His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex Wife novel Chapter 188

Chapter 188 The Line Drawn

The insult landed hard, stripping away what little restraint Frederick had left, but he he his anger simmering just beneath the surface.

Iris didn’t wait for his response. She tossed the check back onto his lap, opened the door, stepped out into the cold night.

“Have your lawyer contact me,” she said, glancing back. “Then we’ll finish this.”

Frederick’s voice followed, low and sharp. “If you take the money, will you stay away from m sons for good?”

Iris paused, considering her words carefully before answering. “I can only control my side. I won’t contact them, won’t approach them, and I won’t have any emotional involvement with either of them. I won’t marry either of them.” She hesitated briefly, then added, “I expect the same from them.”

“Get back in the car,” Frederick said.

Iris frowned slightly. “Tonight?”

“The longer this drags out, the more complicated it gets,” he replied, his gaze fixed ahead, calculating and cold.

Iris understood immediately. Lily must have said something, something exaggerated enough to push him into acting this fast.

She got back in without arguing, fastening her seatbelt as the driver returned and pulled away.

The

la

hen they arrived, but money had a way of changing schedules. A still in holiday attire, and paperwork was drafted on the spot. Under es of the agreement were prepared, clearly stating that the payment

nsation.

efficient, almost clinical.

done, Frederick left with a few final warnings, none of them new.

from his sons.

our place.

awyer walked Iris downstairs.

hesitated before speaking, a trace of awkwardness slipping into her tone. “Could I borrow a adred dollars?”

M

10

9:41 Mon, Jun 1

Chapter 188 The Line Drawn

The lawyer blinked, clearly caught off guard. “You’re holding a two hundred million dollar check and asking me for a hundred?”

“My phone’s gone, and I don’t have any cash on me,” Iris explained calmly. “I’ll return it tomorrow.”

He shook his head and pulled out his wallet, handing her five hundred instead. “Don’t worry about paying it back. That’s all I’ve got on me. Just… if you ever need legal help, I’d appreciate the business.”

Iris accepted it. “Thank you.”

“Do you need a ride?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Go home. Your family’s waiting.”

He checked his watch, clearly in a rush. “Alright. Happy New Year, Miss Whitlow.”

“Happy New Year.”

She managed a faint smile as she watched him leave.

Later, after a simple meal and a quiet subway ride, Iris returned to her neighborhood.

She didn’t go inside.

Instead, she stood across the street, half-hidden beneath a large tree where the streetlights didn’t quite reach, her eyes fixed on the entrance.

She wasn’t there because she missed that house.

She knew better than that.

She was there because she had made a promise.

She told Julian she would spend New Year with him.

Time passed slowly, each minute stretching longer than the last as the cold settled deep into her bones, her body trembling despite her efforts to stay still.

Then she saw it.

Julian’s car.

Her heart jolted as she instinctively stepped forward, only to stop herself and retrear back into the shadows.

She rubbed her hands together, breathing warm air against her fingers as her chest tightened

9:41 Mon, Jun 1

apter 188 The Line Drawn

painfully,

Her future didn’t include marriage.

Didn’t include Julian.

And now, after taking that money from Frederick, there was no version of this where she cou turn back.

She had st six months letting him go.

There w

t

o reason to undo that now.

The mained inside for a while before pulling back out and stopping along the road.

Iris

her breath, stepping further behind the tree.

T

ndow rolled down.

leaned slightly toward it, one arm resting along the edge, the other gripping his phone as ed to call someone, his movements tense, impatient.

idn’t get through.

stration flickered across his face before he tossed the phone aside and gripped the steering eel with both hands, his shoulders lowering as if something heavy had settled on him.

ven from where she stood, she could feel the weight and silence.

He’s looking for me.

He must be worried.

He probably hates me for not showing up.

Her thoughts tangled, tightening around vision again as she clenched her

the tree.

I’m sorry, Julian.

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