Marriage Lies and a Dangerous Obsession novel Chapter 121

Chapter 121

Chloe looked down and nodded.

They stood side by side on the balcony, Chloe’s gaze drifting into the night.

lan’s eyes lingered on Chloe, unreadable in the dim light.

After a brief, tense silence between them, Ian finally broke the stillness.

“Chloe,” Ian said quietly, “I know you’ve lost trust in me, but there’s something I need you to hear one more time.”

Chloe responded with a gentle “Mm,” looking exceptionally calm. “Say it.”

Ian continued, “Andrea is part of my past, and that child was just an accident. If you really find it impossible to accept them, I’ll figure out a way to make them leave.”

Chloe quietly withdrew her gaze and turned to face Ian.

She said, “Ian, you were the one who made me accept them. Yeah, it was tough, but I went through with it. I’ve completely come to terms with it.”

To Ian, Andrea and her son meant everything. There’s no way he could really send them away.

‘Anyway,‘ Chloe thought.

She’d finally managed to join forces with Andrea after all that effort. She wasn’t about to let Andrea leave now.

Ian gripped Chloe’s shoulders, staring straight into her eyes. “You made Eric your godson without ever talking to me, and moved them in upstairs. That’s not acceptance–that’s going too far!”

Chloe tipped her chin up, refusing to look away from Ian.

She asked, “It’s not like you never got them a place to live, and you didn’t stop Eric from calling you ‘Dad‘ when no one’s around. You even risked your life fighting Edward for them. We’ve been childhood friends for more than twenty years… How could I just stand by and do nothing? How’s that going too far?”

‘It felt to Jan like someone had ripped out his heart and hurled it off a cliff, smashing it into countless pieces. No matter how he tried, he could never piece it back together,‘ lan thought.

‘That kind of powerlessness almost floored me,‘ lan admitted to himself.

He gripped Chloe’s shoulders, then stepped back and pressed against the railing, desperate for something to hold him up.

“No matter what, I never actually let them move into our home!” lan shot back.

“Chloe, what exactly are you trying to pull now? Do you even care about this family anymore?” Ian demanded.

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Chapter 121

Chloe smiled calmly and asked, “lan, do you want the real truth or do you want me to sugarcoat it?

Ian’s grip on her shoulders involuntarily tightened. “Tell me what’s really in your heart!”

Chloe tipped her chin up, locking eyes with lan. “If you really want my honest answer–I want a divorce

Their eyes locked, and Chloe’s unwavering resolve cut lan to the bone.

His eyes reddened at the corners, and his hands slowly slipped from her shoulders.

“Chloe, this isn’t the ending I wanted,” Ian said, his voice raw.

Chloe smiled, sadness lurking behind her calm. “I gave everything I had, but I still didn’t get what I wished for.”

Late at night, out on the open balcony, Chloe and Ian–childhood friends who’d spent decades together as husband and wife–stared quietly at each other, searching for answers in each other’s eyes.

The chill of winter wind still couldn’t sweep away the heavy air pressing down between them.

After a while, Ian finally took Chloe by the hand and said, “Come with me.”

Chloe let Ian lead her into the study.

Ian opened the drawer and grabbed a pile of documents.

He took Chloe to the floor–to–ceiling windows, then firmly sat her down on the sofa.

Ian set the documents down in front of Chloe and said, “The marriage contract—and all the evidence from when you got arrested–it’s all here.”

Chloe just glanced at the stack of documents in front of her, never once bothering to flip through them.

She turned to Ian and asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Ian was never one to act without a motive.

There was no way he’d just hand over these papers out of the blue.

Ian kept his eyes fixed on Chloe, searching her face for any sign of what she was thinking.

He said, “Believe it or not, everything I did back then was just to push you to come home.”

Chloe let Ian hold her hand, her voice steady as she asked, “And then what?”

Ian paused, then said, “I can destroy all of this, and I’ll set you free.”

Chloe’s expression grew guarded. “What are your terms?”

Ian said, “I know some of the things I did have hurt you and made you doubt me. From now on, I’ll do my best to make sure Andrea and Eric don’t disrupt our lives, and I’ll respect every choice you make. Just give me

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Chapter 121

a little trust, okay? Let’s stop fighting like this.”

A

Chloe sat there, cool and collected on the surface, but under that calm look, she was on high alert, running every possibility through her mind.

Trusting him? That just wasn’t in the cards for her.

If there was even a slim chance to destroy those documents and finally get out from under his thumb, Chloe wasn’t leaving without at least trying.

Chloe spoke up again, her voice edged with suspicion. “It’s not like you can’t make copies of all this. How do you expect me to believe you?”

Ian’s gaze was unwavering. “I can transfer all my assets to your name. If you still don’t feel secure, I’ll make a will–everything I own now and whatever I earn in the future will belong only to you and our future child. Andrea and Eric won’t get a single cent.”

Chloe’s mind was racing.

Even if Ian really did make a will, it would be as good as worthless to her.

If he ever changed his mind, he could find a thousand ways to make sure she never saw a dime.

As for the so–called “evidence” about her leaking Hamilton Group’s confidential files, Chloe couldn’t be sure Ian didn’t have some backup plan up his sleeve.

But right now, if she played it right, erasing that marriage contract she’d signed wouldn’t be much of a challenge.

Chloe hesitated, her voice soft but cautious. “Ian, if you stop backing me into a corner and threatening me like before, maybe I can try trusting you again.”

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