Marriage Lies and a Dangerous Obsession novel Chapter 196

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Before they even reached the courthouse, Ian’s phone rang.

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On the other end, Mitchell said, “Mr. Hamilton, a few board members and your grandfather are in your office waiting for you. They really need you to come back as soon as possible.”

lan glanced over at Chloe.

Ian noticed Chloe frowning, so he said, “Didn’t I tell you already? I’ve got plans this morning and I’m not coming to the office. Just send them all away for me.”

Mitchell replied, “Mr. Hamilton, the Project Director for that billion–dollar deal you handled last time has been invited over by Mr. Lowe. He’ll arrive at Hamilton Group Headquarters at nine, and your grandfather wants you to greet him personally.”

Ian slowly pulled the car over to the curb.

He took off his Bluetooth earpiece and turned to Chloe. “Something urgent came up–I need to head back to the company. Let me take you home to rest first.”

Before Ian could finish, Chloe cut him off, her face cold. “Ian, what are you trying to pull this time?”

It feels like there’s always more work piling up.

Even when things got urgent, it was never something that could actually throw Ian off his game.

Ian unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned in toward Chloe.

He said, “Chloe, I promised you we’d get divorced, and I’ll keep my word. If you’re worried, just come along with me to the office.”

Chloe paused for a second, then asked Ian, “How long is this going to take?”

Ian answered, “I’ll do my best to finish up before noon.”

Chloe opened the car door and stepped out.

Standing outside, she told him, “lan, I’m going to trust you–for now–that this really is urgent. Go ahead and head to the office. I’ll be waiting at the courthouse. If you don’t make it by this morning, come in the afternoon. I’ll be there waiting, however long it takes.”

Just as lan stepped out of the car, his phone started ringing again.

Patrick got out of Arthur’s car, and tried to reassure lan and Chloe. “Look, if you’re really set on getting divorced today, lan, you handle your work first–I’ll go with Chloe and wait for you outside the courthouse.”

Ian shot Patrick a look, then told Chloe, “I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

Ian drove off to the office by himself, leaving Arthur and Patrick to take Chloe over to the courthouse.

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Chloe told them, “It’s fine, I can wait here by myself. You guys go on.”

Arthur really didn’t want to leave, but Patrick practically dragged him into the car.

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In the car, Arthur was still uneasy about Chloe. “Patrick, isn’t it kind of harsh leaving Chloe out there alone by herself? Maybe I should go keep her company.”

Patrick gave Arthur a look and said, “Chloe’s been through a lot–and yeah, she’s determined to go through with the divorce. But the feelings she’s had for lan, nobody else can really understand them. There’s no way she isn’t feeling something right now. They’re about to split up–just let her have some time to herself.”

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At 9:50 AM, in the CEO Office of the Hamilton Group.

After lan saw off the Project Director from Marlovia, a bunch of the Hamilton Group board members started grilling him.

Even though Ian managed to lock down the deal, the profits came out five percent lower than what they’d bargained for.

The board’s old guys just wouldn’t let up, and Ian was really at his limit.

When one of the board members tried to have lan replaced as CEO, Ian didn’t even blink. Right in front of everyone, he threw down evidence of that director’s embezzlement–and exposed a VP and several other execs who had been mixed up in shady business with him.

That move sent a clear message–nobody dared say a word after that.

It wasn’t until after ten that the last of them finally cleared out.

Ian slumped back in his office chair, drained and exhausted.

He leaned back in his chair, eyes still closed, and asked Mitchell, “What time is it?”

Mitchell answered, “It’s 10:30, Mr. Hamilton.”

Ian said, “Have the car brought around. I need to go to the courthouse.”

Seeing Ian like this, Mitchell couldn’t help but suggest, “Mr. Hamilton, it’ll take at least forty or fifty minutes to get to the courthouse from here. Even if you head out now, they’ll probably be closed by the time you arrive. Maybe you should call Chloe and let her know you’ll meet her this afternoon instead?”

Ian pushed himself up, still drained. “Just get the car ready.”

