His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 219: No Clean Break

"Iris, what would it even take to cut them off completely?" Iris asked, her voice unsteady as she leaned into Zoe, the question coming out like something she had turned over a hundred times with no real answer.

Zoe sighed, her hand moving slowly over Iris's back, grounding her. "You can't just cut them off like that, not legally. It's messy, and honestly, it almost never works the way people think it will."

Iris let out a quiet, choked breath against her shoulder. "Yeah... I just feel stuck. Like no matter what I do, I can't get out."

Zoe hesitated, then said what had been sitting on her mind. "Then let Julian handle it. If anyone can deal with something like this, it's him."

Iris went completely still at the mention of his name, her body tensing before she even realized it. She didn't answer right away, her thoughts clearly shifting.

Zoe softened her tone, trying to lighten things a little. "I'm serious, sometimes I really question if those people are actually your parents. I mean, look at you. You're smart, you're kind, you've got this whole polished, put-together energy, and then there's them... it just doesn't match."

Iris pulled back, wiping at her eyes, a faint, helpless smile slipping through. "What are you even saying? Ethan and I are fraternal twins. There are birth records, baby photos, everything. It's not like I got switched at the hospital."

Zoe tilted her head, still unconvinced. "You don't even look alike."

Iris let out a quiet, bitter laugh and reached for her hand, pulling her along toward the subway. "You're overthinking it. Come on, let's go."

Zoe didn't drop it. "At least call Julian. Let him handle this."

Iris shook her head immediately. "No."

Zoe stopped walking, staring at her. "Why not? You don't want to be with him, fine. But out of everyone you know, he's the only one who actually has the power to fix this. If you won't call him, I will."

She had already pulled out her phone when Iris quickly pressed her hand down.

"Don't," Iris said, her voice firm this time. "Seriously, don't call him."

Zoe blinked, confused. "Why not?"

Iris hesitated for half a second before answering, quieter now. "Because he's at my place."

Zoe's eyes widened. "Wait... your apartment?"

Iris let out a small sigh. "Yeah. He stayed over last night. Slept on the floor. I tried to get him to leave, he wouldn't."

Zoe's expression shifted instantly, a grin breaking through as she slipped her phone back into her pocket. "Wow. Okay... that changes things."

They passed through the subway gates and made their way down to the platform, the noise of the station filling the space between them.

Zoe reached for Iris's hand again, her tone turning more serious. "Iris, I'm going to say this once. Julian actually loves you. You should think about giving him another chance."

Iris's expression grew heavy. "I know he loves me. He's been in love with me for twelve years."

Zoe froze, eyes widening. "Wait... what?"

Iris exhaled slowly, glancing at her. "Yeah."

Zoe covered her mouth, stunned.

Iris looked away, her voice softening. "But I can't win against Frederick... and I definitely can't win against Lily."

Zoe tightened her grip on Iris's hand, suddenly energized. "Then don't fight them. Stay behind Julian and let him handle it. Before, you didn't know how he felt, so you didn't trust him. But now you do. You can rely on him."

Iris didn't respond.

Zoe's gaze drifted down to Iris's stomach, her voice lowering. "And what about the baby? Don't you want your child to grow up in a real family? With both parents there?"

Iris followed her gaze, her hand instinctively hovering near her abdomen.

Zoe was the only one who knew.

The only person she trusted with something like this.

Can I really trust him?

The train pulled in, and they stepped inside together.

There was only one seat left, and Zoe immediately pushed Iris down into it. "Sit."

Iris smiled faintly. "I'm fine. It's still early."

Zoe shook her head. "No, sit."

After a moment, she added more quietly, "This whole thing... it's Arthur's fault. He messed things up for you and Julian. Not you."

Iris didn't respond, but the weight in her chest only deepened.

By the time Iris got back to her apartment, the sun was already low, casting warm light across the building.

She unlocked the door and stepped inside.

The place was spotless, everything arranged with precision, the kind of order that felt unmistakably like Julian.

She slipped off her shoes and glanced inside.

Julian was out on the balcony, on the phone. When he heard the door, he turned, his call still ongoing, but the moment his eyes landed on her, his expression softened, a quiet warmth settling in.

Iris set her bag down and walked in.

He gestured toward the table.

She followed his line of sight and saw dinner already laid out, the dishes, with two place settings waiting.

She went to wash her hands, then sat down at the table.

After a moment, she glanced back toward the balcony.

Julian covered the receiver briefly. "Go ahead and eat. Don't wait for me."

She nodded and picked up her fork.

The food was good, better than she remembered. He had clearly gotten better at cooking.

Something in her chest softened.

Zoe's words echoed again, lingering, refusing to leave her alone with her thoughts.

A few minutes later, Julian ended his call and came inside, taking a seat across from her.

Iris looked up, and their eyes met.

His gaze was warm, his smile easy, his voice low and gentle. "How is it?"

"It's good," she said, noticing he hadn't started eating yet. She reached over and placed a piece of meat into his bowl. "You should eat too."

Julian paused, clearly caught off guard, then smiled, the expression deepening in a way he couldn't quite hide. "Okay."

The rest of the meal passed quietly, but the silence felt comfortable this time.

Afterward, Julian handled the dishes while Iris wiped down the table. He took out the trash, and she went to shower.

By the time night settled in, they were both changed into comfortable clothes.

Iris sat at the table with her laptop, entering data from her experiments, while Julian leaned back on the couch, scrolling through financial news, earbuds in.

When she finished, she closed her laptop and stretched, rolling her neck before glancing over at him.

He looked completely absorbed, relaxed in a way she hadn't seen often before.

Zoe's words came back again. Before, she hadn't known he loved her.

Back then, she hadn't understood it. She didn't realize Julian loved her, and because of that, she never felt secure with him, never fully trusted him, never leaned on him, and part of her had always been ready to walk away.