Chapter 101
Chapter 101
Just as dawn broke the next morning, lan returned home.
Cora hurried over. “Mr. Hamilton, you’re finally back.”
lan glanced toward the master bedroom, worry etched on his face. “Is she any better?”
Cora sighed. “Since yesterday afternoon, Chloe hasn’t had a single drop of water, except for taking her medicine.”
Ian frowned, tension building between his brows. “The pill?”
Seeing Ian’s uneasy reaction, Cora asked softly, “Sir, weren’t you the one who reminded Chloe to take the morning–after pill?”
Ian’s hands tightened unconsciously at his sides. “That’s all, you may go for now.”
Cora stayed where she was, hesitating. “Ian, I’m just the housekeeper, but I’ve been with your family for so many years and watched you and Chloe grow up together. Taking those pills too often is really bad for her- no matter how young Chloe is, her body isn’t built to endure so much. Please don’t let her go through this again.”
She said softly, “I’ve made some porridge for Chloe and left it in the dining room. Please be sure to persuade her to have at least a few bites–she really needs something to eat.”
After Cora left, Ian just stood there, looking blank, then finally closed his eyes, bone–tired.
Chloe had always had a soft spot for kids.
After their marriage, she’d even gone out of her way, trying little schemes to get pregnant.
Back then, Ian had worried she was still too young and too carefree, so he’d asked her to take the morning- after pill that one time.
And ever since, whenever they got intimate, Ian always made sure to take precautions.
Yesterday morning, caught up in the heat of the moment, Ian had thrown caution to the wind and didn’t bother with any protection.
Chloe was furious with him and had zero desire to get pregnant with his child, so she took the morning–after pill on her own.
Ian stood there for a long moment before finally pushing open the bedroom door.
The bedroom was completely neat and tidy, and Chloe was lying on the bed, strangely quiet.
Ian walked up to the side of the bed.
Chloe had her back to him, curled up under the blanket.
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Chapter 101
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Ian unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat down beside her on the bed.
With one lying down and the other sitting at the edge of the bed, both with their backs turned, the huge bedroom was filled with a suffocating silence.
Finally, lan spoke first.
He said, “Cora made you some porridge. Just try to eat a little, okay?”
Her eyelashes trembled, but Chloe stubbornly kept her eyes shut. She had no intention of answering him
Ian stood up, then dropped to one knee at the side of the bed, carefully coaxing Chloe’s body to face him.
Her nightgown strap slid off her shoulder, leaving her skin exposed–mottled with bruises, some dark and others faint.
The sight of those bruises stopped Ian cold.
Yesterday morning, faced with Chloe’s cold rejection, Ian had completely lost control.
He never imagined they would end up like this.
He never thought he would ever force himself on a woman–let alone his childhood sweetheart and wife.
Ian’s eyes grew red at the corners as he quickly looked away.
He stayed on one knee by the bed for a long moment, trying hard not to lose it.
He gently pulled Chloe’s nightgown strap back up and carefully helped her sit up.
He put his jacket around her shoulders and said, “Chloe, I know you’re still awake. Open your eyes.”
From now on, he wasn’t going to let her have her way anymore.
Chloe leaned weakly against Ian’s chest, barely able to hold herself up, and with great effort, managed to open her eyes.
But after just a quick glance, she shut her eyes again, unable to look at him for long.
Seeing this, Ian bent down and scooped her up into his arms, carrying her straight into the dining room.
He set her down in a chair, and Chloe slumped weakly against the backrest, forcing her eyes to open once
more.
But with the entire table laid out for breakfast, Chloe couldn’t even bring herself to take a single bite.
Ian checked if the porridge was warm enough, then tried to feed Chloe a spoonful, gently bringing it close to her lips.
But Chloe turned her face away, lips pressed tightly together, refusing to eat. Ian set the spoon aside, placing the bowl of porridge in front of her with a silent sigh.
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101
Chapter 101
Without even looking at her, his tone icy and emotionless, lan said, “Eat your breakfast and get some rest. Tomorrow night, you’re coming with me to the Grand Horizon Group’s annual gala
Chloe gave a numb, lifeless twitch of her lips.
‘So the reason he’s so keen on me eating is just to make sure I show up with him at the Grand Horizon Group’s annual gala tomorrow night, she told herself.
Chloe shot lan a brief, indifferent glance, still refusing to speak.
Ian slowly pulled out his phone, completely unfazed.
He said, “Chloe, refusing to eat isn’t going to work on me. If you keep this up, I’ll call your parents right now and have them come over to persuade you.”
At Ian’s words, Chloe finally broke her silence.
Chloe’s eyes were rimmed with red, her lips quivering as she finally found enough strength to speak.
Her voice was barely above a whisper, hoarse as she pleaded, “Please don’t bother my parents… I’ll eat.”
She reached with shaky hands for the bowl of porridge, but her fingers quivered so badly she just couldn’t lift
Ian opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. It felt like his chest was being squeezed so tight he could barely breathe, the ache weighing heavy with regret.
He’d been too rough with her yesterday–he knew it, and guilt gnawed at him.
Almost without thinking, Ian reached out, taking Chloe’s shaking hands in his, trying to steady her.
When he spoke again, his voice unintentionally gentle, he said, “Let me feed you.”
Ian fed her slowly, one careful spoonful at a time. Chloe just ate in big, hurried gulps, barely tasting anything -almost like she was trying to fill the emptiness inside her.
Tears streamed down Chloe’s face–huge, silent sobs of hurt and anger that she couldn’t hold back.
Her throat was raw and sore; she couldn’t even work up the strength to yell at him, no matter how much she wanted to.
She was too shaken to even think about hitting him now.
After what happened when she slapped him yesterday, she definitely wasn’t going to try that again.
Neither of them said a word, the silence so thick it felt like they could barely breathe.
Ian didn’t let Chloe’s tears stop him; he just kept feeding her, making sure she finished every last spoonful of porridge.
When he finished, he set the bowl aside and reached for a napkin to gently wipe the corner of Chloe’s mouth.
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Chapter 101
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