Marriage Lies and a Dangerous Obsession novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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At 7 pm, Chloe arrived at the restaurant. With practiced ease, Ian pulled out her chair for her. She sat down quietly and watched as he

ordered.

Dressed in a black business suit and matching shirt, Ian carried himself not with dull monotony, but with understated elegance.

Raised since childhood as the heir to the Hamilton family, he came from an impeccable background, received superior education, possessed sharp intellect, and demonstrated polished manners.

In all the twenty–five years Chloe had known him, she had never heard him swear or lose his temper. He even spoke to waiters with consistent courtesy, as though every situation remained firmly within his control.

“Ian is exceptional, and yet he has married a woman he doesn’t love. Of course it will end in divorce, Chloe thought, the truth bitter and cold within her.

While they waited for their food, Ian set a small jewelry box down beside Chloe’s plate. “For our third anniversary,” he said. She tightened her grip on her water glass, gave a slight nod, and glanced at the box with detached calm.

She had loved Ian for twenty two years and been his wife for three. No one understood better than her how cold he was beneath that polished, gentlemanly surface and how deliberately he kept her at a distance.

When she was young and naive, she used to beg him for gifts. Sometimes, worn down by her persistence, he would give in, and she would treasure and show off each gift for days.

After the Irvine family went bankrupt, her mother told her, “You’re just an ordinary girl now. We’re no longer their social equals. You are not worthy of lan.” From that day on, Chloe never again acted like a spoiled princess, nor did she ever ask Ian for another gift.

And yet, even though he didn’t love her, Ian upheld every appearance of the perfect husband. He never missed an occasion, whether her birthday, Valentine’s Day, or their anniversary, each one marked with a thoughtful gift.

Noticing Chloe’s lack of interest, Ian opened the jewelry box himself and took out a diamond bracelet. She could tell at a glance that it was worth well over a million.

Reaching out, Ian took Chloe’s left hand to clasp the bracelet around her wrist. Chloe instinctively tried to pull back. His grip tightened as his eyes held hers with quiet intensity. “You don’t like it?”

There was a time when even a simple hair tie from him would have made her heart flutter for days. But now, as he tried to fasten an exquisite diamond bracelet around her wrist, she instinctively pulled away.

Chloe shook her head, her expression cool and detached. “It’s fine,” she said. Her hand lay still in his, neither accepting nor resisting, just suspended in wordless ambiguity.

lan fastened the bracelet around her wrist, his fingers lingering for a moment longer than necessary. “It looks beautiful,” he said.

“Thank you,” she replied, her tone polite but utterly devoid of warmth. She let her hand rest limply in his for another moment before gently withdrawing it, the diamonds glittering coldly against her skin.

Ian frowned. Chloe had been following him around since they were children. From the moment she could talk, she had never hesitated to ask him for things.

She used to accept anything he gave her, no matter how small, with genuine delight. But now, after three years of marriage, she had somehow learned to be polite.

She must be throwing a fit, upset that I’ve been distant and chose Andrea over served her a portion, “Your favorite pancake.”

anniversary,‘ he thought. Picking up his utensils, he

Chloe looked down at the dessert, then lifted her gaze to meet his. “If I said I wanted to taste a pancake made by you, would you actually learn to make it for me?” Her voice was soft, but the question hung in the air, sharp and testing,

lan sliced his steak gracefully, his voice low and sensual. “Everyone has their strengths. Even the junior chefs here would cook better than me. Order anything you like. Don’t worry about the cost.”

Chloe lowered her eyes, concealing the disappointment and pain within. ‘Everyone has their strengths. What a convenient excuse. He could make a blueberry cake with his own hands for her and their son,

posting it proudly on Instagram. Yet he couldn’t be

had never been clearer.

bothered to learn one dessert for me. The line between love and indian”

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She took a bite of the pancake. It tasted strangely bitter and unpleasant. Frowning, she forced herself to swallow it, much like she had been forcing down the bitterness in her heart, with no way to release it. All desire to speak left her. The food in her mouth tasted like

sawdust.

As was his custom, Ian spoke little during the meal, his movements refined and controlled. A heavy silence settled between them, punctuated only by the occasional sound of silverware. The air grew thick with unspoken tension. Ian paused and looked at Chloe closely.

As a child, she could never sit still at the table. As she grew older, she would chatter endlessly through every meal. He had once wondered if she might have ADHD and even suggested to her parents that they have her seen by a doctor. Even when she was upset, sh would cry or yell, and never withdraw into silence like this.

Irritated, lan tugged at his collar. Just then, his phone screen lit up with a notification. He glanced at it and turned the screen face down.

Just as he reached for Chloe’s glass to refill her juice, his phone began to vibrate. He hesitated, declined the call, and finished pouring. But before he could set down the glass, the phone buzzed again.

Their eyes met, and Ian’s expression darkened a bit. Chloe’s attention, however, remained fixed on the persistently vibrating phone.

She had known him for years. Even when they needed to talk, one missed call was usually enough. If he didn’t answer, she would text. She might send message after message, but she never dared to flood his phone with relentless calls.

That was the line he had drawn for her. Besides, she understood his busy schedule and the formal environments he often worked in. She never wanted to be an inconvenience.

This call, however, was clearly from his unforgettable first love. Chloe saw not anger, but urgency flash in Ian’s eyes.

When the phone rang for the fourth time, he finally spoke. “I’ll leave the car for you. Go home and rest early. Don’t wait for me.”

As he rose, Chloe stood as well. Suppressing the heavy ache in her chest, she picked up her bag and phone. “Don’t worry about me,” she said evenly. “I’ll take a taxi home.” Ian offered no explanation, and Chloe asked for none.

Distracted, she bumped into a waiter passing by her table as she stepped away. Her phone and bag fell to the floor. Everything was scattered, including the divorce agreement she had printed earlier at the law firm.

Ian bent down to gather the papers, but Chloe swiftly retrieved the divorce agreement before he could reach it. It wasn’t time to confront him yet. She would wait until after her mother was discharged from the hospital.

Ian’s eyes swept over the scattered cosmetics, and then settled on the paper clutched in Chloe’s hand. His expression grew guarded when he reached toward it. “What is that document?”

“Just some medical paperwork,” Chloe lied, trying her best to keep her voice light.

“Is that so?” He didn’t believe her. His eyes remained fixed on her hand, his tone laced with quiet skepticism.

Chloe tried to pull away, but Ian still almost snatched the document from her grasp. For a moment, they were locked in a silent struggle, each holding an end of the paper, neither willing to yield.

Just as Chloe felt her grip beginning to slip on the corner, Ian’s phone buzzed once more. He shot her a sharp glance, then released his hold.

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