Chapter 2: Divorce?

"Divorce?"

Lucas repeated the word as if Evelyn were speaking a foreign language. A harsh, mocking laugh burst from his throat.

"Have you lost your mind, Evelyn? You think you can just hit my family and then talk about divorce?" Lucas stepped closer, his shadow falling over her, his eyes full of arrogant disdain. "Who do you think you are? You're a barren orphan! If I didn't marry you, you'd be nobody! You'd have nothing!"

On the floor, Amber spat out a bloody toothpick, holding her rapidly swelling cheek. "Lucas, don't let her off! Call the police! Put this crazy bitch in jail!"

Nora clutched her red jaw, her eyes spitting fire. "She's out of her head! Lucas, make her get on her knees!"

Evelyn didn't move an inch. She stood tall, looking at the three of them like they were nothing more than insects crawling on the floor.

"You think I owe you, Lucas?" Evelyn’s voice was disturbingly calm, cutting through their anger like a frozen blade. "You think you did me a favor by letting me slave away for your family for four years?"

Lucas sneered. "I gave you a roof over your head! I even let you raise a child when you couldn't give me one! I showed you love when no one was willing to. How would you make such stupid comments of divorce. Who will take care of Toby?"

" Toby?" Evelyn tilted her head, a cold, sharp smile playing on her lips. "Your adopted son?"

Amber’s sobbing suddenly halted.

Lucas’s eyes flickered, a sudden knot of tension tightening his jaw. "What are you talking about? You know we adopted him because of your ruined body!"

"Is that right?" Evelyn took a step toward Amber. "Then why does Toby have Amber’s exact ear shape? Why does he have the same hereditary skin allergy as you, Lucas?"

Amber’s face instantly went pale, the color draining from her lips. "Evelyn... what ridiculous nonsense are you making up?!"

"It's not nonsense, is it?" Evelyn’s gaze swept over Lucas and Amber, her voice dropping to a low, lethal whisper. "Amber isn't even your blood sister, Lucas. Your mother adopted her from her late friend thirty years ago. And the two of you have been sleeping together under this very roof since before we even got married."

The bedroom went dead silent.

Nora gasped loudly, her eyes bulging out of her head as she looked between her son and daughter. "Evelyn! You dirty-mouthed whore! How dare you slander my children—"

"Toby isn't an orphan," Evelyn interrupted, staring directly into Lucas’s panic-stricken eyes. "He is your biological son. Born from your incestuous affair with your non-biological sister."

Lucas felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head. His heart hammered wildly against his ribs.

How did she know?

That secret was buried deeper than the grave! They had kept it hidden for years! No one knew

the truth!

"You're crazy..." Lucas stammered, his confident demeanor instantly collapsing into panicked rage. Veins bulged on his neck. "You're insane! You're inventing crazy stories just because you're jealous!"

"Am I?" Evelyn pulled out her phone and tapped the screen casually. "It doesn't matter whether you admit it or not. DNA tests are easy to run. Should I mail a sample of Toby's hair to your company's HR department? Or maybe post it online for all your clients to see?"

"Shut up! Shut your mouth!" Amber shrieked, scrambling up from the floor in pure panic. If this secret got out, she would be completely ruined! Society would tear her apart!

Lucas’s mind raced violently. His teeth gritted so hard his jaw ached.

Evelyn knew. She really knew. Looking at Evelyn’s dark, unreadable eyes, Lucas realized she wasn't bluffing. The quiet, obedient woman who used to cook his meals and lower her head in silence was gone.

If he pushed her too far, she would drag his entire family into the mud with her!

"Fine!" Lucas barked, his face twisting into a bitter, ugly grimace. "You want a divorce? Fine! But don't think you're getting a single cent from me!"

He sneered, convincing himself that he held the high ground.

"You just lost your job! Your last salary has gone to Amber. You don't have a family! Let's see how long a barren woman like you lasts out in the real world!" Lucas crossed his arms, his arrogance flaring back up. "When you're starving on the street in a week, don't come crawling back to my doorstep crying for forgiveness!"

In Lucas's mind, Evelyn was just throwing a hysterical tantrum. She had no money, no connections, and nowhere to go. Once she tasted the harsh reality of living on her own, she would come begging on her knees to be taken back.

However, behind Lucas's loud ranting, a wave of cold, frantic panic suddenly washed over Nora and Amber.

