His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 162: Change of Plans

"Thanks," Iris replied, her tone polite, controlled, giving nothing away.

Julian's eyes flicked down to her arm, his concern obvious. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She followed his gaze briefly, then glanced past him toward the living room where Ethan stood, clearly listening, guilt still lingering in his expression.

So he told him.

"I'm fine," she said, brushing it off lightly. "I had a thick hoodie on. It didn't really hurt."

The physical pain was nothing. It would fade by the end of the day. What stayed was everything else.

Julian nodded slowly, exhaling under his breath as if that answer helped, even a little.

A brief silence settled between them.

When he didn't continue, Iris shifted her weight slightly. "If that's all, I'm going to close the door."

"Iris, wait," Julian said quickly, the words slipping out before he could stop them. "Do you remember the bet from last night?"

She paused. "Yeah."

"Come with me to pick up some gear."

"For what?"

"Camping."

She frowned slightly. "Isn't Mason handling that?"

"He's got the main equipment covered, tents and all that," Julian explained. "But not personal stuff."

Iris blinked, clearly confused. "We're only going for one night, right? What else do we even need?"

Julian shook his head. "Not one night. Five days."

That landed hard.

Iris stared at him, realization settling in, followed immediately by regret.

Five days.

She shook her head, stepping back slightly. "That's too long. I'm not going."

Julian let out a quiet laugh, reaching up and pressing his hand lightly against the top of her hood, holding her in place just enough to stop her from retreating further.

"A deal's a deal," he said, his tone lighter, but firm. "You don't get to back out now."

From behind him, Ethan chimed in, trying to help. "Iris, you're not working right now anyway, and you've always liked getting out of town. Just go with Julian. It might do you some good."

Julian gently turned her around toward her room and nudged her forward. "Go get changed. I'll wait."

Before she could argue again, the door closed behind her.

Standing alone in her room, Iris lifted both hands to her face, pressing her palms against her cheeks as she lowered her head.

A week with Julian.

It made something in her chest tighten.

It had taken her six months to finally let go, to put distance between herself and everything she had once felt for him.

Now, just when things had settled, when her heart had finally gone quiet, this was pulling her right back in.

...

By the time they arrived at the marina, Iris could already sense something was off.

Julian stopped the moment they reached the dock, his expression darkening as his eyes locked onto the yacht ahead.

He didn't move.

Mason shifted awkwardly beside them, forcing a grin that didn't quite land. "Come on, man. We're all friends here. Don't make this weird."

Iris looked up at Julian, picking up on the tension immediately. "What is it?"

He lowered his gaze to hers, his voice softening. "That yacht belongs to the Prescott family. I didn't know."

That explained everything.

This wasn't just a casual trip.

This was Lily's setup.

She had used Mason's name to get Julian here, probably never expecting Iris to be part of the plan.

Julian reached for her hand without hesitation, turning away from the dock. "If you don't want to go, we'll leave."

Mason stepped forward quickly, panic creeping into his voice. "Julian, don't do this. You're putting me in a really bad spot here. Do we really have to make things this awkward?"

Iris gently pulled her hand free and gave Mason a small, polite nod. "I'm sorry. I'm not joining."

She turned and started walking, her pace steady, not looking back.

Julian followed immediately, pulling their luggage behind him without a word.

She wasn't the type to pick fights.

But she also had no interest in walking straight into unnecessary drama.

They had barely taken a few steps before Iris suddenly stopped.

Ahead of them, a group was approaching.

Four men. Four women.

And just like that, any remaining interest she had in this trip disappeared completely.

Lily walked at the center, sunglasses on, wrapped in a soft pink fur coat, every bit the polished socialite. At her side were Celeste and Selena, along with Jenny, while Caleb, Luke, and Daniel followed close behind.

Lily didn't look surprised to see Julian.

But the moment her eyes landed on Iris, her expression tightened ever so slightly.

"Iris?" Caleb's face lit up as he stepped forward. "Wow, it's been a while. Didn't expect to run into you here."

"Hey," Iris replied, keeping her tone neutral.

The rest of the group closed in.

Jenny was the first to speak again, her voice edged with clear disapproval. "I thought this was supposed to be a friends-only trip. Didn't realize we were inviting random people now. Kind of kills the vibe."

Lily waved it off with a practiced smile. "It's fine. The more the merrier."

Jenny didn't let it go, her gaze settling coldly on Iris. "Being too nice just makes people think they can walk all over you."

Celeste smiled sweetly, her tone light but pointed. "She might not be part of the friend group, but technically we're all connected now. I'll be her sister-in-law soon, and Selena's already her sister. It's not a big deal if she comes along."

None of it sounded outright hostile.

But layered together, it was suffocating.

Julian stepped closer to Iris, taking her hand again, his voice low and steady. "Iris, let's go."

This time, she didn't pull away.

But she didn't move either.

Her eyes stayed on Lily.

Lily, for all her composure, looked tense now, her attention fixed entirely on Julian, like everything depended on whether he stayed.

Luke broke the silence. "Julian, come on. You can't bail on us like this."

"We're going," Iris said suddenly.

She smiled, the expression soft, almost playful, but there was something deeper beneath it that was hard to read.

Before anyone could react, she slipped her arm through Julian's and leaned in slightly, her voice gentle as she looked up at him.

"Let's get on the boat," she said. "I want to go."