His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 233: Blocked

Lily sniffed, her eyes glossy with tears as she looked up at Julian, like she was holding on by a thread.

Julian didn't soften. He picked up the medication from the tray and handed it to Harold. "Have her take this. I'll talk to the nurses about switching rooms and cover the damages."

Harold stepped in quickly. "I'll handle that. You stay here, she's calmer when you're around."

The two caregivers exchanged annoyed looks, clearly fed up, muttering under their breath as they slipped out of the room.

By that night, the hospital made their decision. Instead of moving Lily, they processed her discharge and sent her out.

No one tolerated a meltdown like that in a public hospital, no matter who you were.

The car pulled into Rosehill Estate well after dark.

Frederick, Vivian, and Beatrice were already waiting outside with the house staff.

The driver got out first and brought around the wheelchair. Julian opened the door, lifted Lily carefully into his arms, and set her down into the chair before pushing her toward the house.

Harold and Irene walked up to Frederick, both visibly relieved. "Frederick, thank you. She refuses to come home, insists on staying with Julian. We really appreciate you letting her recover here."

Frederick gave Harold's shoulder a firm pat. "We've known each other too long for that kind of talk. I've always treated Lily like my own daughter. If my son hadn't called off the engagement the way he did, she wouldn't be in this situation. He carries responsibility for this, and so do we."

Harold let out a long breath. "I didn't raise her well either."

"Leave her here," Frederick said. "If you're worried, stay too. We're family at this point anyway."

Irene didn't hesitate. "Then we'll stay. It'll be easier to take care of her."

Vivian smiled. "Of course, you're more than welcome."

Beatrice frowned, clearly impatient. "Are we planning to keep talking out here? My legs are done."

She turned and walked inside without waiting, the rest following behind her.

Frederick arranged for two full-time caregivers and a rehab specialist to stay with Lily.

After taking her medication, Lily fell asleep quickly.

Downstairs, the adults stayed in the living room talking.

Julian didn't join them. He went upstairs.

Inside his room, he turned on the lights, shut the door behind him, and walked to the bed with slow, heavy steps. Sitting down, he pulled out his phone and opened Iris's chat.

He didn't type right away.

He just stared at her profile picture, unmoving.

Time passed. The screen dimmed. He tapped it back on. Again. And again.

Like if he stopped, something would finally settle into reality.

Eventually, the silence got too loud.

He typed. "Iris, you asleep?"

The message went through, or at least it looked like it had.

A second later, a small notification popped up beneath it, undelivered.

Blocked.

Julian froze, staring at it like his brain refused to process what he was seeing.

A few seconds later, he threw the phone onto the bed and leaned forward, covering his face with both hands, elbows braced on his knees.

The pain didn't come all at once.

It spread.

Slow, sharp, relentless, like something tearing through him from the inside out.

For a moment, it felt like he couldn't breathe.

The room went completely still, filled only with the sound of his uneven breathing.

A knock came at the door. He didn't respond.

Another knock. Then the door opened anyway. Soft footsteps.

Julian dragged his hands down his face, forced himself upright, and looked over.

Beatrice stepped inside.

"What is it, Grandma?" he asked, his voice flat.

She sat beside him and patted his leg gently. "Julian, stop putting this on yourself. Lily is an adult. Every choice she made was hers. Why are you carrying all of it?"

Julian let out a quiet, humorless laugh, his gaze dropping.

Beatrice sighed. "I knew this would happen."

He looked up. "What do you mean?"

"I told you before," she said calmly. "Treat Iris better, or you'd regret it one day."

A faint smile pulled at his lips, but there was no warmth in it. "Yeah. I've been regretting it ever since. Feels like it's not going away either."

Beatrice reached over and rested her hand on his. "She looks gentle, but Iris is strong, independent, and clear-headed. She doesn't rely on anyone. She's nothing like Lily, emotional, fragile, always calculating."

She gave his hand a light squeeze. "If you ask me, you should fight for Iris. She's the one you should spend your life with, not that girl."

Julian shook his head slightly, a bitter edge in his voice. "She doesn't love me. She never did. There were always men around her, and I've never seen her care about any of them. She's rational, almost cold. Marriage was just something she had to go through. I didn't matter."

Beatrice sighed again. "And whose fault is that? Those first two years of your marriage were your best shot. You wasted them."

Julian leaned forward, elbows on his knees, head lowered, the regret settling heavier with every passing second.