His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 36: The Unspoken Words

Iris's heart raced. She stared at his drunk, handsome face, a little hope in her voice. "Did you check the cameras?"

Julian smirked, lifting a hand to cover his eyes. He looked exhausted, his voice lazy. "Iris, is this how you make a move?"

Iris froze, confused.

Julian pressed on. "You lose your phone? Or run out of data?"

Iris felt a little guilty.

She'd been testing him, and it turned out he did check the cameras.

What surprised her was that he'd left the party and come home at 3:30 a.m., in the pouring rain.

Iris didn't answer his question. She stood up. "You're all wet. Go to your room, take a hot shower, and get some rest."

With that, she turned and walked toward her room.

Julian stood up from the sofa, chased after her, and grabbed her arm at her door. He pinned her against the wall beside it.

The sudden closeness took Iris's breath away. She stiffened, pressing her back hard against the wall.

His big hand was warm. His clean, fresh scent mixed with a faint smell of alcohol. It wrapped around her, along with his hot body temperature and heavy breath.

He was big and muscular. His other hand pressed against the wall. He bent down, his blurry, drunk eyes fixed on her blushing face.

His breathing got heavier, like he was on fire inside. The hot air from his nose hit her forehead and cheeks, making her go weak all over, her heart tight.

His voice was deep, rumbling from his throat, hoarse. "Iris, if you'd just make a move on me once... I'd..."

He trailed off. Iris heard something faint, but she wasn't sure. She looked up at him.

His eyes were dark, hazy, and deep, like a black hole in an abyss with a faint glow. His gaze settled on her face.

It drifted down from her eyes, across her smooth cheek, her straight nose, and finally came to rest on her soft pink lips.

His Adam's apple moved up and down. His eyes got darker. He slowly leaned down, inching closer.

Iris watched his face get bigger and bigger. His breath was like fire, fanning her lips. Her heart raced like a wild rabbit, so hard it hurt her chest, like it was gonna jump out of her throat.

The alcohol on his breath pulled her back to her senses. She turned her head to dodge.

Julian's nose brushed her cheek and he stopped.

He tightened his grip on her arm. It hurt a little. Iris felt his anger, his aura turning overwhelming.

"Dodging again?" His voice was hoarse and cold.

Again? Iris froze for a few seconds.

The day after they met on a blind date, Julian had tried to kiss her.

They hardly knew each other, and she was shy, so she'd pulled away from his kiss.

But this time, she dodged because he was drunk. She wasn't sure if he wanted to kiss her... or Selena, the woman she looked like.

Iris let out a soft breath, her voice nervous and weak. "Julian, I'm Iris. Are you drunk?"

"You're Iris?" Julian let out a deep, bitter laugh. He murmured her name. "Iris... Iris..."

The hand Julian had pressed against the wall clenched into a fist. He bent his elbow, leaning his body forward. His head was almost touching the side of her face, just inches away. His hot breath hit her neck.

It was like little flames burning her skin, spreading from her neck to her whole body. She felt hot all over, her heart trembling. That strange, tingly feeling made her flustered.

"Do I look like someone to you?" Iris asked. Her heart felt like it had a small tear, hurting because she was scared of the answer, but she needed to hear it.

"Like who?"

"Selena."

"You do look a lot like her..." Julian's voice was slurred. "You don't wear makeup. You're not as flirty as her, not as bold. You..."

He slowly straightened up, looking at her face from a little distance. "You... you're even prettier."

Iris didn't feel happy about his compliment. Instead, she felt sad and wronged. She held back her tears. "So I'm just something you keep at home to look at?"

Julian smirked. "Iris, are you just eye candy?"

Iris shook her head softly. "No, I'm not."

"Keeping you at home's not so bad," Julian murmured. He slowly let go of her arm, stepped back, and smiled faintly. He stumbled a little, turned around, and walked toward his room, muttering to himself, "At least... I can keep you at home."

Iris's heart ached. Tears filled her eyes, blurring her vision. She watched Julian go into his room and close the door.

What was she to him, anyway?

Other than looking like Selena, being pretty to look at—what was she?

Iris bit her lower lip, leaning weakly against the wall. She turned her head to look out the window.

Her cheeks felt cold.

She reached up to touch them—tears had dampened her hand, and her cheeks.

The next day, Iris woke up at noon. The bright sun streamed through the window. After last night's rain, the sky was clear and bright, a deep blue.

She got up, washed up, and put on her usual casual shirt and jeans. She pulled her long hair up into a high ponytail, grabbed her backpack, and walked out of her room.