Nora looked at the messy living room floor, her chest tightening. Wait... if Evelyn left, who was going to cook three meals a day? Who was going to scrub the toilets, do the laundry, and wipe up Toby's spilled porridge when he threw a temper tantrum? Nora’s knees already ached from scrubbing the floor for ten minutes earlier. She hadn't lifted a finger in four years because Evelyn handled every single domestic chore!

Amber’s stomach sank even lower. Her mind raced to her bank account—or rather, the lack of one. Before Evelyn lost her job Every month, she paid off the household credit card bills, bought Toby's expensive imported formula, and handed over thousands in cash that Amber secretly swiped for her designer clothes and luxury spa days. Lucas's salary alone could barely cover the mortgage on this house! Evelyn was a stupid relentless bitch she would find a way to make another source of income that she could collect

If she walked out, who was going to pay for her new Italian heels? Who was going to act as their free live-in nanny?

Nora tugged at Lucas’s sleeve, her voice dropping into an anxious whisper. "Lucas... wait, think about this. If she leaves, who’s going to take care of Toby? Who’s going to handle the house?"

Amber quickly backed her up, swallowing her pride, her eyes darting nervously. "Yeah, Lucas... maybe don't drive her away so fast. Make her sign an apology letter instead..."

They wanted to exploit Evelyn for the rest of her life, leeching off her labour while keeping her under their thumbs. But they were trapped—if they pushed too hard, Evelyn would expose the truth about Toby.

"Good," Evelyn said softly, ignoring their frantic whispering. "Let's put that divorce in writing right now."

Fearing that Lucas might cool down or let his mother talk him out of it once his anger faded, Evelyn immediately dialed Mr. Henderson, her adoptive father's private legal advisor.

"Mr. Henderson," Evelyn spoke into the receiver, her tone firm and concise. "I need an immediate, fast-tracked divorce agreement drafted right now. Zero alimony, zero division of marital debts, zero property claims. Complete severance."

On the other end, Mr. Henderson didn't ask unnecessary questions. "Understood, Miss Evelyn. I will send the electronic document over in ten minutes."

Ten minutes later, the printout came out of the living room printer.

Lucas barely skimmed the pages. Seeing that Evelyn was waiving all rights to his house and his future salary, a cold sense of triumph washed over him, completely ignoring his mother's subtle tugs on his shirt.

She really is an idiot, Lucas thought arrogantly as he grabbed a pen. She's walking out with empty hands just to save her pathetic pride.

With a quick swipe of his hand, Lucas signed his name in heavy ink on the final line.

"There!" Lucas threw the pen onto the table, glaring at her with contempt. "You're free to pack your cheap trash and get out of my house!"

Evelyn picked up the signed paper, verifying every signature.

"I don't need to pack anything," Evelyn said coldly. She didn't take a single clothes hanger, shoe, or piece of jewelry bought with his money. Everything in this house disgusted her.

An hour later, at the municipal registry office, the red official stamps pressed down on the divorce certificates with a heavy THUMP.

The legal marriage was officially dissolved.

Stepping out of the building into the bright morning sun, Evelyn took a deep breath of the crisp air. The heavy weight that had suffocated her for two lifetimes was finally lifted.

Behind her, Lucas sneered, adjusting his suit jacket. "This is your last chance, Evelyn. If you apologize right now, I might still let you come back as a nanny for Toby."

Evelyn didn't even turn her head. She walked straight past him, pulling out her phone as she reached the curb.

She dialed Mr. Henderson.

"Miss Evelyn?"

"The divorce is finalized," Evelyn said, her voice dropping into a steady, powerful rhythm. "I am now legally a single woman."

"Understood," Mr. Henderson replied instantly. "The $900 million investment returns are now officially cleared for release into your personal, sole account. The transfer will complete in three minutes."

"Thank you, Mr. Henderson."

Evelyn hung up the phone.

A sleek black luxury SUV pulled up to the curb—a rental she had ordered while waiting for the papers to print.

Evelyn opened the door and stepped inside. As the vehicle pulled away, she looked through the tinted side window. Lucas was still standing by the steps of the registry office, looking at his phone with a proud, smug expression, completely oblivious to the world that was about to collapse around him.

A soft notification chime sounded from Evelyn's phone.

【Your account ending in 8802 has received a wire transfer of $100,000,000,000,000.00 USD. Current Balance: $100,000,000,000,120.45 USD】

Evelyn stared at the long line of zeros, her eyes gleaming with cold determination.

The timer was ticking. Thirty days until the world plunged into an icy, zombie-infested hell.

Now, her fortress build could officially begin.