His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 227: No Middle Ground

Julian held her tightly, as if letting go meant losing her for good, his voice rough and strained in a way Iris had never heard before. "Home isn't a place for me, Iris. It's wherever you are. I will come back."

Iris forced a faint smile, but the tears gathering in her eyes blurred everything in front of her. She kept her tone steady anyway, as if calmness alone could hold her together. "Every time you show up, something happens to Lily. And somehow, it always ends with me being the one everyone blames. I become the problem. The one people want to go after."

Julian closed his eyes briefly and let out a slow breath, his voice thick with guilt. "I'm sorry. This is my fault."

"It's not about fault," she said quietly, shaking her head. "We're just not right for each other. That's all."

"Iris..." He pulled her into his arms again, holding her in silence, unwilling to accept what she was saying. "No matter what happens, I'm not giving up on you."

That was exactly what made everything worse.

Iris pushed him away, her frustration breaking through the hurt. "Julian, if you can't walk away from Lily, then you have to walk away from me. You don't get both. If you keep trying to hold on to everything, I'm the one who ends up getting hurt."

He frowned, clearly struggling to follow her logic. "What are you even saying? I..."

His phone rang, cutting him off mid-sentence.

He hesitated for a brief moment before answering, his expression shifting as he listened. Without another word, he stood, picked up his bag, and said quietly, "Alright. I'm on my way."

When the call ended, he stopped by the door, his hand resting on it as if something invisible was holding him back.

Behind him, Iris sat frozen, her fingers tightening in the sheets as her body trembled.

Who says I don't care...?

It hurts so much I can barely hold it together.

But caring didn't change reality.

She had no leverage, no power, nothing to stand on. How was she supposed to go up against the Everhart family and the Prescott family, against people with that kind of influence? And Lily... someone so extreme she would gamble with her own life just to get what she wanted?

Julian's voice pulled her back.

"Lily's awake," he said, his tone heavy. "I'll come back after she calms down. Don't overthink this."

Then he left.

The door closed behind him with a soft click that felt louder than it should have.

Iris slowly lay back down, pulling the blanket over herself as the room fell into complete silence. She shut her eyes, trying to force her thoughts to settle, but her mind felt tangled and heavy, like everything inside her had turned to noise.

She had already told herself to accept it.

She had already decided to let go.

But the tears still slipped out anyway, tracing quietly down her temples and into her hair.

Life settled into something dull and predictable after that.

She spent her days at the lab running experiments, then went home to rest, occasionally texting Zoe just to keep some sense of normalcy.

Julian, however, kept reaching out.

His messages were simple, almost routine.

"Morning. You up?"

"What are you doing?"

"Why aren't you answering me?"

Iris would read them and set her phone aside.

There was no point.

If Lily saw even one reply, it would turn into another emotional explosion, another situation where Iris somehow ended up being blamed.

Ignoring him was the only way to keep things from getting worse.

Around noon one day, just after she returned from her break, Nolan walked into the lab holding a file, barely able to contain his excitement.

"Iris, this is big," he said, handing it over. "Aurelium Group reviewed your materials, and they're seriously interested in our new drug. They want to talk about a partnership."

Iris's face lit up. "That's amazing. Then you and the sales director should take the lead. I'm not great at negotiations."

Nolan shook his head immediately, his tone firm. "No. You're leading this. Out of all the companies they could've picked, they chose us. That's not just about the drug, that's about you."

She paused, caught off guard. "Me?"

Thinking it through, she couldn't deny it. Without Brandon's help, her work might not have even made it that far.

She nodded. "Alright. I'll handle it."

She reached for the file, and Nolan handed it over with a satisfied smile. "If we land this deal, it'll change everything for the institute."

Back in the lab, Iris read through the proposal carefully before pulling out her phone and messaging Brandon.

"Thank you. Aurelium Group agreed to meet with us."

She attached a photo of the file cover.

His reply came quickly.

"I just passed your materials along. You don't owe me anything."

"I do. You helped me more than you think."

"Then take me out to dinner."

Iris paused when she read that, her fingers hovering over the screen.

She had meant a polite thank you, nothing more.

But now that he had said it directly, refusing would feel awkward.

"Alright. When are you free?"

"When is Zoe free? Invite her too."

Iris smiled faintly, typing a question mark. He's not even trying to hide it.

"She hasn't come in for a follow-up," Brandon replied.

"She's shy. If she knows her doctor will be there, she won't show up."

"Then don't tell her."

"I'll ask her."

"Thanks."

Iris stared at the screen for a moment before calling Zoe.

Zoe picked up almost immediately, her voice bright. "Iris, what's up?"

"I'm taking you out to dinner after work. You free?"

Zoe laughed. "Free? I'd skip anything for that. You treating me? That's a once-in-a-lifetime event. Send me the address, I'll be there as soon as I'm off."

"Alright, see you later."

After hanging up, Iris felt a flicker of guilt.

Sorry, Zoe.

But this deal mattered, and she might need Brandon's help again. There wasn't really another option.