His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 202: Out of Control

"He already knows."

Iris's voice was calm, but it landed hard enough to silence everyone nearby.

Frederick froze, clearly not expecting that.

The reaction rippled outward. Harold, Irene, even Vivian all looked at her in shock.

Lily's composure cracked completely as she turned to Frederick. "You gave her that much money? Why would you do that?"

Frederick answered without hesitation. "If it meant she'd leave Julian, it was worth it."

"That's insane," Lily snapped, her voice rising. "She's not worth that kind of money."

Iris watched her quietly, understanding exactly what was behind the outburst. It wasn't outrage. It was calculation. In Lily's mind, that money should have been hers someday, not Iris's.

Harold and Irene quickly pulled Lily aside, trying to calm her down before things spiraled further.

About ten minutes later, the front doors opened again.

Julian walked in.

He moved quickly, his breathing slightly uneven, like he hadn't slowed down since getting the call. The moment he appeared, the energy in the room shifted again, every conversation cutting off as people turned to look.

Iris glanced toward him.

Their eyes met.

There was something in his gaze that wasn't easy to name, tension, concern, something deeper and more complicated, all of it fixed on her.

She looked away first.

Don't react. Not here.

"Julian," Frederick said, his tone firm, authoritative. "You're here. Handle this."

He gestured toward Iris. "She's pressing charges against Lily. Take care of it."

Irene leaned toward Lily, her voice low but confident. "Now that he's here, this will be handled."

Lily hesitated, unease creeping in. "Why did he have to come?"

Irene leaned in slightly, a confident smile playing on her lips. "Your father-in-law called him," she said, clearly pleased. "He could handle this himself, sure, but having Julian step in changes everything. That's a smart move."

Lily frowned, unsettled. "What do you mean?"

Irene moved closer, lowering her voice so only Lily could hear. "With your father-in-law standing behind you, it doesn't matter what Julian wants. He'll back you up. And honestly, this might be exactly what Iris needs, a reality check. She needs to understand where she stands and stop inserting herself into his life."

Lily shook her head quickly, anxiety creeping in. "No, Mom, you don't get it. You really don't know Julian. He can't find out about this."

Grace stepped in, placing a reassuring hand on Lily's shoulder. "You're overthinking it. With all of us here, everything will be handled. Julian will be on your side."

Hope flickered in Lily's eyes, fragile but there.

Julian, meanwhile, had already stepped past them and approached the officer. "Julian Everhart. Iris is my ex-wife. I need to know what happened."

The officer nodded and gestured toward Lily. "And she is?"

Julian glanced at her briefly, his tone flat. "Someone I'm not involved with."

The officer blinked, clearly confused. "Not your fiancée?"

He slid Iris's statement across the desk.

Julian read it carefully, his expression growing darker with every line, his hand tightening into a fist against the surface.

"She filed for assault," the officer explained. "The injury is minor, not enough for criminal charges. We recommend resolving it privately. As for defamation, that's a civil matter."

Julian let out a quiet, humorless breath. "So hitting someone doesn't count?"

"In this case, it's not considered serious," the officer said. "You're at the center of this. Maybe you should talk to them."

Julian nodded once. "I will."

He set the statement down and turned.

His eyes found Iris again.

She sat there quietly, composed, almost delicate at a glance, but he knew exactly how strong she really was.

Their gazes met, and for a brief moment, everything else faded into the background.

Irene nudged Lily forward.

Lily hesitated, then stepped closer, her voice softer now, almost pleading. "Julian... I know I shouldn't have hit her, but we're engaged, and she keeps going after you. I just lost my temper."

Julian looked at her, one eyebrow lifting slightly, a faint, unreadable smile forming.

Then, without warning, he raised his hand.

The sound of the slap cracked through the room, sharp and unmistakable.

Lily staggered from the force, spinning before collapsing to the floor, a trace of blood appearing at the corner of her mouth.

For a moment, the entire room went silent.

Then everything broke at once.

Officers rushed forward, grabbing Julian and pulling him back. "What do you think you're doing?"

Harold and Irene hurried to Lily's side, furious and shaken as they helped her up.

Frederick lunged forward, his anger finally breaking through. "I told you to deal with Iris, and this is what you do? Have you lost your mind?"

Officers moved quickly to restrain him before things escalated further.

Voices overlapped from every direction, anger, panic, accusations, orders, turning the entire station into chaos.