The Billion-Dollar Divorce (Ian and Chloe) novel Chapter 247

Chapter 247

Chapter 247

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Early in the morning, lan and Chloe stood side by side on the beach, gazing out at the endless expanse of the deep blue sea.

Chloe’s eyes were calm and composed, her expression unreadable.

lan’s gaze, on the other hand, was filled with pain and restraint.

Chloe lingered for a moment, then gave lan a gentle nudge, “Let’s go.”

Seeing that lan remained rooted to the spot, Chloe turned on her heel and headed toward the helicopter by herself, her gaze steady even as she walked away alone.

“Chloe!” lan’s voice cracked, desperation lacing every syllable.

He crushed her in his arms, clinging to her desperately, as if she might disappear the very next moment.

Before Chloe could pull away, lan begged in a broken voice, “Let me hold you–just one last time!”

His grip tightened on her, head buried deep in her hair, trying to burn her scent into his memory.

In a trembling whisper, lan said, “I’m sorry. I just want to remember your scent, and what it feels like to hold

you.

‘Is this really the end for us?‘ Ian thought to himself, closing his eyes as pain washed over him.

Half–lost, Ian looked at Chloe and said softly, “Chloe, is there really no future for us?”

His voice was barely audible, almost as if he was just whispering to himself.

The early morning sun washed the beach in golden light, everything feeling gentle and just right.

Ian, with his white shirt, locked Chloe–her white dress soft against him–in a tight embrace, choking back his tears as best he could.

It wasn’t long ago, in that summer, when Ian wore this same white shirt and Chloe was in her wedding gown, and he’d held her close, kissing her so tenderly.

But now, no matter how strong the ocean breeze, it couldn’t carry them back to the days they’d lost.

Chloe slowly pulled herself out of lan’s arms, her tone calm and resolute as she said, “Let’s go.”

Ian remained motionless behind her, staring blankly at her fading silhouette, his steps heavy as if his feet were weighed down by a thousand pounds.

The air was thick with silence; neither of them spoke again.

Chloe walked ahead, lan following silently.

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The early morning sun hid behind the distant coastline, casting their shadows long across the beach, but no matter how far those shadows reached, they couldn’t keep the two of them together.

Once Chloe got on the helicopter, she shut her eyes and sank into herself, as if blocking out the whole world,

Jan kept his gaze locked on Chloe the entire time, unable to look away–like he was afraid she might vanish if

he blinked.

A few hours later, it was noon in Kingsford

The helicopter touched down gently at Hamilton Private Airfield.

As lan and Chloe stepped off the helicopter, the Hamilton and Irvine families, who had been waiting at the airfield, swarmed toward them, filling the space with excitement and urgency.

Chloe saw her parents, her brother Carl, and Arthur hurrying toward her in the crowd. She extended her hand to lan, keeping her tone calm, “Mr. Hamilton, may I have my phone back?”

Ian’s bloodshot eyes stayed fixed on Chloe for a moment longer before he finally handed her the phone.

Just as Chloe was about to walk away, lan couldn’t hold back–he reached out, trying to catch her hand.

Chloe paused, her voice steady as she looked at him. “Ian, this time, I’m choosing to trust you.”

Their eyes met, and Ian’s hand, which had been half outstretched toward her, slowly fell to his side, the weight of emotion making it impossible to keep it raised.

“I’m gonna kill you, you bastard!” Carl roared, charging straight at lan.

Carl socked Ian right in the face, blood immediately trickling from lan’s lip.

Arthur shoved Carl aside and started swinging at lan, but Ian fought back without missing a beat.

“Shit! You just love picking on me, huh?” Arthur snapped, his tone sharp and accusing.

Chloe darted over, putting herself between Arthur and the others to protect him.

Ian caught Chloe’s furious glare, and slowly let his fist drop, the fight draining out of him.

With one hand on Carl and the other on Arthur, Chloe dragged them both back, forcing some space between

them.

