His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 148: Letting Go and New Starts

With the 1.95 million dollars Emily already owed from a scam, Ethan was now in debt for around five million.

Ethan slouched in his chair, like all the strength had been drained right out of him.

"Ethan, I'll pay that 5 million." Iris's voice was calm, like she was talking about something no big deal. "It's not that much."

Ethan looked up, tears in his eyes, his voice scratchy. "This is my debt. It's got nothing to do with you."

"We're siblings." Iris took his hand, her eyes steady.

Ethan burst into tears, his voice shaking. "I'm your brother, not your dead weight. I already owe you so much. You don't have to take care of this."

Iris took a deep breath, forcing a soft smile. "Ethan, my divorce court is tomorrow. After it's over, I'll get tens of millions from Julian. This few million is chump change—just think of it as a loan to get you back on your feet."

Ethan stared at her, half-believing, his eyes wide with shock.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He just squeezed Iris's hand tight, tears sliding down his face silently.

Iris smiled, patting the back of his hand gently. "Don't do anything stupid again. Remember, you've got me."

Ethan nodded hard, tears pouring down nonstop.

Iris's smile stayed warm, but only she felt the bitterness in her chest.

She never planned to take any of Julian's money. She just said that to comfort Ethan, to ease his mind.

The next day, at the court...

Julian didn't show up, but the trial went off without a hitch. The judge was a close friend of Lily's father, and he gave the case extra "special treatment."

After Iris laid out her claims and showed her evidence, the judge made a quick call: divorce granted.

Iris walked out of the court with the divorce papers. She stood in the sun, but her whole body felt cold.

It was like a boulder was sitting on her chest, so heavy she could barely breathe.

She was sad, but she'd always been tough.

She knew that with time, she'd be able to let go of this short, miserable marriage and the man she'd loved for two years.

She didn't head to the hospital. She went back to her company instead.

Over the next week, she worked nonstop. She sold her company and a nearly finished project to the government, walking away with over 10 million dollars.

As soon as she got the money, she paid off all Ethan's debts. She set aside enough for Keith's medical bills and even put away money for Frank's school.

She bought herself a car and stashed the rest of the money—several million—in the bank.

She didn't tell anyone about this choice. The only person who knew was Zoe.

In a quiet little bar, Zoe stamped her foot in anger, her eyes teary as she looked at Iris, full of regret. "Why do you have to go this far? You could've taken a loan, or even asked your ex-husband for help. Why sell the company? This business is everything you worked for. How can you bear to let it go?"

Iris didn't answer. She just gave a bitter smile and changed the subject. "Did Frederick give the monkeys back?"

Zoe clenched her fists, grinding her teeth. "He gave them back, but they were dead. It's no good for research anymore."

Iris had already figured that's how it would go.

The virus-carrying monkeys couldn't live without medicine. But at least, the monkeys were back, the virus spread stopped, and this whole mess was finally done.

"What are you gonna do now?" Zoe wiped her tears and took Iris's hand.

Iris took a sip of her bayberry wine. "Once my dad gets better, I'm taking him and my mom traveling. I wanna show them the whole country."

"Can you really let go of two years of feelings?" Zoe asked, her voice soft with sympathy.

Iris laughed bitterly. "Two years of living like roommates—that's not feelings. It was just me, liking him all by myself."

Zoe was about to ask more when a loud ruckus broke out.

"Cheers! Celebrate Julian's divorce! Lily, your happiness is right around the corner!"

"Cheers!"

"After this drink, let's go sing and dance next!"

"Yeah, let's go!"

Iris and Zoe looked toward the noise.

The private room door swung open, and three women walked out—Lily, Jenny, and Celeste, Iris's old best friend.

When the three saw Iris and Zoe, they froze for a second too.

Then Lily smiled and walked up to Iris. "Iris, what a coincidence. You here too?"

Celeste chimed in sarcastically. "Lily, she's divorced from Julian. Why waste your breath on her?"

Lily covered her mouth, faking surprise. "Oh right! You and Julian are divorced now. You mean nothing to each other anymore."

Zoe clenched her fists, her hands shaking with anger. She glared at them, grinding her teeth.

"You..." Zoe started to stand up, ready to fire back, but Iris held her arm tight, telling her to calm down with a look.

Zoe kept her fists tight, her knuckles turning white, her hands trembling with rage.

Iris turned to Lily, calm and collected. Her voice was cool, but firm. "Please move. Don't bother us."

Lily was annoyed, but she couldn't help grinning, proud as can be, when she remembered Iris and Julian were done.