The Billion-Dollar Divorce (Ian and Chloe) novel Chapter 41

Chapter 41

The hospital park was nearly empty in the morning.

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63

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Every now and then, a passerby would glance at Ian and Chloe, drawn to their striking good looks.

Ian, in a sharp suit, held Chloe, who wore a white dress. To outsiders, they looked like the perfect couple, glamorous and well–matched.

But up close, the tension was palpable. Ian’s expression was stern, while Chloe’s face was streaked with tears.

Their marriage was much the same, perfect on the surface, but deeply flawed underneath.

Chloe broke free from Ian’s arms.

She wiped away her tears and looked at him. “Three years of a loveless marriage have changed me. I don’t blame you, and I don’t hate you. It was my choice.”

Ian stood there, lips tight, silent, staring hard at Chloe’s pale face.

Chloe tried to reason with him. “Ian, your true love is back, and you have a son now. You’re finally happy, and I’ve figured out how to pay back the money. Let’s just end it and get divorced without any drama, okay?”

They stared into each other’s eyes, both of them on the brink of tears.

A vein throbbed in Ian’s forehead as he struggled to keep his composure.

He finally spoke, voice tense, “Chloe, I’ve really been taking care of Andrea and Clint, but I never slept with her.”

Chloe shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “But you have a son with her. That’s a fact you can’t change.”

Ian took an unsteady step back.

He stood there, silent for a long moment, before he finally managed to speak, “Divorce is not an option. I know you’re hurting, and if you can’t handle this right now, you can stay with Frank and Jill until we figure things out.”

Chloe felt her emotions bubbling over. “lan, I don’t want to prolong this agony. Edward made one phone call and I lost my job. I want to live my own life. I don’t want anything more to do with the Hamilton family.”

Ian moved closer and placed a steadying hand on her. “Chloe, as long as you agree not to divorce me, I promise your job won’t be touched. I’ll put all my assets in your name. I’ll even write you into my will if that’s what you want.”

Chloe shook her head. “I can lose my job. I can turn down your money. But divorce is non–negotiable for me.”

Ian let his hand fall away from Chloe, his face slowly hardening with cold detachment.

13:22 Thu, Oct 2

Chapter 41

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The next time he spoke, his voice was distant and edged with frost. “If we can’t agree, then there’s no point in continuing.” With that, lan turned and strode off, not looking back once.

Chloe stood by the riverbank, watching lan walk away without looking back. She was so upset that she couldn’t hold back her tears anymore.

She tried to keep it together, wishing they could part on good terms. Het, he really couldn’t care less.

Even after all that had happened, he still wanted to keep her around as a cover, like a trophy wife, so he could keep pretending to be the perfect husband in front of everyone.

For the next few days, Richard kept finding excuses for Chloe to take time off, clearly trying to fire her.

A few days later, while Chloe was at home chatting with her parents, she got a call from the auction house. They told her that her jewelry hadn’t gotten any bids. It failed to sell.

“No way! How could that happen?” Chloe exclaimed. Her parents were equally stunned.

Once she hung up, Chloe started to panic. “Dad, Mom, the starting price I set for the auction wasn’t high at all. How could the jewelry not sell?”

Jill glanced at Frank before speaking up hesitantly, “Could someone have been working behind the scenes to stop interested buyers from bidding?”

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The next morning, Chloe picked up some gift cards and headed to the address Eric had given her to meet David.

Her priority was to sell the jewelry and get some cash. If Ian kept stonewalling, she’d have no choice but to take him to court for a divorce.

When Chloe arrived at Building 7, she ran into Andrea unexpectedly.

Glancing at the building and then at the address on her phone, she couldn’t help but frown.

She was genuinely surprised to find that David and Andrea lived in the same building.

As soon as Andrea spotted Chloe, she quickly texted Ian.

Andrea had been looking for an excuse to see Chloe, and now Chloe had just shown up.

If Ian came by later, it wouldn’t be Andrea’s fault.

Andrea approached Chloe with a sly smile. “Dr. Irvine, what a coincidence,” she said, deliberately using Chloe’s professional title.

Chloe paused, her expression cool, trying to provoke Andrea. “Ms. Sherman, please call me Mrs. Hamilton,” she replied.

Chloe thought to herself, ‘If Andrea can convince Ian to divorce me, I’ll thank her.’

Andrea’s expression changed instantly. Chloe had really hit a nerve.

As Chloe tried to leave, Andrea blocked her way. “Dr. Irvine, let me be honest. Even though I was gone for six years, Ian and I never really cut things off.”

Chloe retorted, “If that’s the case, why didn’t you stop the wedding?”

Andrea ran a hand through her hair. “I’m sure you know lan and I have a son. He loves me and Clint very much. He only married you because his family pressured him. For him, it was just an obligation. I understand where he’s coming from.”

Chloe fired back, “If you understand, then why are you back now?”

Andrea smiled, “Ian said he couldn’t stand us living abroad anymore. He begged me to come back with Clint.”