She reassured everyone, her voice steady: “Mom, Dad, Mr. Logan, Carl–I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me, so don’t lose your heads, okay?”

Chloe had no clue if lan would snap, but if things kept getting out of hand, those two old men from the Hamilton family–Shane and Edward–would definitely turn on them.

family ho

Chloe couldn’t hold back, her tone icy sharp. “Edward, if your golden boy gets exposed for breaking the law and locking up his ex–wife, do you really think your company’s stock won’t tank?”

Chloe fixed Shane with a cold, sarcastic smile. “So, Shane, next time you won’t be blaming me for ‘seducing your son‘ just to somehow win him back and cash in on the Hamilton family fortune, right?”

Shane just stood there, gritting his teeth and glaring at Chloe, too guilty to even say a word.

Jill pointed right at lan and snapped, “How could we have been so blind, letting Chloe marry a scumbag like you!”

lan was so numb he couldn’t even feel the pain anymore.

Frank shoved lan so hard that Ian almost lost his footing, stumbling backward awkwardly.

Noticing lan’s condition spiraling, Miranda stepped forward quickly. “As his mother, and on behalf of the Hamilton family, I owe Chloe and your family a sincere apology. I didn’t raise my son well–please accept apology for his mistakes.”

Shane stormed over and slapped lan hard across the face. “You bastard!” he snarled.

Ian reeled from the blow, his body shaking violently. Mitchell rushed forward to catch him, steadying lan before he could collapse.

Shane jabbed his finger angrily at lan. “You’d just toss aside the entire company for a woman? Have you completely lost your mind?”

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Edward declared, “Now that you’re back, let’s put all this behind us. Make sure you’re ready–you’re getting engaged to Margaret at the end of the month

lan’s face was expressionless, but his voice was unwavering. “T’m not agreeing to this engagement, so you’d better give up on that idea.”

Edward angrily pointed toward where Chloe had disappeared. “So you’re refusing to get engaged to Miss Goodwin–are you still hung up on that woman or what?”

Ian pushed Mitchell away and walked straight up to Edward.

He spit out each word, his voice rock steady. “Even if Chloe never wants anything to do with me again, I’m never getting engaged to anyone else.”

Shane glared at him, frustrated. “lan, you’re the only heir to the Hamilton family! You’re sitting at the very top in Avalonia–seriously, you could have any woman you wanted just by snapping your fingers.”

“Back when you married Chloe, you never even put much emotion into it. You acted cool and handled it all just fine. So why did you go off the rails after the divorce? What on earth did she do to get you so wrapped around her finger?”

Ian’s voice was weary and full of pain. “Dad… it’s all on me. I can’t let Chloe go, no matter what I do. Everything I did–none of it was enough for her. I’m the one who hurt her. I’m the one who never measured up. All of this… it’s my fault.”

Shane’s face was twisted in rage, veins bulging on his forehead as he raised his hand to slap lan.

But Ian suddenly coughed up blood, crumpling to the ground with a loud thud–out cold, just like that.

“Tan!” Shane and Miranda screamed, panic crashing through their voices.

Both of them just stood there speechless, utterly shell–shocked by what they’d seen.

Edward’s s cane hit the floor with a loud clatter as he suddenly collapsed, dropping hard to the ground right

after.

Thomas Quinn, the butler, reacted with lightning reflexes, catching Edward just in time. “Sirf he called out, his voice anxious.

Shane barked at the driver to get the car ready.

Then he jabbed a finger at Mitchell and roared, “Spill it! What the hell is going on here?”

Mitchell knew he couldn’t hide it anymore and blurted out, “Ever since lan divorced Chloe, he’s been dealing with serious stomach issues and heart pains. Without the meds Chloe gave him, the guy hasn’t slept a wink in

forever.

Mitchell took a deep breath, bracing himself as he faced Edward and Shane. “If you keep forcing lan to let go. of Chloe, you’re basically asking him to throw away his own life!”

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Chapter 248