His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex Wife novel Chapter 384

Chapter 384 The Final Question

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Finished

“Alright, I understand.” Iris had gotten the answer she wanted, but she couldn’t help asking one more thing. “If you let my brother slip away, will you regret it later?”

Zoe’s reply came without hesitation. “Life wouldn’t be complete without a few regrets.”

Iris didn’t press further. She let go of the thought, deciding not to dwell on it anymore.

“Zoe, I know you’ll find your own happiness too.”

Zoe’s tone lightened, almost cheerful. “Don’t get sentimental on me now. If there’s nothing else, I’m gonna hang up.”

She ended the call right after, not giving Iris a chance to respond.

To Iris, it sounded like Zoe had been putting on a brave face the whole time.

Just then, Julian pushed the bedroom door open, closed it softly behind him, and made his way over to the bed.

Iris set her phone down on the nightstand and looked up at him, her eyes soft and tired.

Julian knelt beside the bed, leaned in, and brushed a gentle kiss against her lips. “Who were you talking to so late?”

“Zoe,” Iris replied quietly, then asked, “Is Harper asleep?”

Julian slid under the covers, settling beside her before pulling her into his arms. He shifted onto his side, holding her close. “Yeah, she’s out for the night.”

Iris nestled into the solid warmth of his chest. Julian tightened his embrace and dropped a soft kiss into her hair.

“Sweetheart,” Iris began, fingers absently toying with the buttons of his pajama shirt. “While I was packing your things, I stumbled across your little secret.”

A faint smile touched Julian’s lips. He kept his eyes closed, feigning calm. “What secret could I possibly have?”

Iris tilted her head back to study his handsome face, a playful smirk on her lips. “Were you some kind of magpie or something before?”

Julian’s eyes drifted open. “A magpie?”

“Then how do you explain all my old missing things in that locked box of yours? My high

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Chapter 384 The Final Question

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school notebooks, my yearbook, hair clips, scrunchies, even the pens I used. And that wish ribbon from the county fair–it’s in there too. All sorts of random stuff. If you weren’t collecting them, then what?”

Julian let out a low chuckle, a hint of sheepishness crossing his features. He closed his eyes again, drawing her closer as he rubbed her back gently. “I didn’t steal anything,” he murmured, his tone slightly guilty. “I bought all of it, fair and square.”

Iris pouted playfully. “You bought them? So you mean there was a whole underground market for my lost things? No wonder I could never find anything.”

Julian simply smiled, offering no further explanation.

Iris buried her face against his chest, breathing in his clean, familiar scent. A curious thought struck her. “Did we really never cross paths before? Not even once?”

“We did,” Julian admitted after a short pause. “But back then, I was just someone you passed by. You wouldn’t have noticed me. Probably don’t even remember.”

“Give me a hint. Maybe it’ll come back to me.”

Julian stayed quiet for a moment, then asked, “Senior year of high school. I was riding my bike and took a fall right near you. You helped me up and even put a bandage on my scraped knee. Does that ring a bell?”

Iris wracked her brain, searching through her memories, but nothing surfaced.

It really had meant nothing to her back then–just a small act of kindness, easily forgotten.

“I’m sorry, honey,” she said, a tinge of guilt in her voice. “I… I really don’t remember.”

“It’s alright,” Julian murmured. He took her pale hand in his, brought it to his lips, and kissed it gently. “You’re my wife now. That’s more than enough. Whatever was missed before doesn’t matter anymore.”

Iris pushed herself up slightly, leaning over him, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

Julian lingered where her lips had touched, craving more. He slid his hand behind her head, guiding her into a deeper, more intimate kiss.

Iris quickly braced her hands against his chest and turned her face away, breaking the kiss. Her voice came out soft and breathless. “Honey, you already had your way last night. Again?”

Julian looked utterly innocent, though his eyes burned with desire. “Weren’t you the one who

started it?”

“I did not.”

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Chapter 384 The Final Question

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“You kissed me.”

Iris shut her eyes and laughed helplessly.

She really couldn’t make the first move anymore.

Whenever she showed even the slightest initiative, her husband took it as an invitation–one he was more than willing to accept.

He never seemed to grow tired of it.

Julian’s lips trailed down to the pale curve of her neck, his hands roaming freely.

Iris squirmed slightly, trying to escape, but there was nowhere to go.

In the end, she gave in, allowing herself to relax into the moment.

The night was deep… and wonderfully long.

*****

Winter arrived late in the South.

The air held only a mild chill, and the sunlight still felt warm against the skin.

Zoe wore nothing but a thick hoodie, the hood pulled up over her head. She guided her mother into the prison visitation room.

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