After the Cold Marriage His Crazy Love (Iris and Julian) novel Chapter 3

3 Must’ve Lost His Mind

Lily pushed open the door to Julian’s bedroom and pulled the curtains apart. Bright sunlight instantly flooded the pristine space.
He was lying flat on the oversized, slate-gray bed. The moment the light hit, his brows furrowed in discomfort.
She walked over and crouched beside the bed. His body tensed, and his even breathing turned shallow.
He wasn’t opening his eyes, but he was clearly awake. Lily leaned in, slowly tracing his sharp nose with her fingertip.
Suddenly, Julian’s hand shot up and clamped around hers. His eyes were still shut, chest rising and falling fast.
She tried pulling her hand away, but he didn’t let go. His grip only tightened.
His reaction made her blush, a mix of surprise and delight in her voice. “Julian, time to get up.”
At her voice, his brows drew even tighter, then he opened his eyes.
The second their eyes met, his pupils contracted. Like he’d been burned, he immediately dropped her hand.
He sat upright. The silky comforter slid down to his waist. Seeing who it really was, his face cooled instantly. “What are you doing here?”
Knowing he was a clean freak, Lily quickly got off the bed, flustered. “You left your jacket at the lounge last night. I thought I’d drop it off.”
Julian ran a hand through his hair. “Throw it out.”
He must’ve been out of his mind, thinking Iris had snuck into his room and was the one touching his nose.
Lily looked confused. “No one even wore it. It’s a nice jacket. Why would you throw it away?”
Last night had been a mess. They’d blindfolded him and led him into a private lounge room. When he finally pulled the blindfold off, some dancer was already all over him, her perfume clinging to his jacket like a stench.
Before he could react, he’d been pushed down onto the sofa—right as Iris and her friend barged in. That’s how the whole misunderstanding started.
Julian had no interest in explaining. His tone turned cold. “Didn’t I make myself clear?”
Of course Lily remembered. Right before his wedding, Julian had told all their mutual friends, loud and clear—no one sets foot in his home without an invite.
“I remember.”
“Then why are you here?” He picked up his phone from the nightstand. Full bars. “You couldn’t just call?”
Lily’s eyes darted away. She knew Julian could see right through her. Whatever petty tricks she tried, he’d sniff out in seconds.
“I was just curious… wanted to see your place.”
Julian said nothing, just tossed the covers aside and got out of bed. Without a word, he walked past her and out the door.
She followed. He went straight to the living room and yanked the front door open. His body language couldn’t have been clearer.
Lily stood there, pouting, refusing to move.
“By now you’ve probably snooped around plenty. Curiosity satisfied. Time to go.”
“I didn’t even get a glass of water. That how you treat your guests?”
“There’s a café downstairs, take a left. Drink whatever you want. Send me the bill,” he said, eyes darkened, voice clipped. His tone dropped another notch, cold and sharp. “Next time you sneak in, I’ll throw you off the balcony.”
They might’ve grown up together, but even Lily knew better than to test Julian when he was serious. She walked out. Just as she turned back, the door slammed shut behind her.
Julian headed into the kitchen, pulled a bottle of water from the fridge, and took a long swig. Ice-cold.
Still holding the bottle, one hand in his pocket, he walked over to the balcony window.
Morning light filtered in. Clear skies, not a cloud in sight. The golden sun caught the edge of his sharp profile. That usual calm in his face was tinged with something heavier.
Turning his head, his gaze landed on the dining table.
Under a clear food cover sat two plates, one with soup, the other with pasta in a light tomato sauce. A fork rested neatly on a folded paper towel.
His eyes darkened. He looked away and downed the rest of the water in one go.
Somewhere in the apartment, the cleaning robot hummed quietly along the floor. The washing machine whirred softly behind closed doors.
Everything was quiet, still, and empty.
Ten minutes later, Iris had just arrived at the research lab when she ran into Zoe Ellison, who looked panicked.
“You’re just in time. Test monkey number nine didn’t make it.”
Iris picked up her pace, tossed her bag onto her desk, and pulled on her lab coat while walking toward the lab.
Zoe hurried behind her. “All the readings looked fine last night. Didn’t expect it to die this morning.”
“There’s still toxicity in the new compound,” Iris muttered, buttoning her coat.
“Celeste…” Zoe hesitated, trying to smooth things over. The three of them had been tight back in college, practically inseparable. She hated seeing that fall apart.
“Don’t mention her to me.”
“What about you and Julian—”
“Zoe,” Iris cut her off, “it’s work hours. I don’t talk personal stuff on the clock.”
Zoe sighed. “Fine, let’s talk work then. We’re running on fumes here. This project’s barely staying afloat. Could you maybe… hit up your crazy-rich husband for a little funding?”
Their pharmaceutical startup was hanging by a thread.
Just four people. One in marketing. One accountant. Zoe called herself “manager” but was basically the assistant. Iris was the official founder and lead researcher.
She’d always been the golden child. Smart, driven, and beautiful. The kind of student everyone knew by name.
Her major was pharmacology, and since college, she’d been focused on developing treatments for rare diseases. She even held two patents.
Those patents were how she funded this place—a small, under-equipped research lab where she could keep chasing her dream.
She walked into the lab and started checking over the monkey’s body. “Anyone but him,” she said calmly.
Zoe crossed her arms. “If you keep this up, you won’t even have enough to pay the sales guy.”
“I’ll pick up a few shifts at med school, do some guest lectures. Pay him with my side hustle.”
Zoe raised a brow. “And my salary?”
Iris looked up and smiled sweetly. “Guess I’ll have to give you my heart instead?”
Seeing a smile finally break through that gloomy face, Zoe let out a quiet breath of relief. “Sounds good to me.”
That evening, the city was glowing in neon. Light rain drifted from the sky like a whisper.
Iris stopped by the store after work, grabbed a few groceries, and headed home to fix a quiet dinner for one.
After eating, she read for a while, then showered and went to bed by ten, like always. She and Julian barely crossed paths.
She’d be asleep before he got home. When she woke for work, he’d still be out cold. Even on weekends, they’d usually avoid each other out of habit.
She fell asleep quickly, but not long after, her phone buzzed.
She reached for it, barely opening her eyes. It was Julian. Her heart skipped. She sat up immediately.
He hadn’t called her—not even once—in the two years since they got married.
It was so sudden that she didn’t even know how to react.
Living under the same roof, and he calls me at eleven at night? Something had to be wrong.
She took a deep breath and answered, her voice soft. “What’s going on?”
Julian’s voice was low, strained, and raw. “Grandpa passed. Pack a bag. I’m coming to get you.”
“…Passed?” The word didn’t even register at first.