After the Cold Marriage His Crazy Love (Iris and Julian) novel Chapter 10

Finished

Lily gave a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Can we find somewhere a little quieter to talk? Just us?”

Zoe shot up like she’d been stung. “What do you even want, pick–me princess?”

That wiped the fake smile right off Lily’s face. She glanced at Zoe, clearly annoyed. She hadn’t expected Iris’s friend to call her out like that.

Zoe stared her down, refusing to budge.

Iris stood, grabbed her bag, and gently tugged Zoe’s arm. “It’s okay. I’ll go.”

Zoe’s voice softened, worried. “Iris, seriously, she’s up to something. Don’t trust her.”

“I’ll be fine,” Iris said, giving her arm a reassuring pat.

It was nearly noon, but the sky looked like evening. Thick clouds rolled in overhead, the wind howling down the street.

A storm was on its way.

The research facility was tucked away in a quiet area. They walked over ten minutes before reaching a coffee shop near Iris’s apartment complex.

They picked a quiet corner and ordered two coffees.

Lily took a sip of her black coffee, her movements slow and deliberate. Iris sat straight across from her, calm, silent, waiting for her to speak.

Lily set her cup down, frowning. “This coffee’s bitter. Not like the hand–poured kind my housekeeper makes at home. No depth, no aroma.”

Iris didn’t even blink. “Just say what you came to say.”

She didn’t have time for performative taste–testing. She had work to do.

Lily went quiet for a few beats, then spoke with a strange sort of sincerity. “Iris, Julian’s really upset about his grandfather passing. I want to take him out of the country for a bit. Help him clear his head. Is that okay?”

Iris leaned back in her chair. Her expression stayed cool, but inside, something twisted. It felt like someone had stuck a hand into her chest and clenched tight. She forced herself to act like it didn’t bother her. “You can go wherever you want. You don’t need my blessing.”

12:26 Tue, May 5

…

33

Chapter 10 Exposed

Like anything she said ever changed Julian’s mind anyway.

Finished

Lily tried to sound thoughtful. “You’re his wife. I had to ask first. A man and a woman traveling alone–people talk.”

Under the table, Iris’s hand slowly clenched the fabric of her pants. Her chest felt heavy.

If Lily knew it would look bad, and still wanted to do it–and had the nerve to ask for permission–then what was she really doing?

Trying to play both sides. That was clear.

Lily kept going. “I’ve always been a little loud, kind of a tomboy. Julian and I are more like bros. We’ve been close since we were kids. If anything was ever going to happen between us, it already would’ve. You know what I mean, right?”

Funny. She didn’t seem tomboyish–just smug.

Iris felt sick and angry. But her tone didn’t waver. “So that’s why you asked me out? To run this past me?”

Lily blinked, pretending to be surprised. “Isn’t this serious?”

Serious?

Of course it was. A single woman inviting a married man on an overseas trip? Alone? Framing it as “just friends“?

Of course it was serious.

But Lily wasn’t really asking permission. She’d already decided. This was her way of making sure Iris knew her place. A polite little threat with a smile slapped on top.

Iris was angry. But what could she do?

Julian didn’t tell her where he was going. Their marriage was a formality.

She turned to the window.

Outside, the sky broke open. Rain poured down in thick sheets, blurring the streets, pounding against the pavement in a steady roar.

People rushed past under umbrellas. Her mood was somehow worse than the weather.

Lily leaned in a little. “So, Iris. Are you okay with it or not?”

Iris wasn’t one of her doting followers. Her voice went flat. “If I said no, would that stop you?”

2/4

12:26 Tue, May 5

Chapter 10 Exposed

Finished

Lily froze for a second. Didn’t expect that.

“It doesn’t matter what I say,” Iris said, her hand tightening into a fist, voice low and icy. “You’re going either way. You didn’t come here to ask me. You came to show me where I stand. And I’m not dumb enough to pretend otherwise.”

Lily awkwardly reached for her coffee, her eyes flicking away. She’d thought Iris was quiet and easy to manipulate. Sweet, soft. Definitely not someone who saw right through people.

But clearly, she’d miscalculated. Iris turned back toward the window.

If she had an umbrella, she would’ve walked out right then. The silence between them turned cold.

Lily slipped her phone under the table and sent Julian a pin drop with a text.

Lily sent a message, “Julian, I’m at a coffee shop near your place. Didn’t bring an umbrella. Rain’s too heavy to leave. If you haven’t gone into work yet, could you swing by and get me?”

Julian replied, “Two minutes. Wait outside.”

Lily’s lips curled into a small smile. She opened her call screen, dialed nothing, and started talking just loud enough for Iris to hear.

“Wow, didn’t expect the rain to get this bad. I’ll have Julian come grab me.”

She lifted her phone to her ear and, after a pause, spoke in that overly casual tone that made Iris’s skin crawl. “Hey, Julian, I’m at Lucky Café near your place. Yeah, the rain’s nuts. Can you come pick me up?… Okay… Two minutes? Oh, Iris is here too. She doesn’t have an umbrella either. Mind dropping her back at the lab on your way?… Okay, cool.”

Phone back in her bag, Lily smiled sweetly. “Julian’ll take you back to the lab.”

Before Iris could react, Lily grabbed her purse and headed to the door like she owned the place.

Iris didn’t move. She stared out the rain–covered window, her expression unreadable.

Her husband was coming to pick Lily up. Not because Lily needed help–but because Lily asked, and he listened.

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