, a few close colleagues took pity on me and sent me home early to rest.
Arriving home ahead of schedule, I bought snacks that my wife and daughter loved. But the moment I pushed the door open, Chloe's voice stopped me dead in my tracks.
"Old bastard! Glare at me all you want! I'm going to ruin your son, you hear me? To tell you the truth, Marcus and I were the ones who reported him to the police! Too bad he didn't rot to death in prison and left behind that useless retard of a daughter. Pui—"
Through the cracked door, I heard every venomous word. I saw her face, twisted with malice.
"Marcus worships the ground I walk on! That's the kind of man I belong with! Since Ethan wants to act all high and mighty, I'm going to destroy him piece by piece, and then watch you drop dead from pure rage!"
I stood there in the hallway, clutching the bags, my teeth clenched so hard they nearly cracked. My entire body shook uncontrollably.
I don't even remember how I forced myself to calm down. I don't remember how I pasted on a smile when Chloe rushed out and stammered that she had "just gotten home."
After she dressed up in designer clothes and left the house, Lily quietly tiptoed out of the bedroom. With trembling hands, she handed me a piece of paper.
Looking at the crooked words *Happy Birthday, Daddy*, hot tears blurred my eyes.
My heart died completely. And my mind cleared entirely.
Late that night, Chloe returned home. Her eyes were glazed with alcohol, her body draped limply over Marcus's shoulder.
"Ethan, it's so late and all the restaurants are closed. I just brought Marcus home for a quick bite. Why are you just standing there without saying hello? What kind of attitude is that?!"
Under the dim hallway light, the dark, fresh hickeys marking her throat were unmistakable.
A cold, humorless laugh escaped my lips. Thinking back on all the years of devotion I had poured into this woman, it felt like a sick joke.
I was done compromising. Clenching my fists, I looked her straight in the eyes.
"Chloe, we're getting a divorce."The smug smile vanished from Chloe's face. She let go of Marcus and marched right up to me.
"Ethan Vance, what the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
She raised her hand to strike me, but just as her palm swung down, Lily lunged forward and grabbed her wrist with all her might.
Seeing our daughter defending me, Chloe shrieked and violently shoved the little girl away. I dove forward, catching Lily in my arms just before her head hit the wall.
I glared up at Chloe, shaking with disbelief. "Chloe, she's your own daughter! You can despise me, but how could you lay a hand on her?!"
"Shut up! Marcus was right—it's your filthy genes that ruined her! You gave me this useless little freak, making me the laughingstock of the entire city! Ethan, I hate you!"
Her hysterical, irrational venom left me utterly speechless. I let out a dry, bitter laugh.
When Lily was born, she was completely healthy. Back then, I worked around the clock at the plant while running home to take care of my paralyzed father.
We were both first-time parents. To make sure Chloe didn't exhaust herself, I spent a fortune hiring the best private nanny in the city.
I never could have imagined what would happen the day the nanny took personal leave. Chloe went out partying with her friends and locked our three-month-old daughter in a pitch-black nursery for an entire day.
When I finally rushed home past midnight, the scene carved itself into my soul forever. A tiny infant, staring blankly at the dark ceiling, crying until no tears came out, her tiny face turning blue from lack of oxygen.
Ever since that day, Lily never smiled again. The doctors diagnosed her with childhood autism.
Back then, Chloe had sobbed on her knees, begging for forgiveness, while my heart bled.
"Do you have any idea how many people whisper behind my back because of her?!" Chloe screamed, pointing an accusatory finger at my nose. "I always knew you looked down on me because I was the adopted daughter! Now your true colors are finally showing!"
Looking at the screaming woman before me, the pain in my chest went completely numb. All that remained was absolute relief.
Her heart belonged to someone else now. The rights and wrongs no longer mattered.
"Chloe, I never looked down on you. Believe it or not, it doesn't matter anymore."
I spoke slowly, each word drained of emotion. Shielding Lily behind me, I held out my hand.
"Give me three days. I'll take Lily and my father and move out. I won't take a penny of your money. I only have one question—when are you returning the heirloom ring I trusted you with?"
Chloe sneered. She grabbed Marcus's hand, ripped the jade signet ring off his thumb, and threw it at my feet like a piece of worthless trash.
The heirloom my father had carefully placed in my hands rolled across the dirty floorboards, stopping right by my shoes.
"I'll give you three days, Ethan!" Chloe snapped, glaring at me. "I'm throwing Marcus's birthday party here in three days, so you better pack your shit and get lost before then!"
She rolled her eyes, kicked over the dining table—spilling the food I had bought all over the floor—and wrapped herself around Marcus's arm. The two of them swaggered out into the night.
Watching her figure vanish down the street, my strength finally gave out. I sank onto the floor, buried my face in my hands, and took a long, shuddering breath.
Lily didn't understand what was happening, but she gripped my sleeve tightly, making soft, garbled sounds.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I gently stroked her back to keep her from having an episode.
"I'm sorry, Lily... Daddy made you suffer."
I was the one who named her. When she was born, Chloe took one look at her gender, turned her back, and muttered that it was annoying.
Yet the moment I laid eyes on that tiny, fragile life, my heart was flooded with tenderness.
Lily—a precious, delicate flower, worthy of all the love in the world.
Lily reached up with her small, warm hand, wiping away the tear at the corner of my eye. Imitating the way I always comforted her, she softly patted my back.
"Daddy... don't... rush."
Looking at my sweet, innocent daughter, warmth bloomed in my chest. I squeezed her hand and finally managed a faint smile.
Over the next three days, Chloe and I went to the courthouse to sign the divorce decree. I signed over every shared asset under my name to her.
I immediately reached out to coworkers to find a cheap rental apartment, scraping together every dollar I had to pay the deposit and hire an in-home caregiver for my dad.
On the third day, I moved my father and daughter into the modest rental.
As I zipped up the last duffel bag, Chloe's voice came from behind me.
I turned around. Our eyes met, and seeing the absence of anger in her gaze, I hesitated for a fraction of a second.
"Ethan... did you ever truly love me?"
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Watch & Promotions
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