Marriage Lies and a Dangerous Obsession novel Chapter 271

Chapter 271

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Just as Chloe finished speaking, Patrick and Mia walked in through the revolving glass doors. Chloe noticed Mia was still in her sharp business suit, and she instantly realized Mia must’ve come straight from work.

Patrick handed the gift to Mia, signaling for her to give it to Chloe herself.

Mia didn’t hesitate. She stepped up to Chloe and said, “Happy birthday, Chloe.”

Chloe’s eyes grew misty with emotion as she hugged Mia. “I knew you’d come.”

Carl walked over and asked, “Chloe, is anyone still missing?”

Chloe looked around at everyone and shook her head. “Everyone’s here. Let’s get started.”

Mia and Patrick locked eyes for a brief moment.

Mia dipped her head, sorrow flickering across her features. To Chloe, Ian was already long out of the running.

Patrick slipped his arm around Mia’s shoulders, offering quiet comfort.

Before Chloe could cut the cake, Philip spoke up. “Dr. Irvine, why not say a few words first?”

Chloe turned to Philip, surprised to see the usually reserved lawyer letting loose for once. With everyone encouraging her, Chloe cleared her throat, smiled, and gave a little nod.

Patrick and Mia stood a bit off to the side, just outside the crowd. Seeing Chloe getting ready to speak, Patrick hesitated, then dialed Ian for a video call. Ian picked up almost instantly.

Patrick couldn’t see his face and asked, “Ian, why can’t I see you?”

Ian just said he was changing and couldn’t be on camera at the moment. With all the noise and excitement going on, Patrick didn’t really think too much about it.

Chloe stood in the middle of the crowd, her voice warm and sincere. “Thank you all for coming out to celebrate with me tonight. Today’s my twenty–seventh birthday, and this year is the start of my second life.”

As Chloe spoke, her heartfelt words gradually quieted the whole room.

Chloe added, “I’m really happy today. The people I love, and the ones who love me, are all here. I feel blessed. From this moment on, I’m hitting reset on everything before twenty–seven. I’ll try to love myself better.

I just hope everyone gets to live a good life and find what really makes it worth living.”

The things that almost broke her once turned out to be the very things that made her strong enough to never be broken again.

At the back of the crowd, Mia watched the shaky video feed, her heart aching. “Ian, wait for me. I’ll buy a cake and come back to celebrate your birthday with you.”

18:53 Sat, Oct 18

Chapter 271

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Ian’s birthday was on November 28th, and Chloe’s was on December 8th–less than two weeks apart. lan’d always postpone his birthday and celebrate it together with Chloe’s.

Last month, on lan’s birthday, Mia and Miranda had cooked up a whole feast and even ordered a cake ahead of time. But that day, lan just disappeared, and no one saw him again until the next morning.

Patrick watched as lan never showed his face or said a word on the call. Left with no other choice, he ended it. Not wanting to dampen everyone’s spirits, Patrick slipped out of the party with Mia, not saying goodbye to Chloe.

Seeing Mia’s eyes turn red with worry for Ian, Patrick pulled her into a gentle hug. “Let’s go buy a cake right now. I’ll come with you so we can make it up to lan together.”

Meanwhile, the house Ian and Chloe once shared stayed unnaturally quiet, the air thick with stillness. Only the walk–in closet broke the silence, a single light spilling softly through the door.

Jan sent his last message, and his numb body slowly collapsed to the floor. Blood pooled beside him–some already drying into a dark stain, some freshly spilled and vivid. Nearby, a pill bottle lay on its side, its contents scattered across the floor.

His right hand was clenched so hard that something had jabbed into his palm, blood dripping steadily down onto the floor.

His face was eerily calm, his eyes fixed on the ceiling, lifeless and lost. His breathing was faint, but hot tears kept spilling from his eyes. His eyes stayed open, and all he could see in his mind was Chloe.

When Ian and Chloe were kids, Chloe was adorably spoiled. Jill and Frank made sure she was always a chubby little ball, forever racing to catch up with Ian.

If she couldn’t catch up, she’d just plop down on the floor and cry, waiting for him to turn around and scoop her up.

Even as Chloe got older, she still clung to his side. Whenever she called him “Ian,” that sing–song sweetness in her voice just melted his heart every single time.

If lan ever ignored her, she’d instantly start pouting, getting upset and stirring up all kinds of trouble. Chloe’d fuss and push until he finally dropped whatever he was doing just to calm her down and make her smile again.

As the years went by, the way Chloe looked at Ian changed. There was that shy, first–crush kind of sparkle in her eyes. She clung to him, sometimes teasing, sometimes stealing a kiss when she thought he wouldn’t

notice.

She even had the nerve to tell any girl who tried to get close that she was his future wife.

When lan finally said he wanted to marry her, he could see Chloe’s eyes light up with tears of overwhelming joy and amazement. She looked like she couldn’t believe this was really happening.

Through her tears, she asked him again and again, “My family is bankrupt. Do you really still want to marry me?”

After they got married, Chloe gradually learned to rein in her fiery nature, growing gentler and more caring,

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Chapter 271

ao much so that even he didn’t notice the quiet change happening right under his nose.

Chloe’s smile was always so full of contentment, so genuinely happy. She always insisted that her love for lan was greater than her love for herself. She always said she’d never leave his side, no matter what happened.

But in the end, she still left him behind. She walked away without a single glance back. Ian was the one who shattered her love, erased her smile, and ruined her happiness–and he had no one to blame but himself.

Now, Chloe was independent, confident, and she shone brighter than ever. She was surrounded by incredible people who cared about her deeply, people who loved her, while lan no longer had any room in her world.

Ian closed his eyes, letting the tears fall. He used to think love was just a myth, something that didn’t really exist in this world. But Chloe gave him the most passionate, genuine love anyone could ever hope for.

He finally understood what love really was and what true happiness felt like. The realization hit too late, though, and all that was left inside him was a knot of pain and regret he couldn’t untangle.

Ian murmured under his breath, wishing time could turn back so he could love her the right way. He said, “Chloe, I’m so sorry. I love you.”

All at once, lan realized the pain was slipping away. The tension that had kept his body locked for so long finally drained out.

His unclenching palm was nothing but a blur of blood and flesh–crystal shards mingled so deeply with torn skin, they were just a formless red mess, impossible to separate.

Late at night, Patrick and Mia returned with the cake, flipping on the lights in the living room.

They set the cake down and, drawn by the glow from the bedroom, walked straight into the closet. As soon as the tang of blood hit their noses, both of them went ghostly pale.

“Lan?” Mia was so shocked by the blood–soaked scene that her legs just gave out, and she crumpled to the floor, completely overwhelmed.

Patrick’s face went stone–cold as he called 911, then quickly reached out to everyone back at the Old Hamilton Marior to break the news. Ian was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.

It was 8.30 the next morning Chloe had barely stepped into her office when Eric walked in. Noticing the unusually grim look on his face, Chloe blurted out, “Eric, has something happened?”

Eric took several deep breaths, gathering himself. After a long pause, he looked at Chloe, his expression somber. Last night, at 11.59 PM, Mr. Hamilton had a sudden heart attack. They couldn’t save him.”

Chloe’s expression froze, shock locking her features in place.

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Chapter 272