Chapter 447 Didn't You Stop Caring About Me?
Chloe finished talking and felt a weight on her chest.
It wasn't that she didn't care, but she'd been through too much.
Andrew had given her hope over and over, only to let her down each time. She was too scared to love again.
Andrew stared straight ahead, his stomach growling from skipping lunch. But he toughed it out, not wanting to show any weakness in front of her.
After a long pause, he finally said, "I'll take you back to the set."
Chloe shook her head. "I drove myself." She said it and reached for the car door.
Andrew grabbed her arm, "Don't go!"
Chloe turned to look at him, her eyes meeting his. If it were anyone else, they wouldn't have noticed how much effort he was putting into holding her back.
After a tense moment, Chloe softly said, "Let go."
Andrew slowly released his grip.
She quickly got out of the car, like she was running from something.
The car door shut, and Andrew clutched his stomach. He sat there for a bit, then took a pill from his pocket and washed it down with some water.
Once he felt a little better, he headed back to the office.
Nathan noticed his bad mood and kept his distance. Just before clocking out, he said, "It's time to pick up Gavin. He'll be happy to see you."
Thinking about his son, Andrew felt a bit better.
He picked up Gavin.
Gavin, with his little backpack, hopped out of the car. Adeline was already waiting. "You're all sweaty! Go wash up. Grandma Adeline made some special popsicles."
Gavin's cheeks were flushed. He washed his face and sat on a small chair, happily eating his popsicle. Adeline fanned him to cool him down.
Adeline took one look at Andrew and knew something was off.
Andrew tossed his jacket on the sofa and slumped down, not wanting to move.
Adeline mimicked his tone, "Oh, someone called home last night saying, 'Adeline, I'm not coming home today. I need to take care of Chloe! Chloe drank too much and I don't want her to upset you!'"
Gavin almost choked on his popsicle.
Nathan walked in and laughed too.
Adeline looked at Andrew and scoffed, "Chasing Chloe is harder than your old job? That took brains. With Chloe, all you do is talk. You don't care about her feelings at all, and you never think about the age gap!"
Usually, Andrew would make a joke or two.
But today, he was too irritated to say anything. He went upstairs to his study.
Adeline watched him go, wide-eyed.
Nathan whispered, "She ignored him!"
Adeline sighed and nodded, "That's normal. He's always the one doing the picking, but others can't pick him?"
Gavin kept nodding.
Adeline's words were harsh, but later that night she still brought him some food. Andrew was sulking in the study. Adeline pushed the door open and softly said, "Just eat something. You haven't had an appetite all day."
Andrew looked up, "Mom."
Adeline knew he was troubled, patted his hand, and said, "She cares about you! But she's also mad at you!"
Andrew gave a bitter smile, "I know."
Adeline said, "Back then, you went abroad for treatment. You pushed her away, afraid of dragging her down. How did you know that's what she wanted? How did you know she wasn't strong enough? Andrew, you're strong but too self-centered."
Andrew listened quietly and slowly ate. He only managed to eat half.
Adeline playfully smacked him and said, "Hurry up and apologize. You had a fight with her, and now she won't even come to see me."
Andrew popped a mint into his mouth.
After a while, he managed a faint smile.
That night, before bed, he sent Chloe a message on Facebook, wishing her luck on her blind date and apologizing for the other night.
Chloe ignored him.
Andrew stared at the message, feeling pretty low, and put his phone down.
Just as he was about to turn off the light and go to sleep, Gavin snuck in, crawled into bed from the foot, and nestled into his arms.
Andrew reached out and touched him. It was Gavin.
He softly asked, "Want to sleep with Daddy?"
Gavin didn't say anything, just hugged Andrew's waist with his little hands, feeling around.
Andrew didn't say anything more, gently patting Gavin.
A long time later, he thought Gavin was asleep, but Gavin suddenly said, "Mom doesn't like those guys."
Andrew's voice was hoarse, "I know."
Gavin seemed relieved and fell asleep comfortably against Andrew.
In the faint moonlight, Andrew looked at Gavin and missed Natalie and Chloe.
