His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 167: Under the Firelight

The shift in the air was immediate, almost violent in how fast it happened. Conversations died mid-sentence, laughter faded, and every single gaze turned toward Julian and Iris as if pulled by the same invisible force. What had been a lively bonfire gathering moments ago now felt tense and airless, like the charged stillness before a thunderstorm rolls in.

Julian's expression darkened in an instant, the warmth in his face replaced by something far heavier. Shock hit first, then something sharper, something restless and raw that he couldn't quite contain. By the time he pushed himself to his feet, it looked like even that simple movement cost him effort. His eyes locked onto Iris and didn't move, as though he were trying to read everything she wasn't saying.

Iris, on the other hand, looked composed at a glance. Her posture stayed steady, her expression controlled, but the faint tremor in her fingers betrayed her. She could feel everything spiraling, and she was forcing it down piece by piece.

"Iris..." Julian's voice came out rough, worn thin, like he'd been holding too much back for too long. "You..."

She lifted her head and met his gaze, forcing a faint smile that didn't reach her eyes. "What, are you mad?"

"I'm not," Julian said, though the tension in his voice told a different story. "Come talk to me. Just us."

Iris didn't hesitate. She shook her head, calm but firm. "No. I'm good."

The refusal landed harder than anything else could have. A flash of pain crossed Julian's face before he stepped forward, reaching instinctively for her wrist, but she shifted just enough to avoid him. It wasn't dramatic, not even forceful, yet there was something final in the way she moved, like a door quietly closing.

"Iris, don't do this," he said, and now there was no hiding the strain in his voice. "We need to talk."

For a brief second, something flickered in Iris's eyes, conflict, hesitation, something softer that almost surfaced, but she pushed it down just as quickly, leaving nothing behind.

"There's nothing to talk about."

Her voice was steady, but distant, like she'd already stepped away from all of it.

Julian's jaw tightened. This time, he didn't give her the chance to slip away again. He reached out, caught her wrist, and started to pull her with him, clearly done having this conversation in front of everyone.

He barely got a step in before Caleb moved.

Caleb was on his feet in an instant, grabbing Iris's other wrist and shoving Julian's hand away with a force that made the intent crystal clear. He stepped forward, placing himself squarely between them, his stance protective and unyielding.

Julian's expression shifted the moment he looked at him, the tension sharpening into something colder.

"Julian," Caleb said evenly, though there was nothing soft about his tone, "she's made herself clear. It's over. She doesn't want this conversation."

Julian let out a slow breath through clenched teeth, his voice dropping. "This is between me and her. Stay out of it."

The two of them stood there, neither backing down, the tension building fast and thick, like dry air waiting for a spark. Around them, people started to stand, instinctively pulling back but unable to look away.

Off to the side, Lily watched everything unfold with a quiet sense of satisfaction. She had never cared much for Iris, and now that things were unraveling, she wasn't about to miss it. Smoothing her expression into something that passed for concern, she stepped forward.

"Iris," she said gently, though the sweetness felt rehearsed, "if there's some kind of misunderstanding between you and Julian, why not just clear it up now? We're all friends here. No one's judging."

Caleb let out a short laugh, sharp and dismissive. "Misunderstanding? Let's not pretend. My brother ignored her for two years straight, acted like she didn't exist while they were married. That's not confusion. That's what it looks like when you don't love someone."

A flicker of satisfaction crossed Lily's eyes, subtle but unmistakable, before she fell quiet again, content to let things escalate.

Celeste, however, didn't hold back. Her disbelief turned quickly into something harsher. "She's lying. There's no way she's still... come on. Back in college, guys were always around her. She was constantly at male professors' places, staying late, and didn't she check into a hotel with Arthur too?"

Selena gave a soft, amused laugh, her tone edged with mockery. "Please. With how advanced everything is now? Fixing something like that takes what, one appointment?"

The comment didn't just land, it set everything off. What started as a murmur moved through the group fast, picking up momentum until the whole mood shifted. The air turned sharp, and whatever thin layer of restraint had been holding people back finally gave way.

No one else spoke. The men nearby went completely silent, caught in the tension, unsure where to even look.

Julian didn't react to any of them.

He didn't look at Celeste, or Selena, or anyone else standing there.

His focus stayed entirely on Iris, his gaze dark and unreadable, as if everything else had fallen away. Every word thrown at her landed somewhere deep in his chest, sharp and unforgiving, until even breathing felt tight.

None of it mattered.

Not what anyone said, not what anyone thought.

In that moment, there was only her.

Every glance, every shift in her expression, every small movement, all of it pulled at him in ways he couldn't ignore.