His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 348: A Grandmother's Plea

By the time they got back home, it was already evening.

The moment she stepped out of the car, Iris hurried inside—she'd missed her daughter terribly, and her thoughts were completely filled with her.

"Harper!" she called out, slipping into her house shoes by the door.

Harper had been playing in the living room. When she spotted Iris, her eyes welled up instantly. She dropped the toy in her hands and rushed straight into her mother's arms.

Iris lifted her up and held her close.

Wrapping her little arms tightly around Iris' neck, Harper began to cry softly. "Mommy, where'd you go? You were gone forever... I missed you so, so much. Really, really missed you."

"I missed you too, sweetie," Iris murmured, kissing her cheek.

Beatrice smiled warmly from where she sat on the couch. Leaning on her cane, she slowly rose to her feet, her expression full of affection.

Julian followed Iris inside. After putting her shoes neatly aside and changing into his own slippers, he greeted Grandma, then gently took Harper from Iris' arms. "Did you miss Daddy too, sweetie?"

"Mm-hmm," Harper sniffled. "I missed Daddy too."

Julian wiped her tears with his thumb. "Daddy missed you a whole lot."

Iris walked over and took Beatrice's hand. "Thank you for everything, Grandma—taking care of Harper these past few days must have been tiring."

"Not at all," Beatrice replied cheerfully. "Not one bit. Harper's been an absolute angel—smart as a whip, just like you. I've loved every minute with her."

Iris guided Beatrice back to the couch, and they both sat down. Julian joined them, settling in with Harper still in his arms.

Noticing the family was now all together, the nanny quietly excused herself and left the room.

Since Beatrice hadn't been told why they'd gone to Edulet City, she asked curiously, "Did you manage to sort out that work issue?"

"We did," Iris replied simply.

Beatrice gave Iris' hand a gentle pat. "You know, Harper's over three now. How about enrolling her in a preschool here? There's no need to take her back to Edulet City."

"That's the plan," Iris agreed.

"Julian made plenty of mistakes in the past—I won't deny that. And I know you've been through a lot because of it," Beatrice went on, her tone softening. "But seeing how devoted he is to you now... can you find it in your heart to forgive him?"

A faint, helpless smile touched Iris' lips. "I'm not holding anything against him anymore, Grandma."

"Well then..." Beatrice glanced over at Julian, who was quietly entertaining Harper, and pressed gently, "What about giving marriage another try?"

Julian went still. His expression turned serious, his attention fully fixed on their conversation. He listened intently, waiting for Iris' response.

Iris lowered her gaze, hesitating briefly before answering in an even tone, "Let's talk about that another time, Grandma."

Julian's face fell almost immediately. He held Harper a little tighter, looking down with a quiet sigh, his lips pressed together in disappointment.

Harper seemed to sense his mood. "Daddy, why are you sad?"

He forced a small smile, kissed the top of her head, and said softly, "Daddy's okay, honey."

Beatrice wasn't ready to let it go. "Is Julian not treating you right?"

"No, it's not that."

"Harper's already three," Beatrice continued, her voice tinged with worry. "What's holding you back? Is Lily causing trouble again?"

"It's nothing like that."

"Then what is it, dear? Tell me—maybe I can help sort things out."

Iris felt a wave of fatigue. She lifted her eyes and met Julian's gaze.

He was watching her closely, his expression hopeful yet anxious. Even without speaking, his look said more than words could—full of yearning, almost pleading, as if braced for another rejection, his heart visibly on edge.

It made it hard to hurt him.

But whenever remarriage came up, old doubts still surfaced.

Iris turned back to Beatrice. "The truth is, we don't really need to remarry. We can keep living together like this—Harper would still have both of us, and we could still be happy as a family."

Beatrice shook her head gently. "Iris, don't let this tall, steady-looking grandson of mine fool you. Deep down, he's a romantic. If you don't give him that commitment, he'll never feel truly secure."

Julian wanted nothing more than to remarry, but he didn't want Iris to feel pressured. "Grandma," he said quietly, "I respect whatever Iris decides. Please don't push her."

Beatrice let out a long sigh. "You say you respect her choice, but inside you're hoping she'll say yes, aren't you?"

Julian offered a slightly awkward smile but didn't deny it.

Turning back to Iris, Beatrice pressed a little firmer. "Iris, you know I've always been fond of you—always on your side. Can you tell me the real reason you don't want to remarry Julian? Is it that your feelings for him have changed? Are you only staying together for Harper's sake?"

Hearing that, Julian's composure broke completely. His eyes grew uneasy, fixed on Iris with nervous apprehension.

Every second of silence felt like an eternity to him. He was terrified she might nod, terrified to hear her say yes. His heart felt suspended, and he swallowed nervously.

Feeling cornered, Iris decided honesty was her only way out—even if it risked stirring tension between father and son. "A marriage that doesn't have both parents' blessing... it never really feels right," she said quietly.

Julian let out a slow, quiet breath of relief.

Beatrice shook her head, clicking her tongue in mild frustration. "So it's still about my son—Julian's father."

A faint smile finally returned to Julian's face. "Actually," he said thoughtfully, "getting Dad to come around might not be as hard as it seems."

Beatrice perked up. "What do you have in mind?"

Julian gave Harper a gentle pat on the head. "Our little girl here might just be the solution."

Then he carefully set Harper down on the couch. "I'm going to make a quick call."