The Billion-Dollar Divorce (Ian and Chloe) novel Chapter 162

Chapter 162

Chapter 162

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As Ian stepped out of the hospital, Andrea anxiously hurried over to catch up with him.

Glancing at lan’s stormy expression, Andrea asked in a low voice, “lan, your wife isn’t mad at me, is she?”

Ian stopped abruptly.

Ian fixed Andrea with a frosty look. “Andrea, I can lend you a hand for now, but I can’t be your safety net forever. Clint’s already bullying his classmates at such a young age–if this keeps up, who knows what he’ll do when he’s older? You really need to set him straight.”

Andrea couldn’t help but defend her son, sounding protective. “Ian, don’t be so dramatic. He’s only six, he doesn’t really get what’s going on. Besides, it was his first day at a new school. The other kids were ignoring him, and he just acted out because he was upset.”

Seeing the storm brewing on Ian’s face, Andrea hurried to reassure him, “I know I’ve caused you trouble. I’ll make sure to discipline him tonight–I swear, this won’t happen again.”

Ian felt uneasy, a cloud of frustration hanging over him.

Ian cut her off and strode away without waiting for Andrea to finish.

He skipped the office and went straight home.

That evening, Chloe returned home to pack up her things. Cora was busy in the kitchen preparing dinner, while Ian stood out on the balcony, wrapped up in a phone call.

After Chloe quickly tossed her belongings into a suitcase and made for the door, Ian stepped swiftly in front of her, blocking her exit.

Lan fixed his gaze on Chloe, as if searching her face for any trace of feeling or hesitation.

In a low, negotiating tone, Ian said, “Cora’s making dinner. Stay and eat first, then I’ll drive you to the airport.”

Chloe glanced at Jan, firmly pulled her hand free, and replied coolly, “Maybe you should use this time to really think about the divorce.”

With that, Chloe walked out without so much as a backward glance, leaving lan standing there in silence.

Ian stared at her determined, disappearing silhouette, a wave of panic–for reasons he couldn’t name- crashing through him.

He let his whole body collapse against the wall, feeling like the room itself was pressing in on him, his chest tight and heavy.

Their lives had been entwined for over twenty years, starting out as childhood friends and growing up side- by–side.

“There’s no way she’s completely let go of her feelings for me, lan thought desperately.

Ian walked into the living room and said, “Cora, you don’t need to make dinner tonight. You can head home.”

Late at night, Patrick came over and saw the coffee table covered with empty bottles, some tipped over. Ian was lying smashed on the couch, totally out of it.

Patrick pulled up a seat and said, “Well, this is a first–I don’t think I’ve ever seen you get this drunk before.”

Ian’s head was pounding, and he struggled to sit up.

His plan was to drown his sorrows, but every drink just made him more clear–headed–and sleep, completely

out of reach.

Patrick watched lan quietly and asked, “So, you’re admitting Andrea is your wife now. Does that mean you’ve already decided to split with Chloe?”

Ian’s fingers stalled mid–air, still holding his cigarette.

Ian looked up at Patrick and asked, “Did Chloe mention it to you?”

Patrick shrugged, “No, I caught Andrea and Vivian chatting about it at the bar tonight.”

Ian took a frustrated drag from his cigarette.

He spoke tiredly, “The first day I put Clint into that fancy school, he sent a kid straight to the hospital. Andrea clashed with the other parents, Mitchell couldn’t sort it out, so I had to clean up the mess myself.”

Patrick let out a sigh and said, “I get it. Without you, Andrea and Clint would be lost. You’re basically their guardian angel–just treat it as good karma. Go ahead and end things, and start looking after Andrea and her

son.

Ian’s face was ashen, looking worse than ever.

He muttered, “Philip is a top international attorney, and he came down hard on the school–demanded they expel Clint. At the hospital, he mistook Andrea for my wife, so I played along and leveraged the Hamilton family name to get him to quietly settle.”

Patrick eyed lan and said, “Sure, you wanted to smooth things over, but let’s be real–what you care about most is Andrea and her kid’s reputation. You’re scared your boy will be called illegitimate at school and end up getting looked down on. Am I wrong?”

Ian admitted, “That’s the promise I made Andrea when she returned.”

Patrick’s eyes widened with annoyance. “And what about all those promises you made to Chloe when you married her?”

Jan pulled out his phone and dialed Chloe’s number the moment he heard this, only to be met with silence- she didn’t answer.

Back in the car, lan was hit with a strange wave of uneasiness he couldn’t quite put into words.

Chapter 162

He fired off several texts to Chloe, but waited a long while without getting any response.

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Noticing how unsettled Ian looked, Mitchell finally spoke up. “Mr. Hamilton, everyone knows Harbor City’s a shopping paradise, especially for women. Chloe’s been working nonstop–maybe she just wants to relax and treat herself for once.”

Ian supposed that made sense.

Last time, Lydia brought gifts for Chloe and her whole family. Maybe Chloe just wanted to pick out some presents as a thank you.

She wasn’t answering his calls or texts–yeah, she was definitely still mad at him.

Maybe some retail therapy is exactly what she needs… Maybe a little break from me will actually do her good, lan tried to convince himself.

But deep into the night, Ian wandered restlessly around his huge, empty house, unable to get even a wink of sleep.

A gnawing sense of dread just kept building inside him, as if disaster was lurking right around the corner.

A little after 3 a.m., Ian finally rang up Mitchell and told him to track Chloe’s phone location right away.

The next morning at 8:30, Mitchell burst into the CEO Office of the Hamilton Group, anxiety written all over his face.

He blurted out, “Mr. Hamilton, Chloe’s location just showed she left the hotel–she’s now at Harbor City Hospital.”

Ian froze mid–sip, his coffee forgotten. “Get Harbor City Hospital on the phone. Now.”

Mitchell swallowed hard, voice strained. “We just found out… Chloe scheduled an abortion for ten o’clock.”

SUDDENLY–crack! The coffee cup Ian was holding smashed into pieces.

The cup shattered in Ian’s grip, fragments spilling everywhere as shock jolted through him.

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