The Billion-Dollar Divorce (Ian and Chloe) novel Chapter 160

Chapter 160

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Chloe said, “That’s your own flesh and blood. If I tried to stop you, I’d probably get struck by lightning.”

She gently nudged lan aside and headed for the bed, ready to get some rest.

Ian hesitated, then walked over to Chloe and couldn’t help but pull her into his arms.

He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and said, “I’ll be back soon.”

As soon as lan stepped out of the bedroom, Chloe locked the door behind him.

‘Honestly, it’d be great if he just didn’t come back tonight,‘ Chloe thought to herself.

‘Maybe then I can finally get a good night’s sleep.’

The next morning, Chloe woke to find herself in Ian’s arms.

She distinctly remembered locking the door last night.

After a moment’s pause, Chloe slipped out of bed and went to wash up.

It was just before eight in the morning, and Chloe was all set to head out for work.

Ian stepped out of the kitchen, saying with a bit of pride, “Breakfast is served! I made it myself. Eat up, and I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Chloe couldn’t hide her frown.

She replied, “Seriously, Ian, the more effort you put into cooking, the harder it is for me to eat it.”

Ian’s face grew increasingly somber.

He tried to explain, “Last night, Mitchell called and said he couldn’t deal with it, so I had to head out.”

Chloe cut him off. “Me refusing to eat your cooking has nothing to do with whether you went out last night.”

She continued, “Every time I see something you’ve made, I can’t help but think about that blueberry cake you baked for Andrea, the cruise, the flowers, the beach, and that Instagram post where you professed your love

for her.”

Chloe said, “You know me, Ian. Ever since I was a kid, if it’s not something that’s one–of–a–kind–not something that belongs only to me–I absolutely don’t want it.”

She shot back, “You’ve already made this kind of thing for Andrea, so don’t bother making it for me. Honestly, it just disgusts me.”

Ian stood frozen, watching as Chloe walked away, totally blindsided.

He tried several times to say something, but his throat felt tight, like something was stuck there–no words

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came out at all.

At 8:30 sharp, Chloe walked into her clinic.

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She slipped on her white coat and, with a practiced flick of her wrist, gathered her long hair into a simple low ponytail.

She turned to her assistant, Joanna, and said, “Let’s start calling in the patients.”

Right after Chloe finished speaking, Eric knocked and walked in.

Chloe’s attention was instantly drawn to the man standing behind Eric, cradling a child in his arms.

The man wore a slate–gray suit, tall and slender, handsome, with an aura of quiet authority.

He patiently comforted the injured child in his arms, who wouldn’t stop crying, clear exhaustion showing in his eyes.

Chloe stood up. “Hey, Eric.”

Eric introduced them. “This is Philip Foster, and that’s his son Simon.”

Chloe greeted him with a polite smile. “Hello, Mr. Foster. I’m Chloe Irvine. Please, take a seat.”

Eric said, “Mr. Foster, you guys can talk first. I’ll swing back later.”

As soon as Eric left, Chloe’s phone buzzed with a message.

It was from Eric.

He told her that Philip was an absolute powerhouse in the legal world–a high–profile international attorney.

His firm only takes on business deals worth billions and up, and he’s insanely wealthy.

Eric warned her to tread carefully during the treatment–better not get on his bad side.

Chloe took a quiet, steadying breath.

Just as I thought, Chloe mused to herself. ‘Every time Eric brings someone in personally, it’s never just a regular Joe–always some heavyweight!

Chloe asked Joanna to try coaxing Simon out of Philip’s embrace, but no matter how gently she tried, the kid just wouldn’t leave his father’s side,

Left with no other option, Chloe let Philip keep holding his son and asked him to go ahead and tell her what

was wrong.

Philip didn’t mince words–every single thing he said was important.

Philip said, “Three years ago, Simon and his mother were kidnapped. The kidnappers killed her–she died from blood loss. The trauma left Simon with severe PTSD, and he’s been in therapy for the past three years.

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He acts like an ordinary kid most of the time, but he refuses to speak and has trouble sleeping. He can only fall asleep with the help of medication, and almost every time, he’s woken up by nightmares.”

Philip went on, “Yesterday at school, Simon was hit in the head by another student and verbally bullied. Since then, he’s been in this state. At 1:05 AM last night, the doctor gave him a small dose of meds, but he only slept about forty minutes before waking up, and he hasn’t improved since.”

Chloe hesitated, her eyes clouded with uncertainty.

‘Last night, Ian said the son he shares with Andrea got into a fight at school and the other family refused to make peace. Wait–could these be the same father and son?‘ she wondered.

Chloe tentatively reached out to comfort Simon, but as soon as her hand brushed his cheek, he started bawling even louder.

She paused, watching the little guy in silence, then slipped off her doctor’s coat to seem less intimidating, and tried once more to get closer.

Chloe crouched down beside the little one, using her gentlest voice: “Simon, would you let Ms. Irvine give you a hug? Is that okay, sweetheart?”

12:23 Sat, Oct 4

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Ian strolled over with a blank face, fixing his gaze on Chloe. “So, you two know each other or what?” he asked, trying to keep things casual.

Yeah, figures, she sighed inwardly.

If there’s anyone in this world who could make Ian ditch his mega–corporate responsibilities and roll up his sleeves personally, it’s always Andrea and her son.

No question about it, Chloe thought, catching Andrea and Ian’s reactions–it had to be their kid, Clint, who

hurt Simon.

Chloe kept quiet, Jan’s expression darkened, and Andrea had this odd, unreadable look on her face.

The vibe in the hallway suddenly got weird–something had definitely shifted between them.

Philip turned to Chloe, his tone polite but curious. “Dr. Irvine, do you two know each other?”

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specialist, and he couldn’t believe Eric actually trusted someone like her with his son.

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But after just a few minutes, he found himself changing his mind about her surprisingly fast.

She was gentle and patient with Simon–almost like she had a natural mom vibe, despite her age.

She was cautious but never uptight, handling things seriously without ever coming off as stiff.

Getting Simon to open up to anyone was next to impossible, so the fact that he let Chloe close was already something special.

About ten minutes later, Chloe was still holding Simon as she and Philip headed down the hall together to the hospital wing.

As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, Chloe spotted Ian and Andrea standing right outside the hospital

room.

Andrea was caught off guard–seeing Chloe holding a kid and walking with another man, and having Ian witness the whole scene made her feel a mix of excitement and nervousness.

Ian’s gaze lingered on the child in Chloe’s arms, then shifted to Philip standing beside her.

Ian strolled over with a blank face, fixing his gaze on Chloe. “So, you two know each other or what?” he asked, trying to keep things casual.

Chloe shot a quick look at Andrea standing behind Ian, but kept silent, refusing to say anything.

“Well, that explains why Ian was so insistent about bringing him to the hospital this morning,‘ Chloe thought, a bit amused.

Yeah, figures, she sighed inwardly.

If there’s anyone in this world who could make Ian ditch his mega–corporate responsibilities and roll up his sleeves personally, it’s always Andrea and her son.

‘No question about it, Chloe thought, catching Andrea and Ian’s reactions–it had to be their kid, Clint, who

hurt Simon.

Chloe kept quiet, Jan’s expression darkened, and Andrea had this odd, unreadable look on her face.

The vibe in the hallway suddenly got weird–something had definitely shifted between them.

Philip turned to Chloe, his tone polite but curious. “Dr. Irvine, do you two know each other?”

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