My Ex-Husband's Star Painter Stole My Art

Claire, a gifted oil painter, gave up an offer from a Paris gallery and closed her private studio for love, becoming the full‑time wife of Adrian, CEO of Hawthorne Group. During their three‑year marriage, she willingly set aside her artistic talent, quietly managing her husband’s daily life and supporting his career. On the night of her husband’s birthday banquet, she had brought an ultrasound report, intending to surprise him with the news of her six‑week pregnancy. Instead, she witnessed Adrian allowing rising painter Selena to grow intimate with him. Worse still, she discovered that Selena’s breakout painting, sold for 1.2 million US dollars, was stolen from old drafts stored in Claire’s sealed‑off studio. Claire exposed the plagiarism in public. Nevertheless, Adrian chose to believe Selena, who excelled at playing the victim, and forced Claire to apologize before the crowd. Amid the chaos and confrontation, Selena deliberately shoved Claire, causing her to miscarry. Devastated and heartbroken, Claire tricked Adrian into signing divorce papers. Bearing the agony of losing her child alone, she resolutely left the city and headed west. When Adrian later found the divorce agreement, the ultrasound report and the miscarriage records, he came to his senses. He immediately cut off all financial backing for Selena, held a public press conference to restore Claire’s reputation, and traveled west in a desperate attempt to win her back and atone for his wrongs. Yet belated remorse could not heal the wounds of the past, and Claire firmly refused to reconcile. While taking part in an old‑theater restoration project, she met Lucas, who respected and admired her. She picked up her paintbrushes once more after a three‑year hiatus. Unwilling to fall from grace, Selena kept twisting facts in the media, smearing Claire as someone who fabricated scandals for clout after her failed marriage. She even publicly pressured Claire to paint live to prove her authenticity. Claire calmly accepted the challenge. She shattered public doubts with her artistic skill, and presented evidence including complete timelines and original sketches to expose that many of Selena’s signature works were plagiarized from Claire’s early creations. Cornered, Selena attacked with a knife at Claire’s solo exhibition. Adrian threw himself forward and took the blade for Claire. In the end, Selena faced legal punishment for multiple charges including copyright infringement through plagiarism, commercial fraud and intentional assault. All awards and fame she had obtained through theft were revoked. Adrian returned full copyright and all proceeds of Claire’s artworks to her, and transformed the art gallery that had made Selena famous into a public‑welfare exhibition hall supporting young creators. He accepted the permanent loss of Claire. Claire reclaimed her rightful credit and artistic career. Together with Lucas, she built a public‑welfare art center for underprivileged and orphaned young artists. She gained equal and sincere love, and rediscovered her long‑lost self.