‘It took so much for Chloe to trust me, even just this once–I can’t blow it this time, Ian thought.

Meanwhile, at the courthouse.

Chloe had already been sitting in the lobby for more than two hours.

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Without exception, every young couple coming in for a marriage license looked so happy–like every girl was stepping straight into a fairy tale romance.

But the ones there to get divorced, you could see the worries and heartache written all over their faces.

There was a middle–aged woman who, after getting her divorce papers, just collapsed onto the floor, sobbing so hard she couldn’t even get up.

Some young wives, unwilling to accept it, would end up getting into screaming matches—or even scuffling— with their ex–husbands, right there in the lobby.

And then there were those women who, after getting their divorce papers, just stood there like statues, their faces numb and their eyes completely empty.

Some faces were more troubled than others, but you could see the sadness lingering there, no matter how much they tried to hide it.

No one who left with a divorce certificate managed to walk out smiling—even if they’d hoped to.

That’s what you get for falling for the wrong person.

Chloe glanced at the time on her phone.

In twenty minutes, the courthouse would be closing for the day.

Feeling restless, she stepped out and stood at the entrance, watching cars come and go.

‘I can’t believe I’m back here–after all this.‘ Chloe thought back to the day she and Ian got their marriage license.

She’d been just like this back then.

She stood at her front door, anxiously waiting for Ian to come pick her up.

When lan got out of the car holding a bouquet of bright red roses, she darted into his arms like a little bird.

It was the first time lan had ever given her red roses.

Ian took her hand and led her in to get the marriage license, holding hands, fingers locked together, and when they walked out of the courthouse, they still hadn’t let go.

Once they got in the car, she proudly posted their bright red marriage certificate on Instagram.

That was the first time Jan leaned in and kissed her so deeply, then gently rubbed her head and teased, “You smile like a fool, you know that?”

Feeling her eyes grow misty, Chloe tilted her head up slightly.

Behind her, another couple stormed out, divorce papers in hand, still shouting at each other.

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Just as Chloe shook herself out of her memories, she finally spotted Ian’s car rolling up.

She couldn’t hold back–she rushed over and opened the car door herself for lan.

Ian got out, and the first thing he noticed were Chloe’s eyes, all red and watery.

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He couldn’t help himself–he reached out, took her hand, and gently pulled her aside. Then, with his calloused fingertips, he softly wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes.

Chloe pulled his hand away. “Come on, let’s not waste time. We still have a shot before the courthouse closes.”

Seeing lan just standing there, Chloe reached out and tugged at his arm.

Ian caught her wrist and said, “Chloe, do you remember what you promised me?”

Chloe was getting impatient, so she blurted out her words a little faster than usual.

She said, “Ian, as long as you get divorced with me today, I swear I’ll do everything I can–I’ll even hypnotize Andrea myself to help her recover.”

Ian squeezed her hand and said, “One of the reasons I agreed to the divorce was also because I wanted you to use hypnosis on Andrea, to finally get to the truth.”

He paused briefly, meeting Chloe’s gaze. “But honestly, the biggest reason I said yes was you. You want the divorce, and I… I want a chance to start over–with you.”

Standing so close they could feel each other’s breath, Chloe met Ian’s gaze for a long moment before she quietly looked away..

She didn’t try to contradict anything Ian said.

Instead, she just reminded him again, “The courthouse is about to close. Let’s get inside while we still can.”

Ian just stared at Chloe, a strange wave of panic tightening in his chest.

He couldn’t help himself–in front of everyone passing by, he carefully drew Chloe into his arms, holding her like he was afraid to let go.

Chloe patted his shoulder, trying to soothe him. “Ian, it’s just a divorce, you know. We’re still going to see each other–don’t make it harder than it already is.”

Jan slowly let Chloe go.

They locked eyes, neither of them willing to look away, the air between them charged with emotion,

With yearning and reluctance written all over his face, lan gently took hold of Chloe’s hand. The two stepped side by side into the courthouse, ready to face whatever came next.

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Chapter 197