Marriage Lies and a Dangerous Obsession novel Chapter 232

Chapter 232

Chapter 232

Late at night, outside the Irvine family’s front gate.

Ian stood next to his car in a crisp suit, his gaze locked on the Irvine family’s closed entrance.

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The master bedroom light on the villa’s second floor was still shining. Ian knew Chloe hadn’t gone to bed yet.

He checked his phone–still no reply from Chloe to his message.

Honestly, it had been ages since Chloe last answered any of his texts or calls.

She never blocked his number, just simply acted like he didn’t exist.

There could be anyone else by her side, but he was the only one she’d never let near her.

For Ian, that kind of helplessness felt like a dull blade, slicing him bit by bit–always making him ache, never quite killing him.

And yet, he was powerless to change any of it.

He was on the verge of being driven insane by the suffocating mix of helplessness and pain.

Hearing the car door open behind him, Ian turned around.

Thomas Quinn, the butler from Hamilton Manor, hurried out of the car.

Ian glanced at Thomas, then looked back at the still–lit window on the second floor.

Ian’s gaze grew heavier and more troubled as he stared.

He pretty much already knew why Thomas had come, but he still asked in a steady voice, “Why are you here?”

Thomas said respectfully, “Sir, Mr. Hamilton sent me to bring you home.”

Noticing lan hesitating, still staring at the Irvine family’s gate, Thomas reminded him softly, “Chloe already called your father. She won’t come down to see you tonight. Let’s head back together.”

Jan gripped his phone tightly, his eyes lingering on the glowing window upstairs for a long while, then he finally turned and got into his own car.

It was almost dawn when lan stumbled in, reeking of booze.

He swayed into his bedroom, and just one look at the neat gray–and–white sheets snapped him wide awake- like someone had thrown cold water in his face.

“Cora!” lan called out.

Even though it was the middle of the night, Cora rushed out of the maid’s quarters in record time, already dressed and ready.

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Chapter 232

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Ian pointed at the gray–and–white sheets on the bed and demanded, “Who told you to change them?”

Cora was startled by his anger and quickly explained, “Sir, you’ve kept using the bedding that Chloe left behind and never let me replace it. Yesterday, Mrs. Hamilton came over, saw it, and told me to take it off and wash it.”

Ian shook his head hard to clear his mind, then pointed again at the bed. “Put Chloe’s bedding back. Right now!”

After giving his order, Ian went to the bathroom while Cora hurried to put Chloe’s set back on the bed.

It was the dead of night in the master bedroom.

Ian lay on the bed in a dark robe, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Instinctively, he reached for the empty side of the bed, and his heart tightened painfully, as if gripped by unseen hands.

No matter how he turned or looked, he couldn’t find a trace of Chloe’s familiar scent anywhere on this bed.

Ian lay on his side, clutching the blanket tightly to his chest.

His mind flashed back to the early days of his marriage with Chloe.

Chloe used to say that those traditional wedding bedding sets didn’t help him sleep at all, and the gray–and- white ones he always preferred just made the room feel dull and cold.

One time, while he was out, Chloe sneaked around and swapped out every set of bedding in the house for something new.

That night, he stubbornly made her switch everything back to how it was.

But Chloe was adamant–she said the rustic, back–to–nature vibe was all about freshness and tranquility. It made the room peaceful and cozy, helped him relax, and was supposed to ease his insomnia better than anything.

Just then, his phone rang. With an icy look, he replied coldly, “If bedding could cure insomnia, doctors would be out of business.”

He could still remember the wronged look on Chloe’s face–she seemed genuinely hurt.

But when he finally finished his call and walked out of the study, Chloe had already switched the bedding.

Ignoring his chilly demeanor, she nuzzled up to him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and asked if he’d eaten. Then she sweetly offered, “Want me to make you some noodles in the kitchen?”

Back then, Chloe was really good to him, lan thought, heart aching.

‘But now, she can’t even stand the sight of me–doesn’t want to see me at all, he told himself.

Chapter 232

‘She swore we’d hold hands for a lifetime and never leave each other, lan remembered.

‘But she won’t even give me one chance to make things right, he thought bitterly.

Ian pulled out the crystal glass pendant.

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It was a little baby Chloe had drawn herself and enhanced with AI–the baby’s eyes seemed to be red, just like mine, lan thought.

‘Even the baby is thinking of her too, just like I am,‘ lan told himself, his chest tightening.

It was the middle of the night and there was no one around–lan’s emotions surged back violently, hitting him like a tidal wave he couldn’t escape.

He felt like someone was gouging out his heart, the pain so unbearable it made him wish he were dead.

He couldn’t stand this torment any longer; Ian staggered out of bed and lurched into the living room.

At the wine cabinet, he gripped the edge with one hand and drunkenly poured himself a glass with the other.

The bottle kept banging unevenly against the rim, filling the silence with a harsh, brittle clinking. Ian couldn’t stop his shaking hands; wine spilled across the countertop and ran down in messy streams to the floor.

*****

Early the next morning, Cora found Ian unconscious on the floor, a pool of red wine spreading around him. Her face went pale with shock.

Frantic, Cora tried shaking Ian over and over, but he wouldn’t move. Heart racing, she grabbed her phone and called Miranda right away.

In a rush, Cora blurted out, “Mrs. Hamilton, something’s wrong! Mr. Hamilton isn’t breathing!”

On the other end, Miranda froze, holding her breath in terror.

In the next moment, Ian was startled awake by Cora’s frantic voice, clutching his head as a fierce headache throbbed through him while he struggled up from the floor.

Cora jumped in shock again, then hurriedly assured over the phone, “It’s alright now, Mrs. Hamilton! Mr. Hamilton’s awake and breathing!”

Jan gave Cora a weary look, then made his way directly to the bathroom.

Cora had watched Jan grow up, and seeing him so lost and broken, her heart twisted with concern. She quickly headed to the kitchen to make him breakfast.

But lan didn’t eat a single bite–he went straight to the office.

After the morning meeting, Jan headed back to his office, but he couldn’t focus on work at all–his thoughts were all over the place,

Chapter 232

He stared down at his hands, eyes clouded and restless, flickering between regret and pain.

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