His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 259: Tragic Confirmation

Celeste lost her temper and gave Iris a hard shove.

Iris staggered back a couple of steps, nearly losing her balance. Instinctively, her hands flew to her stomach as she shot a sharp glare at Celeste.

"Ethan just lost his son—he's heartbroken enough as it is. How can you be so cruel?" Celeste shouted. Her eyes then dropped to Iris' protective stance, noticing the faint swell of her lower abdomen. "You..."

"Cruel?" Iris let out a cold laugh. "A wolf in sheep's clothing and a deadbeat dad pretending to be the good guy. I did everything I could to protect him, but I still couldn't stop you two from handing him straight into danger. Now Frank is gone, and you have the nerve to call me cruel?"

Ethan suddenly stood up, grabbed Iris' wrist, and pressed her hand against his own face, sobbing. "Hit me, Iris... go ahead, hit me... I messed up. If I'd listened to you, Frank would still be here... My son's gone, Mom's sick... It's all my fault. Just... just beat me dead, Iris..."

Iris yanked her hand back, disgusted by his helplessness. She gritted her teeth, staring straight at him as she spoke each word deliberately. "In the next life, I hope I'm not your sister, and Frank isn't your son. Neither of us should ever be part of this family again."

Ethan's eyes filled with grief. He took an unsteady step back, completely shattered.

How hurt and disappointed did his little sister have to be to say something so final?

Without another word, Iris turned to leave.

But Celeste wasn't done. Clenching her teeth, she rushed forward and shoved Iris hard in the back. "Who do you think you are?!"

Iris wasn't prepared and lurched forward.

At that exact moment, Julian was walking in and saw everything. He sprinted across the room and caught Iris just in time.

Iris' face went pale with fright, a cold sweat breaking out on her forehead. As she fell against Julian's chest, her whole body was trembling. Breathing heavily, she subtly touched her belly—her legs felt weak.

If Julian hadn't been there, she would've landed straight on her stomach. The baby might not have made it.

Julian's chest rose and fell, his own breathing uneven.

He seemed even more shaken than Iris was. Once he'd steadied her, his gaze turned razor-sharp as he locked eyes with Celeste.

Celeste shrank back in fear, swallowing nervously as she retreated a step.

Julian leaned close to Iris' ear, his voice soft. "Wait for me."

Then he guided Iris over to a nearby bench, made sure she was seated, and walked straight toward Celeste.

Celeste's throat went dry. She glanced desperately toward Ethan.

Seeing Julian's aggressive approach, Ethan stood up as well.

But before he could say anything, Julian grabbed Celeste by the hair and dragged her into the fire exit stairwell—a spot with no security cameras.

"Ah—!" Celeste clutched her stinging scalp. "Ethan, help me!"

Ethan was torn. He looked at Iris, then toward the stairwell where Celeste had disappeared.

From inside came sounds of pain and crying.

Ethan couldn't take it anymore. He rushed in.

Celeste was curled on the floor, clutching her stomach, her face contorted. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have laid a hand on Iris. Please... let me go."

Julian wiped his hands clean with a sanitizing wipe. His voice was icy, leaving no room for argument. "You took Jenny to that club last time and almost got her into serious trouble. I let that slide. Now you're getting bold, coming after the woman I love. You really know how to cross the line."

"I didn't mean to..." Celeste was trembling all over.

Ethan swallowed hard. "Julian, please—Celeste didn't mean it."

Julian stood up. He and Ethan were now shoulder to shoulder, facing opposite directions. Staring straight ahead, Julian spoke in a flat, cold tone. "I stay out of your business. I respect your choice in women. You don't look out for your own sister, but I protect the woman I love. She just stepped on a landmine."

Ethan stiffened. "What are you going to do?"

"You'll find out in a few days," Julian replied, then walked away without looking back.

He emerged from the stairwell and stopped in front of Iris. Looking down at her, his voice softened. "Let me take you home."

Iris' pretty face looked drained. She lifted her eyes to meet his.

He'd been running around for days because of Frank—using his connections, putting up money, doing everything he could to help search.

A sharp pang of regret shot through her. "If I hadn't been so stubborn back then... if I'd let you help me look after Frank... would he still be alive?"

Julian placed his hands gently on her shoulders and helped her up. Gazing into her red-rimmed eyes, he said, "Iris, don't do this to yourself. We weren't Frank's parents. Even if we had superpowers, we couldn't have protected him forever. Something premeditated like this... you can't see it coming."

Just then, Ethan appeared, supporting a shaken Celeste. Maybe he'd overheard Iris blaming herself, because his face was etched with guilt. "Sis, it's my fault. None of this is on you. You did everything you could to save Frank. I'm the one who should've died... I'm the one who forced Frank onto Emily. You saw right through her from the start, and I..."

Julian cut him off coldly. "She didn't just see through Emily. She saw through Celeste more than a year ago."