Marriage Lies and a Dangerous Obsession novel Chapter 4

Chapter 4

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lan left in a hurry, leaving his car for Chloe. Chloe, however, sent lan’s driver away, hailed a taxi instead, and followed him all the way back to the hospital. She needed to see the woman who had held Ian’s heart all these years for herself.

Chloe followed Ian to the elevator and watched as he stepped inside. But when she arrived on the her mother’s floor from another elevator, lan was already gone.

She couldn’t help but mock herself, ‘Once the proud daughter of the Irvine family, I’ve now been reduced to a jealous wife, shadowing my unfaithful husband.’

Her mood was utterly terrible. If she weren’t so afraid of worsening her mother’s fragile condition, she would have screamed at lan, unleashed all her anger, and let him go for good. This torn, heart–wrenching feeling was pushing her to the edge of sanity.

After composing herself, Chloe dried her tears, reapplied her makeup, and made her way to her mother’s ward

Seeing Chloe return to the hospital so late at night, Jill couldn’t conceal her concern. “Chloe, tell me honestly, is everything okay between you and Ian?”

Chloe pulled up a chair beside the bed and forced a faint smile. “Mom, we’re fine.” Once, she had confidently told her parents that marrying lan would be her greatest happiness. But now, she just couldn’t bring herself to tell them their perfect son–in–law had cheated and that she wanted a divorce.

Frank handed Chloe some snacks their relatives had brought. “Chloe, in these three years of marriage, Ian has helped us a lot. If you have problems, talk to him calmly. Don’t act like a spoiled princess anymore.”

Jill looked at her daughter with tender concern. “You’re twenty–five now. It’s time to build a stable life. Ian is the sole heir to the Hamilton family. You should have a child with him soon. That’s what will secure your future together.”

Chloe fell silent. It wasn’t that she didn’t want a child. The truth was, Ian had always refused to have one with her. She remembered one time after he returned from a week–long business trip, she had hidden all the contraceptives in advance.

That night, Ian had been unusually passionate, and they made love without protection. Overjoyed, she believed he had finally agreed to have a child with her. But the next morning, when she woke, Ian handed her a box of morning–after pills, and even made sure she took one right then.

After that, she gave up all her schemes and buried any hope of having his child. It was only now that she understood Ian wasn’t opposed to children. He simply didn’t want them with her.

Carl Irvine, Chloe’s younger brother, stopped by the hospital after school. When he saw Chloe, he grinned and pulled her into a warm hug. “Chloe, I just ran into Ian outside.”

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Chloe’s smile stiffened on her lips. Noticing her daughter’s reaction, Jill’s expression turned concerned. “Chloe,” she asked cautiously, ‘did lan come here with you just now?”

Chloe quickly tried to cover her discomfort. “He came to visit a friend. I just tagged along for the ride.” Then she turned to her brother, her voice deliberately calm. “Carl, where did you see him?”

Carl scratched his head. “I saw him in the elevator just as I was getting on. Looked like he pressed thirteen.”

After making a quick excuse to her parents, Chloe went up to the 13th floor alone. Too uneasy to ask at the nurses‘ station, she walked slowly down the hallway, glancing into each private room.

Even though she had done nothing wrong, her heart pounded harder with every step. The entire floor was reserved for VIP patients. The corridor was hushed and nearly empty.

Suddenly, Chloe froze outside a partially open door. Through the gap, she could see her husband, Ian, standing beside a hospital bed,

holding a woman tenderly in his arms.

“That has to be his long–remembered first love, Andrea Sherman, the woman who has always held his heart,‘ Chloe had heard the name many times, but now, she was seeing Andrea for the first time.

Andrea sat on the edge of the bed, her back to the door. She clung to lan’s waist, her face buried against his chest, while her long hair cascaded like a waterfall over his arm. Even from behind, Chloe could know this Andrea must be beautiful.

Andrea rose to her feet, linking her arms around Ian’s neck. Her soft voice quivered with emotion. “lan,” she whispered tearfully. “will you stay with me tonight?” Chloe was startled to realize just how intimate the two had become.

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Chapter 4

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Ian gently loosened her arms from around his neck, and that was when Chloe saw the bracelet on Andrea’s wrist. Its diamonds glittered sharply, piercing her like needles.

Slowly, she raised her own left hand and understood the two bracelets were exactly the same. ‘He wasn’t saying it looked beautiful on me. He was praising the bracelet itself, the same one he had given to the woman he truly loved.

Her mind went numb, the voices from the room fading into a distant hum. A wave of rage washed over her, shattering her self–control. In a burst of anger, she ripped the bracelet from her wrist and flung it away.

Stumbling blindly, she fled down the hall and collapsed in a deserted corner, sobbing uncontrollably. It felt like her heart was being torn

apart.

*****

Chloe couldn’t remember how she made it home. By the time her tears finally stopped, her mind had cleared, but her body felt heavy and numb. After a shower, she picked up the hair dryer, but her fingers were too stiff to even press the button.

When she was lying quietly in bed, her red and swollen eyes had long run dry. She had buried her pain deep down. Even losing control or breaking down required, the right time and place. This, she understood now, was what it meant to be an adult.

‘Once Mom is discharged, I’ll’end this as soon as possible. The mere thought of divorcing Ian in just a few days sent a tremor through her entire body.

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