But he was still angry.
After that, he didn't reach out to her, only hearing from Gavin that her last blind date had failed again.
Andrew's mood slightly improved.
One day, Cherie knocked on the door and came in, smiling, "Andrew, someone named Eli is here to see you."
'Eli?' Andrew remembered, that was the director of Chloe's movie, probably looking for investment.
He was willing to invest but also wanted to see Chloe.
He called Eli back, very politely, "This small matter shouldn't trouble you! Let Chloe bring the check over tomorrow! Yes, we meet often!"
After hanging up, he felt completely better.
In the evening, Chloe called. She asked him, "Andrew, what do you mean?"
Andrew didn't play games with her and directly said, "Come have dinner with me, and I'll give you the check."
Chloe paused. She softly said, "If I don't have dinner with you, will you make things difficult?"
"Yes," Andrew admitted directly.
He thought she would get angry and throw a little tantrum, but she surprisingly agreed. "Fine, I'll have dinner with you."
Andrew wanted to pick her up, but Chloe said she would drive herself.
They finally agreed to meet at their usual diner, in the same private room.
Andrew arrived first and ordered seven or eight dishes, all of Chloe's favorites.
After waiting for about 10 minutes, Chloe arrived.
She brought an assistant, but Andrew sent the assistant away with just a glance.
Chloe looked at the closed door, said nothing, and sat down next to Andrew, picking up a fork to eat. She lightly said, "I'm a bit hungry."
It was 7 PM, and she hadn't had lunch.
Andrew served her food.
They rarely had such a quiet moment, and the atmosphere was good.
Chloe didn't say much.
Andrew ate little, looking at her profile, and asked knowingly, "What about the new boyfriend?"
Chloe's tone was very calm, "Not suitable."
Andrew quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Chloe didn't refuse his kindness.
But after eating and drinking, she said, "Andrew, this meal is over. Shouldn't the investment be in place?"
Andrew didn't argue with her. He placed the written check in her hand. Chloe opened it and saw it was for $80 million, not a penny less.
She thanked him and was about to leave.
Andrew grabbed her hand.
Under the crystal chandelier, Andrew locked eyes with her and, for the first time, seriously asked, "Chloe, how long are you going to stay mad at me?"
Chloe's lips trembled slightly. She didn't answer because she didn't know how to.
Andrew gently let go of her.
He was really irritated and just wanted a smoke.
Finally, he calmly said, "Chloe, I know I've wronged you. I also know you're still mad at me. These past few years, I've fought to stay alive for you and the kids. No matter how much you ignore me, I deserve it. But Chloe, I'm not young anymore. The time I have left to take care of you and the kids is limited. If we keep dragging this out, I'm afraid it will be too late."
He looked at her, seeing her in her prime. She never knew that he was terrified of aging. As a man, he was incredibly conscious of his appearance, fearing that standing next to her would invite judgment and cause her undue distress.
Chloe felt a weight on her chest hearing this.
At that moment, she really wanted to tell him she forgave him.
But she couldn't do it in the end.
As she left, she cried.
What she didn't know was that Andrew also shed tears.
Between them, it was hard to say who was wrong. Maybe it was wrong from the start.
From that day on, Andrew seemed to give up. He didn't bother her anymore.
Occasionally, he would hear news about her—commercials, blind dates.
Their connection was through the kids.
Sometimes they would see each other at the Hawkins Mansion, but it was just a nod, at most talking about the kids.
Andrew himself didn't know if he had really given up.
He wanted to give her happiness, but she didn't want it. His presence caused her pain.
He gradually distanced himself from her life, but he invested in nearly all of Eli's films.
In the summer, Andrew's health improved a lot.
Gregory invited him to the club. Over the past two years, Gregory had flown to Vienna to see him two or three times, so their relationship remained good.
Andrew was playing cards with them in the private room.
Gregory didn't allow smoking, and while picking up the cards, he laughed and said, "I see Andrew's spirits have improved a lot. It seems giving up on women really works!"
Andrew gave him a sidelong glance and cursed.
Gregory just laughed.
When men were together, they talked without restraint.
