His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 67: An Unexpected Invitation

"Iris, help me pull up my sleeve." Julian held out his arm.

Iris froze for a second, then turned to him. Her eyes widened in surprise, bright and startled.

Julian waved his arm in front of her. "Pull it up."

"Oh." Iris snapped out of it. Her heart skipped a beat, her breath picked up, and her cheeks felt hot.

He'd just called her Iris, his voice soft and gentle.

He didn't use her full name, nor was there any coldness. It just came naturally, as if it were the most common thing ever.

She swallowed nervously, dried her hands with a paper towel, and gently pulled his sleeve up.

His arm was muscular, hard and strong.

Seeing the sticky batter clinging to his long fingers, Iris smiled softly. "Want me to add more flour?"

"Yeah, it's way too sticky."

Iris carefully poured more flour into his bowl. He turned to look at her face.

His eyes softened. His gaze drifted down from her profile, past her delicate face and pink lips, and finally settled on her pale neck.

A vague, intimate tension hung in the air.

His Adam's apple bobbed, his breath growing heavy. He looked away, bowed his head, and started stirring the batter.

The batter started to come together, but Julian was distracted.

Iris finished washing the ingredients and got ready to deal with them.

Julian's voice was hoarse when he spoke. "I figured something out."

Iris stopped what she was doing and looked up at him. "What is it?"

"Sleep with me tonight." His voice was low, warm with heat.

Iris froze, like someone had hit pause on her. Her heart thumped wildly, her face burning. She couldn't move.

After a long moment, she slowly put down the knife and washed her hands. Her voice trembled with nervousness. "I... I'm gonna go study. You cook alone."

She didn't say yes, but she didn't say no either. She looked like she was making a run for it.

She walked out of the kitchen, her heart still racing. Her mind was a mess—embarrassed and confused. She went straight to her room.

There was no way she could study. She threw herself on the bed, covered her head with the blanket, and wished she could crawl into a hole.

Julian was acting so weird.

Ever since she brought up divorce, he'd been off.

What he said at noon felt like an impulse, maybe even a threat.

But just now, from his eyes and tone, he'd meant that invitation sincerely.

What was he doing?

If they got closer, that kind of thing would happen naturally, right?

He was in way too much of a hurry. It made her uneasy.

Especially now, when she'd already made up her mind to get a divorce.

It felt like a creepy trick.

It was Julian's first time making savory waffles, and they were surprisingly good.

But the mood at the table was stiff.

Iris ate quietly, only saying, "These are really good."

She didn't say another word the whole time.

Julian was the one who washed the dishes and cleaned up.

After dinner, Iris hid in her room, saying she needed to study. But she couldn't focus at all.

She'd already gotten ready for the divorce.

Julian's mind game had messed up all her plans and resolve.

She was so conflicted.

It wasn't true that she didn't hope for things to work. If Julian really wanted to make their marriage work, she didn't want it to end in divorce either.

Julian never knocked on her door, even after she fell asleep.

The next morning, sunlight spilled through the window.

Iris woke up lazily, roused by her alarm.

She rubbed her eyes, pulled back the blanket, and got out of bed. She grabbed the hair tie on her nightstand.

She pulled it gently. Snap, it broke.

She looked at the old black hair tie and sighed. She lifted her pillow, knelt down to check under the bed, and opened the drawer to search. She looked everywhere.

The cute hair tie she'd had for less than a week went missing the day after she got drunk.

Since she couldn't find the hair tie, Iris walked into the bathroom with her hair down to wash up.

Morning light streamed onto the balcony, warm and cozy. The washing machine hummed quietly, and the robot vacuum glided slowly through the living room.

Iris wore a beige long-sleeve shirt and black pants, her long hair flowing down her back. She picked up her backpack and walked out.

Her eyes swept over the living room sofa. Julian was leaning against it, sitting where the morning light split into light and shadow. A hint of black glinted between his long fingers.

He'd woken up unusually early today.

Iris walked past the sofa.

Hearing the noise, Julian quickly closed his hand. The metal pendant dug into his palm, a dull pain making him frown. He turned to look at her.

Normally, if Julian ignored her, she wouldn't say hello first.

But his eyes were already on her. Iris didn't look away. Her voice was hoarse from just waking up. "You're up pretty early today."

Julian cleared his throat. "Yeah, I went to bed early last night."

Iris put down her backpack, squatted near the coffee table, and bent down to check under the sofa and table.

Her hair fell down, blocking half her view. She tucked it behind her ear.

"Looking for something?" Julian leaned down, getting closer to her.

"I lost my hair tie." Iris sighed, sitting back down on the sofa. "It's black, with a tiny, fancy metal rabbit on it."

Julian's eyes flickered. He slowly put his clenched hand into his pocket. "What do you want for breakfast?"