After the Cold Marriage His Crazy Love (Iris and Julian) novel Chapter 212

Chapter 212 Still Here

45 Prans

When their eyes me, something unspoken passed between them, a weight that neither of them could ignore, no matter how much distance they had tried to put in place.

Iris had always believed she could handle everything on her own, that she didn’t need anyone to lean on. but standing there now, all she felt was tired.

Tired eno

Julian

t to stop pretending she was fine.

f off the wall and walked toward her when she didn’t move.

of her wanting to ask if he was feeling better, if the illness he had been dealing with had ords changed before they left her mouth.

agreed you wouldn’t come looking fo

ped in front of her, his voice low an hings difficult over the money. Do

is said softly. “But thank you.”

moved past him, reaching for her

fore she could unlock it, Julian all in one smooth motion.

he sudden closeness caug icking up without war

They were close end

What are you c

Julian held

ay fre

ymore.”

han called me. He said your mom’s been O step in?”

and turned her back, pressing her gently against the

breath hitching as she looked up at him, her heartbeat

s breath, the space between them gone entirely.

ce quieter than she intended.

hers. “When we got divorced, you didn’t hesitate. When you walked So tell me, why would you care if I was sick?”

ers tightening slightly as she avoided his eyes.

tone certain, “Don’t you?”

rcing her to meet his gaze, his voice steady but firm. “Look at me and say it again.

couldn’t.

es, she saw everything she had

9:48 am

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Chapter 212 Still Here

+5 Paads

The hesitation.

The feelings she had buried.

The memory of the sleeping pills she had seen, half-used, sitting in his drawer surfaced again, weakening her resolve.

This wasn’t just about him.

It never had been.

“I took the two hundred million from your father,” she said finally. “And you’re engaged to Lily. Let’s just end this here.”

Julian let out a quiet, dismissive breath. “If this were about money, I’d give you everything I have.” “It’s not about money,” Iris said, her voice tired.

“Then it’s Lily,” Julian replied. “I never agreed to that engagement. I didn’t even show up.”

“It still happened,” Iris said, her tone firm. “That’s not something you can just ignore.”

释

A faint bitterness crossed his expression. “If people can decide I’m engaged without asking me, then I must have a long list of fiancées by now.”

Iris didn’t argue.

“I don’t care what you call it,” she said. “You and I are done.”

Julian stepped closer, one arm bracing against the wall beside her, closing what little space remained.

She turned her face slightly, trying to steady herself, but his presence surrounded her, warm and inescapable.

“Iris,” he said quietly, his voice rough. “I love you.”

The words hit harder than she expected, her heart reacting before she could stop it.

Γ

She didn’t respond.

Didn’t know how to.

Julian rested his forehead lightly against hers, his voice softer now, but heavier with meaning. “I’ve loved you for a long time. Since high school. You were always out of reach. I stayed close, but never close enough. I didn’t even have the courage to talk to you back then. When I found out you were planning to get married, I couldn’t sleep. When I finally had a chance, I made sure you saw the best version of me. And when you said yes…” He paused, a faint, almost broken smile forming. “That was the happiest moment of my life.”

Iris felt her chest tighten, tears blurring her vision.

If she had heard this before, it would have meant everything.

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Chapter 212 Still Here

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Now, it only made things harder.

“Julian, stop,” she said quietly. “There’s no going back.”

He let out a soft, humorless laugh. “Why not? If you feel anything for me, even a little. I’m not letting you go.”

“It’s not jus everythi

“I

Iris said, her voice unsteady now. “There’s more than that. Families, expectations,

with it.”

of that,” Julian said firmly. “And I’m not letting anyone else decide what happens

sound simple.”

e making it complicated.”

ent, she had no answer.

raightened slightly, then cupped sion unwavering.

s hands, lowering his gaze to meet hers, his

M

His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife

Chapter 218 No Way Out

Julian’s eyes were bloodshot, a sheen of tears sitting in them he didn’t bother to hide, his voice low and unsteady in a way that felt almost intimate. “Iris, I mean this. I respect you. If you really don’t feel anything for me, I’ll walk away.”

That landed harder than she expected, but she didn’t hesitate: “I don’t. Not even a little.”

He watched her for a second, then shook his head slowly, like he was humoring something he didn’t believe. “No. You do.”

A flicker of irritation crossed her face. “Julian, can you not do this? You don’t get to decide how I feel.”

“I’m not deciding,” he said, calm but unyielding. “I’m just calling it how it is. Where I was sick, you had options. You could’ve sent someone, had things delivered, kept your distance. But you didn’t. You showed up, stayed, took care of me yourself. That’s not nothing.”

“That’s called basic decency,” she shot back, her patience thinning. “It doesn’t mean I have feelings for you.”

“It does when it’s you,” he said quietly, stepping closer, his voice dropping. “You made sure I ate, took my meds, stayed up with me, even helped clean me up. And you’re still telling me there’s nothing there?”

“Julian,” she said, exasperated, his name carrying more warning than anything else.

“I’m not letting you go again,” he cut in, his tone firm now, leaving no room for negotiation.

Her chest tightened, frustration mixing with something far less manageable. “You’re going to make thing worse for me if you keep pushing like this.”

His expression shifted, something sharper flashing through his eyes. “Who’s making things worse for you? Tell me. I’ll deal with it.”

That stopped her cold.

He reached up then, gently brushing a loose strand of hair back behind her ear, his fingers lingering against her cheek like she was something fragile, something he refused to lose. “I’m done walking away

Γ from you.”

She stepped back immediately, knocking his hand away. “Don’t touch me again, or I’m calling the cops.”

Instead of reacting, he frowned slightly, confusion breaking through his certainty. “What are you actually afraid of?”

Her voice turned flat. “Your father.”

The effect was instant.

Julian stilled, the warmth in his expression fading into something heavier, darker, his eyes dropping just slightly as the reality of it settled in.

And in that silence, Iris felt her own resolve sink.