After the Cold Marriage His Crazy Love (Iris and Julian) novel Chapter 1

Chapter 1 The Setup

On the night of her twenty-sixth birthday, Iris Whitlow didn’t get a surprise—she got a shock.
Surrounded by a few friends, she pushed open the door to the club. The lights were dim, the music was slow and sultry, and several women in revealing outfits danced with practiced seduction, all curves and fire.
It was a full-on sensory assault—s*x, liquor, and money, served raw.
“Uh… wrong room,” Celeste Monroe said, looping her arm through Iris’s. “Ours is next door.”
Iris yanked her arm back. She looked at Julian Everhart, sitting there on the couch like nothing happened. Her face didn’t move, but inside, something cracked. Her chest tightened. Every breath hurt a little more. The room wasn’t spinning exactly, but everything felt… off, like the air had gotten too heavy to breathe.
They’d been married for two years. She knew he had a reputation—rumors, women, late nights. But seeing this with her own eyes still made something inside her shatter.
Julian saw her too. He didn’t flinch. His face was calm, eyes blank, like none of it mattered.
Lily Prescott waved the dancers away, killed the music, and got to her feet. “Relax, Iris. Don’t read into it. We were just having some fun.”
“Iris?” One of the guys nearby looked panicked. He glanced at Julian, then back at her. “It’s really not what you think.”
Julian didn’t say a word. He just kept drinking.
Lily shrugged. “Come on. It was just a show. I was here the whole time, nothing was gonna happen. You’re not seriously mad over something this small, right?”
Hearing that, Iris finally turned to look at her. She was decent-looking. Someone who’d grown up with Julian, always playing the loyal little sister.
Iris hadn’t said a word since she walked in. Angry? Hardly. But this woman definitely knew how to act innocent.
“My mistake,” Iris said. She forced the tightness in her throat down and turned away.
Out in the hallway, her friends rushed to catch up, some of them visibly fuming.
Celeste grabbed her again. “Iris, our room’s just ahead. Where are you going?”
Iris stopped and stared at her. “Let’s just delete each other’s numbers. Don’t contact me again.”
The others froze.
Celeste looked stunned. “Are you serious right now? Your husband’s cheating, and somehow I’m the one getting cut off? We’ve been best friends for years, and you’re dumping me over him?”
Celeste had to throw this stupid party. She dragged Iris to a club she couldn’t stand, just to play it cool and pretend none of this was about her?
Iris held it in with everything she had. “What did Lily offer you?”
Celeste hesitated. Her eyes darted away. “I…”
Iris cut her off. “I’ve been married to Julian for two years. I know exactly who he is. I’m not a fool. I don’t need you two teaming up to push me into divorce.”
Celeste’s eyes flickered, and her fingers trembled as she tried to reach for her. “I just didn’t want to see you keep getting hurt.”
Iris stepped back to avoid her touch. “We’re done.”
She didn’t need a friend who’d trade her in for a favor. She walked away, her pace racing, disgust boiling in her gut. Behind her, Celeste got surrounded by everyone else.
“Seriously? It’s her birthday. What the hell was that?”
“You actually took something from Lily?”
“This was your idea of a surprise?”
…
The room still reeked of whiskey. But no one spoke.
There was a thick pressure in the air, like the tension had a weight of its own.
Julian threw back another shot, his body slouched against the couch. His expression was unreadable, but the annoyance in his eyes said everything. He tugged at his tie and noticed the blindfold from earlier still hanging around his neck. That just made him more irritated.
He ripped it off and tossed it on the table. His jacket and tie followed. Then he started unbuttoning his shirt slowly.
Lily crossed her arms and leaned back beside him. “Women are so d*mn sensitive. It was just a show. God, I hate hanging out with women. Always ruins the vibe.”
Mason Carver poured him another drink. “Come on, man. Drink. Don’t let her kill the mood.”
Julian leaned forward and knocked it back in one shot.
Then he said, “Who planned this?”
Silence.
“No one planned anything,” Lily said quickly. “It just happened.”
Julian’s lips curved into a slow, cold smile. He lifted his eyes to glance at Lily and pointed at the door Iris had walked out of. “Who is she?”
Lily glanced around the room, desperate for help. His voice dropped. “I asked you—who is she?”
Of course Lily knew who she was. Iris was the one person Julian kept guarded like a live wire—crossing that line was never an option.
“Iris,” she mumbled.
Julian let out a short, bitter laugh. Yeah. That‘s right. Iris.
Everyone here knew exactly what that meant.
“She’d never show up to a place like this,” he said.
Lily rolled her eyes. “Didn’t know scientists weren’t allowed to have fun.”
Julian leaned forward again, elbows on his knees. His voice dropped. “Was it worth it? Going that far?”
Mason caught the fear on Lily’s face and stepped in quickly.
“Julian, it was me. I booked the girls. I asked someone to bring Iris. I just wanted to see if she still cared about you.”
Julian lifted his head slowly. The look in his eyes made Mason’s throat go dry, sending a chill down his spine.
…
Iris couldn’t sleep. In the early hours of the morning, she got up, pulled a glass of milk from the fridge, warmed it up, and sat quietly on the couch drinking it.
The breeze through the open window stirred the curtains. City lights burned brighter than the darkness outside.
Everything was quiet.
She held the warm glass with both hands, sipping slowly, but the pressure in her chest refused to ease.
A soft click. She turned toward the door.
Julian walked in, kicked off his shoes, and looked around. His eyes landed on her. She was usually asleep by now. Not tonight.
She met his gaze briefly, then drained the rest of the milk, walked to the kitchen, rinsed the cup, turned off the light, and came back out.
Julian dropped onto the couch, arms and legs spread out like he owned the space. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Whether it was the alcohol or exhaustion, he didn’t stir.
Iris passed by without a sound.
“You waiting up for me?” he asked quietly.
She stopped in her tracks, back still to him. Her chest was tight.
She exhaled. “No.”
“You saw me out with other women, and you have nothing to say?”
The words hit her hard, sharp enough to make her chest ache. But she had long learned how to swallow her hurt and keep it to herself.
She stayed silent. The seconds dragged out, heavy and cold. Then she put on a generous front and said in a steady voice, “Just be careful. Take care of yourself.”
That cracked him open. Julian shot up from the couch, marched toward her, and grabbed her wrist, yanking her around.
She stumbled, pain shooting through her arm.
Her eyes welled. “Julian, what are you doing?”