EX-HUSBAND AND THE BILLIONAIRE, PLEASE STOP CLINGING TO ME

“Let’s get a divorce!”

Today was an unlucky day.

The news that Danielle’s family had gone bankrupt had only come out a few days ago, and her husband’s family was already eager to cut all ties. Danielle, once a daughter-in-law from a wealthy background, married to her high school first love, living what seemed like a fairy-tale life admired by many… now saw it all end with a stack of “divorce agreement” papers.

A tense and suffocating atmosphere enveloped Danielle. Every sharp word from Tino was like a blade stabbing straight into her fragile heart. At this moment, she looked exactly like a fool stabbed in the back by her own loved ones.

Frank Tino continued to pour cold water over her. He said.

“All the savings and real estate have already been transferred to my mother, so we don’t have what you’d call joint property. Don’t expect to get a single penny from me to pay off your parents’ debts.”

Danielle’s heartbeat surged as if it were about to explode. Her mind went completely blank. She pinched her hand hard, telling herself this was just a nightmare, but no, her reddened skin proved that this was the truth, the reality she had to face.

Danielle pleaded in confusion, begging for mercy. “Please, Tino! You’re joking with me, aren’t you? You know I’m suffering so much right now. Why are you treating me like this?”

How could Frank Tino not know that his actions at this moment were extremely cruel to Danielle. But he did not want his in-laws’ debts to affect his reputation and career. Especially when he learned that the biggest creditor of the Angelina family was the billionaire Lionel Rick, a man infamous for his violent temper and untouchable nature.

Frank Tino had no choice but to discard the wife he never truly valued. Even when he saw the despair in Danielle’s tear-filled eyes, he remained utterly heartless.

“In truth, I’ve stopped loving you a long time ago. Please just set me free, Danielle! I’m begging you, set my family free.”

Set him free?

He called it freedom, as if the nearly ten years he had spent by her side were something disgusting. Why hadn’t he said that sooner? If he had, he might have looked more like a man, but instead he chose this exact moment, when her family was facing one crisis after another.

What a heartless bastard.

Frank Tino did not care about her feelings at all. He hurriedly signed the divorce papers without even glancing at her. Tears of grievance rolled down the cheeks of the thirty-year-old woman who had always believed in eternal love, in giving and receiving. She had devoted nearly ten years of her youth to this house, even giving up a study-abroad scholarship and job opportunities just to listen to her husband and retreat into the kitchen to fulfill the duties of a wife.

Her mother-in-law, Mrs. Oliver, who had drained her strength and spirit to the very end, still sat there calmly nibbling on pine nuts and watching television.

Her father-in-law, Mr. Frank Ben, had a cigarette constantly hanging from his lips. His current good health was thanks entirely to the expensive imported medicines his daughter-in-law had bought for him, and the VIP medical services funded by her family.

The two of them were so calm that Danielle could not help but suspect that everything happening now had been a plan designed for her from the beginning.

So the Frank family had never truly considered her a member of the family. They had only taken advantage of her while she still had value. Thinking back, all of Tino’s past promises, the times he raised his hand and swore he would bring her happiness, were all lies. He swore so many times, yet he fulfilled none of them.

From beginning to end, she was the only one naive enough to believe in the trash love he created. Her family’s bankruptcy meant the validity of this marriage had come to an end. Frank Tino had quietly taken care of all his assets, so stingy that he did not want to spend a single cent on her.

The Frank family were all hypocritical ingrates.

Danielle let out a bitter laugh and gently wiped away her tears. She suddenly remembered that Mrs. Oliver was still keeping the dowry her parents had given her before the wedding. That was her personal property, and Mrs. Oliver had promised to “hold onto it” until she had a child. She and her husband had not had a child for many years, and now that they were divorcing, there was nothing unreasonable about her taking back her own property. At the very least, the chest contained around one hundred taels of gold and gemstone jewelry worth several million dollars.

Danielle took a deep breath. Something this important, she had to speak up.

“Mother, please return my dowry to me before I leave.”

Both father and son of the Frank family turned to look at Mrs. Oliver, their eyes lighting up at the mention of money, but it seemed they knew nothing about the existence of that chest. Of course, because Mrs. Oliver had secretly taken it for herself. She used it for luxurious trips with her friends, and the rest she gave to her younger brother to invest in cryptocurrency, only to lose everything.

“Is that true?” her father-in-law angrily demanded. He was angry that such a good thing had been hidden from him for so many years.

Even the television remote was snatched away by her son, and Mrs. Oliver became flustered. Whenever she was about to lie, her ears would turn red like ripe tomatoes.

“What things? You, don’t you dare frame me! I have never kept anything of yours!”

“I’m not lying. Back then, the gardener and the maid Nary both saw it. You said you were only keeping it for me, that I could take it back anytime I needed it. You also know that dowry is not a small amount, it is very important to my family right now. Please return it to me, and I will leave the Frank family immediately, just as Tino wishes.”

“I really didn’t take anything from her.” Mrs. Oliver still stubbornly denied it. The father and son could only shake their heads in exasperation; they knew exactly what kind of person she was.

Danielle insisted that she would call the police if Mrs. Oliver continued to be stubborn.

Faced with her daughter-in-law’s determination, Mrs. Oliver seemed to choke as if a fishbone were stuck in her throat. Reluctantly, the Frank family had to call in the gardener and the long-time maid named Nari for questioning.

After an hour of endless arguing… even in her dreams, Danielle could never have imagined that Mrs. Nari would choose to betray her. For ten years, Danielle had protected her like family from her mother-in-law’s harshness, and when her daughter needed money for surgery, it was Danielle who did not hesitate to help. As for the gardener, a man always praised as kind and honest, he now knew how to lie without blinking.

Everything turned against Danielle. Even the truth could not win if they all joined forces to push her to the brink.

“Everything is clear now. Do you have anything else to say? If not, then pack your things and get out of our family immediately.” Mrs. Oliver looked extremely smug.

Danielle had no choice but to take off her apron and walk upstairs in sorrow.

Her mother-in-law still would not let her go. She continued to sneer and called out after her, “Oh, you’re only allowed to take what belongs to you. As for the things my son bought for you… you must return them all!”

Danielle turned around sharply and retorted.

“Your son has never bought me a single expensive item, Mother! On the contrary, you’ve reminded me of something very important. The things I gave to you and Father, and even the clothes my husband is wearing, were all bought by me. I will definitely come back to take them. When that time comes, don’t forget.”

“You… how dare you?” Mrs. Oliver nearly had a heart attack, the very definition of shooting oneself in the foot. Her father-in-law quickly took off the Swiss watch from his wrist and hid it away.

Frank Tino loosened his tie, finally letting out a breath of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted. At last, he had driven out his dull and now worthless wife, and was preparing to bring home his pregnant mistress.

“Danielle, don’t blame me. If you must blame someone, blame yourself. A woman without a family to back her, whose beauty has faded, and most importantly who cannot bear children, has no value in this society.”