His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 140: The Terrible Truth

Caleb was stunned. He froze, staring at Iris's back, feeling like a complete fool.

He strode after her, grabbing her arm. "Was that the only reason you asked me out?"

Iris stopped, gently pulling her arm free. "I'm sorry if I led you on."

Caleb let out a bitter laugh.

Iris walked to the cash register, paid the bill, and left the restaurant.

She hopped on the subway and headed straight for Riverfront Hospital.

On the way, she called Arthur and made plans to meet.

It was eleven thirty in the morning.

Iris had been sitting on a bench in front of the hospital's psychology building for two hours.

Arthur walked out of the building, wearing a white coat with his hands in his pockets. He smiled and made his way over to her.

When Iris saw Arthur was finally free, she stood up slowly.

Her face was dark, her mood low. During those two hours of waiting, she'd been thinking, piecing everything together.

When Julian met her on that blind date, he'd been gentle and warm. But after they got married, he turned cold out of nowhere. Around that time, she'd only seen Arthur once.

It was the night before she and Julian registered their marriage—right before May 1st.

Zoe had pestered her into helping Arthur revise his paper, trying to get him a spot to study abroad.

"Iris." Arthur greeted her softly, stopping in front of her and adjusting his glasses. "Sorry to keep you waiting. What did you need?"

Iris stared at him, not saying a word.

She was trying to figure out what to say and how to word her questions to get the truth she needed.

"What's wrong?" Arthur frowned, looking worried. "Is it your dad's illness..."

"No." Iris cut him off quickly. "I have something to ask you."

"Go on."

"Why are there bed photos of us? And how did Julian get them?"

Arthur's face changed right away. His eyes behind the glasses flickered nervously.

Iris kept her eyes on his, catching a glimpse of the emotions churning inside him.

That's when she knew her guess was right.

She had no real proof—only guesses and questions to get the answers out of him.

"Answer me." Iris felt like a big hand was squeezing her heart. She could barely breathe, so upset she thought she'd lose her mind. She clenched her fists to hold it together, her body shaking a little.

"Did he tell you?" Arthur couldn't believe it, his face turning cold, looking stunned.

From Arthur's reaction, Iris could tell he was certain Julian would never say a word.

And Caleb had seemed to know Julian too—he was sure Julian would keep it to himself.

Iris smiled bitterly, a cold laugh slipping out. "Surprised? Did you think Julian would never bring this up?"

Arthur's face got even worse.

"I don't believe Julian is dumb enough to misunderstand me for two years because of some fake photos." Iris's eyes filled with tears suddenly.

She held back her anger, speaking each word slowly. "The bed photos of you and me are real. And he must have real proof, or he wouldn't think I cheated on him the night before we got married."

Arthur let out a long breath, staring down at the tips of his sneakers. His mood turned dark.

The more he acted like this, the surer Iris was that her guesses were right.

Iris thought back, analyzing calmly. "Two years ago, the night of April 30th, you said your paper got rejected and needed revisions. The final deadline was the morning of May 1st. If you missed it, you'd lose your chance to study abroad. You begged me, and you got Zoe to pester me too.

"You were scared someone would find out I was helping you write the paper, so you got a hotel room for me. You never left the whole time. Then, around three in the morning, I drank the water you gave me and fell asleep. I woke up at five or so, still fully dressed.

"I thought I was just too tired, so I got up and kept working on your paper. We left the hotel together once I finished it that morning."

Arthur's voice was full of apology. "I'm sorry, Iris."

"The photos were taken while I was passed out those two hours, weren't they?" Iris held back her anger, trying to stay calm to hear the whole story.

"Yes."

"Did you drug and rape me?"

Arthur nodded.

A strong wave of nausea hit her throat. Iris felt sick to her stomach. Her heart felt like it had a ton of stones on it, aching so bad she could barely breathe. Tears filled her eyes right away. She was so angry she shook all over, her hands and feet cold. She clenched her fists and shouted, "Speak up! Did you drug and rape me or not?"

Arthur narrowed his eyes, looking sharp. "Do you have a recorder?"

"Afraid I'll record you and send you to jail?"

"It's been two years. You have no proof. You can't do anything to me."

Iris held back her tears, taking a deep breath. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. "I helped you write your paper. I got you that only spot to study abroad. I helped you get promoted to deputy director. I'm still your sister's best friend. Why would you hurt me like this?"

Arthur's eyes dimmed, the words coming out before he could stop them. "I like you."

"Bullshit." Iris lost all her composure, yelling in anger, "Before I even went on that blind date with Julian, Zoe tried to set us up. I thought you were nice back then and wanted to give us a chance. But you turned me down. You said I felt like a little sister, just like Zoe."