His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 55: Heartbreak

Selena hesitated for a moment and then said, "Okay. Send me the address."

A cold smile spread across Lily's face. She hung up the phone and sent Selena the location.

She also sent a text message, "Selena, good luck. You've always been my favorite idol. No matter what happens, don't mention me. I'll use all my family's power to support you and help you."

Selena replied, "Okay!"

*****

The morning sun was warm and a gentle breeze blew.

When Iris woke up, she found that Julian had not come home all night.

His slippers were still inside the shoe cabinet.

His car keys were not in the carved wooden bowl on the hallway counter.

There were no dirty clothes of his in the laundry basket.

His bedroom door was open. The quilt on his bed was neat and smooth, with no wrinkles at all.

Iris's heart felt heavy. She sat on the living room sofa and checked the living room surveillance from last night.

He had never come back.

Iris had no mood to make breakfast. She held her phone and hesitated to call Julian.

A feeling of worry and unease hung over her all the time.

They had been married for two years. Except for business trips, Julian almost never stayed out overnight. He would come home to sleep no matter how late it was.

Most of all, she was worried about his safety.

Iris worked up the courage to dial Julian's phone.

"Who's this?" A woman's lazy voice came from the other end of the phone. She had just woken up and sounded a little grumpy.

Iris's heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly by a big hand. She could barely breathe. She took a deep breath and tried to stay calm.

"Hello. I'm looking for Julian."

The woman's voice was soft and coquettish. "Julian's still asleep. Who are you?"

At the sound of that familiar voice, Iris felt like her soul was about to shatter. Her whole body trembled. Her heart felt like it was splitting open, bleeding and aching faintly.

Iris didn't know how she kept her voice steady. Her nose felt sour.

"What name did he save my number under?"

The woman hesitated for a few seconds and then said slowly, "He saved it as Iris."

Tears streamed down Iris's face uncontrollably. She spoke with bitterness and sarcasm.

"Selena, you know clearly that I'm his wife. Why did you ask who I am?"

Selena's little trick was exposed. She fell silent suddenly.

Iris's voice shook. She sounded like she had lost her soul, weak and powerless.

"Were you together all night?"

"Yes," Selena replied honestly.

Iris tried to pretend to be calm. "You're a celebrity. He's a married man. You were together all night and..."

Selena interrupted her angrily, "Iris, Julian and I have been together for more than three years. What are you complaining about? You're the one who ruined our relationship.

"He married you only because I'm not interested in marriage. You only got to be my replacement because you look like me. Julian has kept himself pure for me and never touched you. Don't you have any self-awareness?"

Iris could no longer stay calm. Tears slid down her pale face. Her heart felt like it was being pricked by steel needles, crushed by a truck and cut by a knife.

It hurt so much.

She bit her lower lip. Tears soaked her cheeks and her heart ached so much that it went numb.

"Everyone in the industry knows how much Julian spoils and backs me." Selena's tone became more and more aggressive, with a hint of sadness.

"I could have been with him openly. But because of you, we can only be together secretly now."

Iris closed her eyes. All the tears in her eyes poured out.

Her mind was in chaos. She could not tell which words were true and which were false.

It hurt too much. No matter what was true or false, she didn't want to listen anymore.

Iris ended the call, threw her phone on the sofa and covered her face with her hands, wiping her tears hard.

She bit her lip and sobbed, trying not to cry out loud.

The pain in her heart felt like it was going to kill her. It was constant, intense and fierce. She didn't know how to ease it.

She opened her mouth to breathe. The tears she had just wiped away kept pouring out again.

In their two years of marriage, Julian had never touched her. No holding hands, no kissing, no sex. The only hug she'd gotten was outside Ethan's door last time, a simple comfort when she'd been utterly miserable.

She could live without sex, as long as they could be happy together.

She could put up with him not loving her, as long as he didn't betray her or hurt her.

But all of this was just her self-deception.

Now she was upset by all these women around him. She was in so much pain she could barely breathe, unable to live a normal life, let alone work properly.

The phone rang again.

Iris wiped her tears, took a deep breath and picked up the phone. She looked at the screen and saw it was Zoe calling.

She adjusted her mood, answered the phone and put it to her ear.

Her throat felt burning hot. She wanted to cry hard.

She could not even say a word.

Zoe could not wait to speak. "Iris, check Twitter quickly. Julian's trending again, with that celebrity Selena."

Iris closed her eyes. Tears streamed down her face again. Her throat hurt so much that she could not say a word. She replied weakly, "Hmm."

Zoe said angrily, "This time it's even more ridiculous. They were caught by paparazzi checking into a hotel. They didn't leave the room all night. Reports say they're still in the hotel now. The hotel entrance is swarming with entertainment reporters."

Iris grabbed a tissue to wipe her tears. The heartache made her body stiff, but her mood gradually calmed down.