His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 225: Lines That Break

Iris didn't bother arguing back. It wasn't that she couldn't, it was that the entire conversation had already crossed into something so unreasonable that responding felt pointless. Standing there, listening to them lay out their version of right and wrong, she found it almost laughable.

Ethan stayed quiet at first, his silence heavy with hesitation.

"Ethan," Iris said, turning to him, her gaze steady but searching, "do you actually agree with her?"

He shifted awkwardly, clearly caught off guard, his answer coming out slower than usual. "I mean... Celeste's not completely wrong. Iris, you and Julian..."

She lifted her hand and stopped him before he could go any further, her voice calm but final. "That's enough. You don't need to finish that."

There was no anger in her tone, just exhaustion.

Ethan froze, visibly torn, glancing between Iris and Celeste as if hoping one of them would make the decision for him.

Celeste didn't hesitate. She stepped forward, her expression cold, her frustration no longer hidden. "I honestly feel bad for Lily. In every way that matters, you don't come close. Her background, the way she's loved Julian all these years, the history they share. They grew up together. That kind of bond doesn't just disappear. If you hadn't gotten in the middle of it, she would've been the happiest person alive right now."

A sharp discomfort tightened in Iris's abdomen, subtle but unmistakable, her body reacting before her expression changed. She took a slow breath, steadying herself before speaking.

"If it's one-sided, what happiness are you talking about?" she asked, her tone even, almost detached. "They've known each other for over twenty years. If Julian wanted her, I wouldn't even be in the picture. By your logic, if someone hurts themselves over a person, that person suddenly owes them a relationship?"

Celeste's patience snapped. "That's not the same thing, and you know it."

"If you came here just to blame me," Iris said, already turning away, "then I'm not interested in continuing this conversation. What Lily did was her choice. It has nothing to do with me."

She had barely taken a step when Celeste's voice came again, louder this time, carrying something close to desperation.

"Iris, just let Julian go. You'll be fine without him. Lily won't."

That was the moment that stopped her.

Iris stood there, her back to them, sunlight falling across her shoulders, yet she felt none of its warmth. What settled instead was a quiet, spreading cold.

The world didn't stop for anyone.

She wouldn't fall apart over losing someone.

But someone else choosing to fall apart... that wasn't her responsibility.

"Julian isn't something you can give away," she said at last, her voice calm, almost distant. "Everyone gets to choose how they live. That includes him."

Ethan stepped in again, his tone softer, almost pleading. "Iris, you're already divorced. Maybe just let Lily have a chance. If it saves her, isn't that what matters most?"

Iris let out a quiet, humorless breath, the frustration sitting heavy in her chest.

Unbelievable. First he drops the case against his ex, and now he's trying to guilt-trip me into backing down.

Celeste could say whatever she wanted, and it barely registered. It never did.

But this was Ethan.

The one person who had always been on her side, no matter what.

And now, somehow, he was standing across from her.

Iris turned back, her eyes already burning, her voice trembling despite her effort to keep it steady. "Do you really think I left Julian because I didn't love him?"

Ethan immediately panicked. "That's not what I meant—"

Her voice rose, emotion breaking through at last. "I left because every single one of you kept pushing me. Setting me up, turning things against me, threatening me. None of you could stand the idea of me being with him, or being happy."

Ethan stepped forward quickly, grabbing her hand, his expression filled with regret. "Iris, I'm sorry. That's not what I was trying to say. I want you to be happy, I do, I just—"

She pulled her hand free and stepped back, her voice quiet but firm. "Then don't say anything else. Just take your girlfriend and leave. And don't come looking for me again."

She turned to go, but Celeste's voice followed her again, sharp and relentless.

"Iris, without Julian, all you lose is love. Lily could lose her life. How do you not see the difference? How can you be this selfish?"

Iris stopped once more, her body going still.

She took a slow breath, then another, forcing the tightness in her chest down.

Selfish.

That word lingered.

When she turned back, her expression had settled into something calm, almost cold. "Lily didn't jump because of love," she said evenly. "She's sick. Don't turn everything into some romantic story. She doesn't love herself, and she doesn't truly love anyone else either. That wasn't love. That was control, obsession, and not getting what she wanted. If you actually love someone, you want them to be happy. Forcing someone to stay with you doesn't lead to anything real."

Celeste frowned, clearly irritated. "And you're not the same? You're not possessive?"

"I love Julian," Iris said, her voice steady, unwavering. "That's exactly why I respect whatever choice he makes. Even if he chooses Lily, I'll accept it."

She didn't wait for a response this time. She turned and walked away without looking back.

Behind her, Celeste clenched her fists in frustration and turned on Ethan. "Why didn't you back me up?"

Ethan exhaled, watching Iris disappear into the distance. "Because she's not wrong," he said quietly. "If anything, she's the one who sees this clearly. Lily..."

He didn't get to finish.

Celeste shoved him hard, anger spilling over. "No wonder your ex-wife left you. This is exactly why. You always take your sister's side. If that's how it's going to be, then go be with her. We're done."

She turned and walked off without hesitation.

Ethan panicked immediately, hurrying after her. "Celeste, wait. Don't end things over something like this."

"Something like this?" she shot back, pulling her hand away. "My friend is still in the hospital, and you think this is small?"

Ethan lowered his voice, trying to reason with her. "My sister is your friend too. Can't you try to see things from her side?"