The Billion-Dollar Divorce (Ian and Chloe) novel Chapter 275

Philip saw Chloe walking toward him and stepped forward, holding the umbrella over her. They exchanged a glance, neither saying a word, and walked down the mountain together.

Once they reached the foot of the mountain, Philip asked Chloe, “Do you want me to drop you off at the Hamilton Manor?”

Chloe shook her head and replied, “No, I’d rather just head home.”

She thought, ‘No one can really heal one but oneself. Miranda and Mia have plenty of people around them right now, taking care of everything. Even if I went over there, I’d just be useless.

By the time Chloe got home, it was almost three in the afternoon. Carl was off at college, and Arthur had been called away by Eric to help out with something.

Chloe sat down at the dining table, staring at the delicious food in front of her, but she couldn’t bring herself to eat a single bite.

Frank and Jill didn’t touch theirs either. The three of them just sat there, the air thick with silence and tension.

In the end, it was Chloe who managed to pull herself together and ended up comforting Frank and Jill instead.

After just one–day resting at home, Chloe headed back to work.

Eric was surprised when he saw Chloe show up at the hospital. “Why not take a few more days off?”

Chloe shook her head. “Keeping busy is better for me.”

Eric let out a quiet sigh, deciding to respect her choice. Honestly, keeping herself occupied really did stop her mind from running wild.

Chloe managed to pull herself together as quickly as possible and threw herself into her work.

From the moment she learned about Ian’s death until now, everything felt unreal. Her heart ached, but no tears would come.

She had no idea how to comfort anyone else who was grieving. The only thing she could do was to live her own life as best as she could.

People could call her heartless or cold–blooded all they wanted; she couldn’t care less. She hadn’t wronged anyone, and her conscience was clear.

As the workday was winding down, Chloe got a call from Patrick. She headed out to the parking lot in front of the outpatient building and spotted Patrick leaning against his car, smoking.

Chloe jogged up to him, calling out, “Hey, Patrick.”

Patrick opened the car door. “Hop in, let’s talk inside.”

18:55 Sat, Oct 18

Chapter 275

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Chloe slid into the passenger seat. Once the car door was shut, Patrick handed Chloe a bank card and the title to an apartment. Chloe gave Patrick a hesitant look, not taking them.

Patrick said, “Ian emailed me just a few hours before he died. I’ve been buried in work these past few days, so I only saw it this morning.”

He looked at Chloe, his expression complicated. “Ian left you this bank card and the apartment deed. They’re for you.”

Chloe glanced down, hesitated, then shook her head. “I don’t want them, Patrick.”

Patrick sighed. “It’s Ian’s last wish. Please, just take them.”

Chloe shook her head again. “Even now that he’s gone, I still wouldn’t take anything from him.”

Patrick stared at Chloe, her stubbornness so intense it reminded him of that same stubborn look Ian used to have. “Two hardheaded fools, Patrick thought to himself. And in the end, he was the one left to deal with it.

Patrick let out a sigh, then said, “Why don’t you open the title and see for yourself before making up your mind?”

Chloe unfolded the title document and saw her own name printed clear as day. The property listed was the old Irvine house. Chloe could hardly believe it, staring at Patrick in utter shock.

Patrick added, “Take a look at the date on the papers.”

Chloe squinted at the transaction date–it was just one week before her birthday.

Patrick explained, “Back when the Irvine family went under, Ian missed his chance to save the old Irvine house.

“After that, he went to great lengths trying to get it back, but the new owner was really attached to that place. Didn’t matter how much Ian offered, the guy just wouldn’t let it go.

“Ian never gave up, not for a minute all these years. It wasn’t until just recently that the owner gave the house to his youngest son as a wedding present. That was the window Ian needed, and he was finally able to get it back.”

18:55 Sat, Oct 18

On instinct, she yanked the steering wheel hard to the side. With a thunderous bang, her car crashed into another vehicle. The car came to a sudden stop, and Chloe was knocked senseless by the force of the impact.

As her consciousness blurred, her mind flooded with scenes–her whole life flashing before her eyes.

*****

“Just fill out these forms, please,” the clerk said.

Her words made Chloe glance around, and only then did she realize she was in the courthouse. Her head buzzed like static.

She looked down, and her clothes weren’t the ones she’d worn before the car accident. Then she turned sharply toward the man beside her. ‘Ian?‘ Chloe thought. She and Ian locked eyes–Chloe’s jaw dropped in utter disbelief.

18:55 Sat, Oct 18

Chapter 275

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40

55 vouchers

She grabbed lan’s wrist and checked his watch, so stunned she couldn’t even process what was happening. She thought, ‘No way. Did I just time–travel back to the day we applied for a marriage license?‘

“Chloe?” lan called out, his voice instantly familiar.

Chloe turned toward him, locking eyes with lan–a look that was both deep and carefully watchful.

The clerk sounded impatient. “Are you two applying or not? If not, I’ve got other couples waiting.”

Chloe suddenly shoved Ian aside and rushed straight out the door. ‘Marry Ian again? Not a chance. Never happening,’ she thought.

Behind her, Ian just stood there, stunned, watching as Chloe fled the room. His eyes slowly rimmed red, a wounded look settling in.

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