His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 263: Dinner and Suspicion

Julian glanced up, his gaze settling on Iris. When their eyes met, his chest tightened almost imperceptibly.

He took Lily's wrist and guided her hand to press the tissue against her forehead. "Keep it there," he said quietly.

Letting go, he pulled a disinfectant wipe from his pocket and started toward Iris, cleaning the blood from his fingers as he walked.

"Have you been here long?" he asked, his tone gentle.

Iris was perfectly composed. "A while, yeah."

"Ready to head back?"

"Mhm."

"I'll drive you."

"Okay."

She agreed so easily that both Julian and Beatrice were taken aback.

In the past, Iris would have resisted—would never have accepted a ride from him without some reluctance.

Just then, Lily's hand slipped from her forehead and her body went limp against the wheelchair, as if she'd fainted. The bloodied tissue dropped to the floor.

Iris noticed. "She looks like she passed out. Aren't you going to check on her?"

Julian glanced back briefly. "Grandma, could you call her aide and have her parents come look after her? I'm taking Iris home."

Beatrice looked pleased and waved them off. "Go ahead. Drive safe."

Lily, still pretending to be unconscious, clenched her fists under the blanket, trembling with quiet fury.

Iris walked out of Rosehill Estates with Julian and got into his car—this time sliding into the passenger seat without hesitation.

As he drove, Julian kept stealing glances at her. Her behavior puzzled him, but more than that, it stirred a warmth he couldn't suppress.

The sun was dipping low, washing the wide suburban avenue in soft amber light.

"Iris," Julian began softly, "are you hungry?"

She kept her eyes on the road ahead. "A little."

"There's a place I know—pretty well-known actually—" He was carefully working his way toward asking her to dinner.

But Iris cut in with a reply that sent a ripple of luck straight through him.

"Sure, let's get something to eat." Her voice was light, almost casual. "My treat."

They ended up at an understated, elegant restaurant downtown.

Across the table, Iris passed him the menu. "What would you like?"

Julian didn't take it. "Order what you want. I'm easy."

"I'm treating, so I'd rather order what you like."

After a slight pause, he accepted the menu and began to look it over.

Iris flipped through the restaurant menu while Julian suggested a few of her favorite dishes.

Once they'd decided on their order, Iris lowered her gaze, a faint, wistful smile playing on her lips.

"What is it?" Julian asked, watching her closely.

She sighed softly. "It's just... I don't even know what you like to eat. But you know all my favorites."

Julian held her gaze. "What I eat doesn't matter. It's who I'm eating with that does."

Iris understood what he meant but didn't acknowledge it directly. Instead, she dropped her eyes, picked up her water glass, and took a slow sip.

"This is the first time you've taken me out to eat," Julian remarked with a small smile. "Does it mean something?"

Iris shook her head. "No. I just wanted to buy you dinner."

His expression sobered, and he studied her thoughtfully.

Right then, his phone buzzed.

He pulled it out and glanced at the screen—Grandma.

"Hey, Grandma," he answered, then fell silent.

On the other end, Beatrice sounded flustered, words tumbling out in a rush.

"Julian, did you drop Iris off yet? The more I think about it, the more something feels off about her today. Is she sick? Or... is she leaving? She came all this way to see me, kept telling me to take care of myself—like someone saying goodbye before a long trip. She even reminded me to keep an eye on you, to make sure you don't drink so much. That's not like Iris. What's going on with her?"

Julian stayed quiet, his expression growing heavier by the second. After a long pause, he finally said, "Grandma, I'll call you back later, okay? I've gotta go."

He ended the call just as the server arrived with their food.

Julian's mood had visibly shifted; the earlier warmth was gone.

Through the meal, he didn't speak much, but he still made sure to serve Iris portions of what she liked, pass her napkins, and tend to those small, unnoticed gestures that had always come naturally to him.

After they finished, he drove her back to her apartment building.

The whole way, he was quiet.

Out front, they stood waiting for the elevator. Iris finally asked, unable to hold back, "After your grandma called, you seemed really down. Did something happen?"

"It's nothing. I'll walk you up."

"You don't have to. I'm fine on my own."

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Julian stepped inside, leaving no room for argument. "Come on."

Seeing he wasn't going to back down, Iris followed reluctantly.

Once the doors closed, she looked up at him.

His handsome profile was shadowed, a cool, heavy tension wrapping around him. This wasn't the look of someone who was "fine."

If he didn't want to talk about it, pressing him was pointless.

Besides, this was probably the last time they'd see each other.

The thought brought a quiet ache to her chest.

If it hadn't been for Arthur's schemes, or Lily's threats, or his family's disapproval... they might have been happy together by now. Might have had a chance.