My Billionaire Wife Hid My Daughter's Real Father

Chapter 5: A Speck of Dust

"I never hesitated once before devoting all my time towards our family, taking care of them from dawn till dusk. And yet, you're fighting me so hard just for a billion dollars?" 

Liam's tone was quiet, but the bitterness bled through every word.

Chloe let out a short breath, almost a laugh, but not quite. "You think those chores are worth a billion dollars? Liam, I loved you. I still love you. But this—this is not love. This is something else. You are asking for money. You are saying I owe you for everything you did around the house. That is not how a marriage works."

"I turned down the exclusive offer to become the Medical Sage's personal disciple so I could stay home and cook your meals every single night," Liam said, his voice low and steady. "Do you know where his actual disciple is today? That man is a celebrity physician who only treats billionaires. He charges a million dollars for a single consultation. If I had not sacrificed my career to be your husband, I could have earned ten times what I am asking for now."

Chloe stared at him, her expression turning cool. She studied his face carefully, searching for something she recognized. And then she realized—the man she had shared a bed with for nearly a decade had suddenly become a stranger.

Liam watched her silence and read it as reluctance. "What is the matter, Chloe? Bring up money and your face changes. If you think I am after your wealth, then fine. I will take nothing. No money. No house. No car. Just a divorce. That is all I want."

Chloe blinked. She had been about to respond, to tell him exactly what she thought of his audacity. But he had just said he would take nothing and still wanted to leave. She opened her mouth, then closed it. Nothing came out.

"You will not admit what you did," Liam continued, his voice cold and measured. "You will not pay me anything. And you will not agree to a divorce. What is it that you actually want, Chloe?"

Chloe shook her head slowly. "I do not know what you want me to say. I have told you the truth. I never cheated on you. I never betrayed you. Those girls are yours. I do not care what some lab report says—I know what I did and did not do."

"You keep saying that," Liam said. "But you never explain how the results came back the way they did."

"Because I do not have an explanation!" Chloe's voice rose, her composure cracking slightly. "I do not know how those results came back that way. All I know is that I have been faithful to you from the day we met. If you cannot believe that, then what else is there to say?"

Liam said nothing. He turned and walked to the window.

Chloe took a breath. She steadied herself. Her voice softened.

"Liam, let us stop this. Stop all this fighting. Come home with me. I need you. The children need you. They ask about you every night. Whatever is going on in your head, we can work through it together. Just come back."

Liam did not turn around. His voice was quiet. "I cannot go back to a house built on a lie."

"It is not a lie," Chloe said, stepping closer. "I am telling you the truth. Why will you not believe me?"

"Because science does not lie," Liam said.

Chloe stood behind him. Her hand reached out toward his shoulder, then stopped. She let it fall.

"You keep saying that word. Science. As if it explains everything," Chloe said quietly. "But science does not explain why I would do something like this to you. It does not explain the years of love, the late nights, the mornings we spent together. It does not explain why I would choose you over everything else in my life and then throw it all away for nothing."

Liam said nothing.

Chloe waited. The silence stretched.

"If you will not listen to reason," she said finally, her voice turning colder, "then I have nothing else to say. I asked you to come home and you refused. Then do not come back at all."

She turned and walked out, closing the door behind her. Not hard. Just firm.

Liam stood by the window and watched the street below. Chloe's car sat under the dim light of the parking lot for nearly an hour before the engine started and it pulled away.

He eventually went to bed, but sleep refused to come. Every time he closed his eyes, memories of their marriage surfaced—how happy they had once been, how their friends and families had celebrated their union. How had something so beautiful fallen apart so completely?

Anger burned inside him, tangled with the helplessness of knowing he could not change what had already happened.

When sleep finally claimed him, it brought no peace. He dreamed of Chloe with a dark, faceless man, laughing as she agreed to sign the divorce papers. In his hands was the official certificate, proof that their marriage was finally over. Yet instead of relief, an unbearable emptiness settled in his chest.

When Liam woke to the pale morning light, his pillow was damp with tears.

He knew what he had to do.

Since Chloe refused to end their marriage peacefully, he would visit her parents. Maybe, Grace could reason with her daughter.

He had already called his mother-in-law that morning to make sure she would be home. Grace had always treated him warmly, as she had once been his patient at the hospital and had admired his gentle nature so much that she eventually introduced him to Chloe.

Over the years, she had always defended him during their arguments.

Liam hoped she would do the same today—and finally convince Chloe that if she couldn't give him loyalty and respect, then it was better to let him go.

When Liam arrived at the grand family estate, the housekeeper told him his father in law had gone out fishing for the day. Only Grace and an elderly female friend were sitting in the spacious living room watching television. Liam sat down and politely kept them company for half an hour.

"You are such a lucky woman, Grace. You have such a devoted son in law who actually knows how to spend quality time with his family," the friend praised him. Her facial expression was full of admiration as she stood up to leave the house.

"He really is a wonderful young man," Grace replied. Her facial expression beamed with maternal pride as she exchanged pleasantries and walked her friend to the front door.

Once they were alone, Liam asked the servants to leave the living room so they could have total privacy. His body language became serious and mysterious.

"What is going on with you today, Liam? You look very serious," Grace asked. Her voice tone was full of curious concern as she sat down on the leather sofa opposite him.

"I need to ask about your health first, Grace. Have you been taking your daily blood pressure medication on time every morning, and have you experienced any heart issues lately?" Liam asked. His voice tone was gentle and full of caution, because he was deeply worried about shocking her system with bad news, knowing that older people were much more fragile.

"I am in very good health right now, Liam. My blood pressure is completely normal, so stop worrying and tell me what happened," Grace assured him. A warm, comforting smile appeared on her face as she patted his hand.

Liam reached into his coat pocket, took out the official paternity test report, and showed the printed pages directly to her.

She glanced at it, sensing something strange in his demeanor, and began to feel uneasy.