Mother: Chloe, someone is knocking at the front door very loudly right now.
Chloe walked through her mother's suburban home holding a cold glass of lemonade. She had landed in Texas just two hours prior, feeling relieved to escape her ruined marriage.
Chloe: It is probably just the Amazon delivery driver with my new luggage sets, Mom.
She opened the heavy wooden front door with a bright smile on her face. A tall man in a dark gray suit was standing on the porch holding a thick white folder.
Process Server: Are you Chloe Miller, wife of Ethan Miller from Ohio?
Chloe: Yes, I am. Who are you and why are you asking for my full legal name?
Process Server: You have been officially served with legal divorce papers filed in the state court this afternoon.
He handed her the thick envelope and immediately walked down the front steps toward his unmarked car without saying another word.
Chloe: Wait! Divorce papers? Ethan doesn't even have enough money to hire a cheap lawyer!
She tore open the paper envelope with trembling hands as her mother stood in the hallway behind her.
Mother: What does the document say, sweetie? Why is Ethan filing for divorce so quickly?
Chloe: He is claiming complete spousal abandonment and asking for a full dissolution of our marriage.
Mother: That poor boy couldn't even pay for his groceries last week when you called me.
Chloe flipped through the pages until her eyes caught a official legal notice attached to the back of the petition.
Chloe: Look at this attachment from Pendelton Law Associates downtown...
Mother: Pendelton Law is the most expensive commercial estate firm in the whole region!
Chloe pulled out her phone frantically and dialed Ethan's mobile number, but it went straight to voicemail after one ring.
Chloe: Ethan, pick up your phone right now! What is the meaning of these legal papers?
She sent a quick text message to his personal phone number while pacing back and forth across the rug.
Chloe: You can't just divorce me without talking to me first! I deserve half of everything!
A few seconds later, her phone chimed with a incoming message notification from Ethan’s lawyer instead.
Lawyer Text: Mrs. Miller, please direct all future communications regarding Ethan Miller to our legal office directly.
Chloe: Why is his lawyer responding from his personal line right now, Mom?
She immediately searched Ethan’s name on her phone's web browser, hoping to find any news about his sudden legal representation.
The top news headline on the local business journal made her heart drop straight into her stomach.
Headline: Ethan Miller Named Sole Heir To Charles Miller's Four Million Dollar Estate Trust.
Chloe dropped her glass of lemonade onto the floor, sending shattered glass and liquid splashing across her mother's clean white tiles.
Chloe: Four million dollars? He just inherited four million dollars today?
Mother: Oh my goodness... Chloe, you left his house just hours before he became a millionaire!
Chloe covered her mouth in absolute horror as the realization hit her like a physical blow to the chest.
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