His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 60: A New Plan

Iris's chest felt all tight, her eyes glistening with tears. She looked at Zoe seriously. "Zoe, I really get it now. Even if he didn't cheat, I don't wanna stay anymore. Every time I hear about his mess, it totally ruins my mood.

"What Selena said to me? It hurt so bad I thought I'd die. I'd be nuts to put up with this crap long-term. And that Lily—she's obviously a woman, but she hangs around him every day, calling herself his 'best bro.' Now she's even his personal secretary. That's just ridiculous."

Zoe's eyes went wide. She was shocked.

Iris sighed, hung her head, and picked at her pink nails. Her mood got even darker. "The real reason, though? He doesn't like me. Two years. I don't see any hope left.

"I thought I'd get pregnant our first year of marriage and have a baby early. I'm young and energetic—I could take care of the baby and the family, and still keep working. Once the baby got older, I could focus all my energy on my career."

Zoe cupped Iris's tearful face, staring into her wet eyes. She frowned, feeling terrible for her. "Iris, you finally came to your senses. These two years, I've felt so bad for you. You're so beautiful, so talented.

"You were always the best kid in our elders' eyes, the one us girls envied most, the untouchable goddess to all the guys. But Julian's a jerk who's wasting you."

Iris pressed her lips together, forcing a weak smile.

Zoe said, "You deserve way better than this."

Tears glistened in Iris's eyes, but a small smile pulled at her lips. "After the divorce, I'm not dating anyone else. Love's toxic. Once this new project launches and I have free time, I'll go to a sperm bank and pick a good donor. I'll have two babies at once and raise them while I'm young. The rest of my life will be all mine."

Zoe grabbed her arm excitedly, shaking it. "Oh my god! That's exactly what I've been thinking!"

Iris patted her hand gently. "You've never even been in a relationship. Don't you wanna try? Maybe you'll meet a good guy."

"There are no good guys," Zoe said, pumping her fist in anger. "Guys only ruin your luck, bring down your quality of life, and cause nothing but trouble."

Iris's smile brightened, the tears in her eyes fading away. She nodded in agreement.

Zoe grinned, suggesting, "Hey, let's hit a bar tonight and drink, okay?"

Iris's face dropped. She pushed Zoe's hand away and turned to sit at the lab table. "No way."

"You're in a bad mood. C'mon, it'll be fun!"

"I'm in a bad mood, but there are better ways to let it out. Why go to a dangerous place, drink hard liquor we can't even handle, and deal with all the noise and chaos? It ain't worth it."

Zoe stood up, sighed deeply, and shook her head in defeat. "Iris! You'll never shake this good girl image, will you?"

Just then, elderly David Climer walked in. "Zoe, Iris, you got plans after work?"

"Nope," Zoe replied.

"Me neither," Iris said politely.

David smiled warmly. "I'm all alone. It's my birthday tonight, actually. How about all the colleagues go out together to celebrate?"

Zoe and Iris looked surprised and guilty. They couldn't believe they'd missed that. They nodded politely right away. "Of course, Professor Climer."

"Happy birthday! We'll definitely be there."

"No gifts, though!" David said, still smiling. He put his hands behind his back and walked away casually.

Zoe and Iris looked at each other, confused. Was he telling them not to bring a gift? Or was it a hint that they should?

They squeezed in time to buy gifts before the workday ended.

But they never expected the celebration spot to be a noisy, glitzy bar.

More than a dozen people from the company showed up—even the salespeople and accountants.

They got a private room, sang happy birthday, and everyone gave their gifts, drank, and played small games. The atmosphere was really lively.

With David leading the way, the vibe in their room was fun and healthy, full of energy. But they still ended up drinking quite a bit.

By the end of the night, Iris, who couldn't hold her liquor, was dead drunk.

No one expected Iris and Zoe to be such lightweights.

Everyone else drank more than them but was only half-drunk. After the party, the two soberest male colleagues offered to take them home.

Zoe was drunk but still remembered her address. She left with one of the guys supporting her.

Iris was out of it, though. Another male colleague, Carl Moore, couldn't get her address out of her. He had no choice but to pull her phone out of her bag and unlock it with her fingerprint.

There weren't many names in her contacts. Carl called the one labeled "Brother."

A woman answered, her tone rude as hell. "What do you want?"

"Hi, I'm looking for Iris's brother. She's really drunk."

"So what if she's drunk? Why call her brother? Can't you call her husband?"

Carl said, "It's not labeled in her phone. I don't know his number..."

"Julian! His name is Julian! Quit calling. It's so annoying!" The woman's shrill, angry voice nearly deafened him. He hung up quickly, his hand shaking.