Midway, Gregory himself got a craving for a cigarette and went out to smoke.
Coincidentally, Chloe was also at the club for a social event.
She was dressed beautifully today, in a soft pink dress adorned with small pearls. Her long hair cascaded down her waist.
From behind, she looked stunning.
Gregory, being flirtatious, wanted to strike up a conversation, but when she turned around, he realized it was Chloe!
Gregory reacted quickly and immediately smiled, "Chloe, what a coincidence! A bunch of friends are inside; go say hi!"
She didn't expect Andrew to be inside, so out of courtesy, she agreed.
Gregory, trying to please her, said many playful things along the way.
Chloe slightly pursed her lips.
To surprise her and make her happy, Gregory said as he opened the door, "Guess who's inside? Is it the Andrew you think about day and night?"
Chloe was about to blush. But at this point, it would be petty to leave.
The door slowly opened in front of her.
It was buzzing inside, and Andrew was in the middle of a card game.
Grace, wearing a soft fabric dress, was leaning against his arm, speaking softly.
Andrew smiled, looking quite flirtatious!
Chloe took one look and turned to leave.
Gregory panicked and quickly called out, "Chloe, this must be a misunderstanding. Andrew is now pure-hearted and has no women around! He's unable to mess around!"
He said it so loudly that everyone heard!
Chloe walked away quickly.
She thought to herself, 'He can play with whoever he wants. What does it have to do with me!'
Even though she shouldn't care, her eyes still reddened involuntarily.
Andrew had been relentlessly pursuing her recently, dragging her to bed and accusing her of going on blind dates.
What was he doing now!
She only went on blind dates, but he was physically close to someone else.
Andrew threw down the cards and chased after her. Gregory, blushing, explained, "Sorry, Andrew, I meant well but messed up. Who knew Grace would act up at the last minute."
Andrew ignored him, pushed people aside, and chased after her.
Grace looked upset.
They were used to fooling around together and didn't take it seriously.
She and Andrew had nothing going on.
But Chloe must have misunderstood when she saw it, so she decided to go back and help Andrew explain.
Andrew caught up with Chloe at the door.
She was about to open the car door when Andrew grabbed her arm.
With a bit of force, she fell into his arms.
Chloe resisted, lightly hitting his chest, "Let go of me! Andrew, let go of me!"
Andrew didn't let go.
He used his strength to hold her in his arms.
He wanted to look into her eyes, but Chloe turned her face away in embarrassment. She lowered her voice, "Don't make a scene here, okay? Let me go!"
Andrew held her with one hand and gently pinched her chin with the other.
He forced her to look at him.
His voice was low and hoarse, "Didn't you say you wouldn't consider me? Didn't you say it was over between us? Why are you crying when you see me close to another woman? Chloe, didn't you say you didn't care anymore?"
"Stop provoking me! I don't want to see it." She turned her face away in embarrassment. But tears still fell from the corners of her eyes.
That scene was so familiar, reminding her of the past.
Chloe couldn't break free from him, and she didn't want to give in. They struggled at the door.
She was somewhat of a public figure. Finally, she suppressed her emotions and said, "Alright! We don't need to blame each other. Let me go! Go back and continue playing; your friends are waiting for you!"
Andrew asked her, "Do you mean it?"
She nodded.
He added, "But Grace is married! She's not my lover!"
Chloe felt even more embarrassed and her voice wavered, "Your affairs have nothing to do with me!"
She pushed him away forcefully, got into the car without looking back.
Andrew was worried about her. He gently knocked on the car window, his tone soft, "Drive carefully! I'll explain another day!"
Chloe floored it and drove off.
Gregory wiped his lips and said, "After all these years, still such a fiery temper!" He laughed suggestively as he spoke.
Andrew glanced at him and took out a lighter from his pocket.
He played with it gently.
After a long while, he softly said, "Once I love her, I can't love anyone else."
Gregory awkwardly said, "Didn't expect you to be such a romantic!"
In the night, Andrew made a call to Charlotte: "Chloe might come to you later. Please comfort her for me! I made her upset."
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