His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 226: What Remains

"Friend?" Celeste let out a cold laugh. "Iris has always acted like she's above everyone. She was the one who cut me off, not me."

"Celeste—"

"Don't," she cut him off sharply. "If you're not on my side, then we're done."

Ethan didn't hesitate this time. "You're my girlfriend. Of course I'm on your side. Whatever you believe, I'll stand with you."

She slowed slightly, but her tone remained firm. "Then remember that. If you side with Iris again, we're over."

"It won't happen again," he said quickly.

The apartment was silent well past midnight, the kind of stillness that made even the smallest sound feel amplified.

The faint click of the front door broke through it.

Iris stirred, her eyes opening slowly as she reached for her phone in the dark. The glow of the screen read 1:30 a.m.

A moment later, the bedroom door opened.

Even without the light, she knew it was Julian. The sound of his steps, the way he moved through the space, it was all too familiar.

He didn't turn on the lights. Instead, he walked straight to the bed and leaned down.

His lips brushed gently against her forehead, soft and careful, carrying a faint trace of antiseptic from the hospital.

Iris closed her eyes again, pretending she hadn't woken.

The warmth lingered for a moment before he pulled away.

She heard him move toward the closet, the quiet rustle of fabric breaking the silence.

When she opened her eyes again, the room was dim, lit only by the faint light from the balcony. She watched him from where she lay, expecting him to grab something to change into.

Instead, he pulled out the travel bag he had left there.

And then he picked it up.

Something in her chest tightened.

"Julian," she said.

He stopped immediately, his back stiffening before he turned. "Did I wake you?"

She didn't answer that. Instead, she pushed herself up, sitting across from him with a small distance between them, though it felt far greater than that.

"Is Lily out of danger?" she asked, her tone calm.

"She is," Julian said. "They moved her to a regular room, but she hasn't woken up yet."

"You're going back to the hospital?"

He set the bag down and walked over, sitting at the edge of the bed. He reached for her hand, holding it gently, his thumb brushing lightly over her fingers. "I'm sorry, Iris," he said quietly. "She did this because of me. If something happens to her, her parents won't be able to handle it, and neither will I. The doctors said her condition is serious. If she wakes up and I'm not there, it could trigger something again. Her parents even begged me. I can't just walk away."

Iris listened, her expression unchanged.

"You don't need to apologize," she said softly. "You're doing the right thing. I just want to ask you something."

"Okay."

"What's the difference between me and her?"

Julian didn't hesitate this time. He reached forward, pulling her into his arms, his hand settling at the back of her head as he held her close. His voice lowered, rough with emotion. "You're the one I love. She's family."

Iris stayed still for a moment before asking quietly, "If you had to choose between love and someone's life, what would you choose?"

He didn't answer.

His arms tightened slightly, but the silence was enough.

A faint, almost invisible smile touched her lips as she pulled away from him. "You should go," she said gently. "I need to sleep. I have work in the morning."

Julian studied her face, something uneasy settling in his expression. "You're not upset?"

She turned her head slightly, avoiding his touch. "She almost died. If I get upset over something like this, I'm just making things harder for you."

That answer didn't reassure him.

If anything, it made something inside him sink further.

He cupped her face, forcing her to look at him, his voice low and strained. "I wish you were upset," he admitted. "I wish you'd get jealous, argue with me, anything. At least then I'd know you care. Right now... you're too calm. It feels like none of this matters to you."

Iris didn't respond.

Her silence wasn't indifference.

It was restraint.

Julian let out a quiet, bitter laugh. "What was I expecting? If you cared that much, you wouldn't have divorced me."

Still, she said nothing.

Because love had never been something she could easily say out loud, and more than that, she couldn't see a future where holding onto it wouldn't hurt her even more.

"I'll come back once she's stable," Julian said softly.

He leaned in and kissed her, light and brief, before pulling away. "Get some rest."

"Leave the key," Iris said.

Her voice was steady, but something underneath it wavered. "You're not coming back."

"I will," Julian said immediately, his voice tightening. "She's like family. You're the one I love."

"I'm not questioning that," Iris said quietly.

Her hand moved to his pocket, pulling out the key.

Before she could take it, his hand closed around her wrist, his grip tightening as his breathing grew heavier, the tension between them thickening.

Iris held onto the key, her fingers tightening around it as something inside her twisted sharply.

She had never blamed him.

Not now.

Not even before.

Because what he was facing now, being pulled between two impossible choices, was the same place she had stood when she chose to walk away.