Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 1297

The banquet hall floor was lined with room after room, each one just like the next. Walter Wilson tried to convince himself that maybe she’d just lost her way back to the party. That thought brought him only the smallest comfort, nowhere near enough to calm the worry twisting in his chest.

He and Harden hurried out into the corridor, passing Abbott, who was just coming back in. Abbott caught sight of their anxious faces and called out, “What’s going on?”

Walter didn’t even slow down. Harden threw out a rushed reply. “Ms. Williams is missing.”

Before they could say more, Iris caught up. “Walter…” Her eyes were red and watery, her whole face pleading for sympathy. But Walter was already gone, swallowed by the crowd.

Abbott’s expression changed as Harden’s words sank in. He didn’t hesitate, grabbing Iris by the wrist and looking her dead in the eye. “Did you have anything to do with Audrey Williams disappearing?”

Iris was already on edge and snapped, yanking her hand away. “What does that have to do with me? How would I know where she went?”

Abbott knew exactly who Audrey was and just how serious this was. His voice lost all the warmth it usually had for Iris. “Iris, don’t be reckless. You can’t touch Audrey Williams.”

The resentment in Iris’s heart flared. If it hadn’t been for Audrey, she wouldn’t have been forced to act so quickly with Walter. Now that she was finally ready, Walter had run off for that woman instead. And Abbott, the same man who’d just confessed to her, was suddenly taking Audrey’s side.

Anger burned through her, and she didn’t bother to hide it. “Abbott, who are you to tell me what to do? And what, are you and that woman close now? You’re warning me because of her?”

“I’m not—” Abbott stopped, took a steadying breath, and tried to explain. “I’m not warning you. I’m reminding you. I’m telling you, Audrey Williams isn’t someone you want to mess with. She’s—”

He was about to spill Audrey’s real identity, but Iris’s whole demeanor suddenly shifted. She started to feel unbearably hot, her skin crawling, like invisible insects were biting everywhere.

It hit her all at once. The drug was kicking in, and way sooner than she’d expected. She had to get out of there, fast. Iris shoved Abbott aside and took off down the hallway.

“Iris, where are you going?” Abbott called after her, worry etched across his face, but she vanished before he could follow.

A wave of dread spread through Abbott. He could feel it—something bad was about to happen, and it was already out of his control. After a moment’s hesitation, he forced himself to focus. Iris would have to wait. Right now, finding Audrey Williams was the only thing that mattered.

If anything happened to Ms. Taylor here, the Carter family would be in deep trouble.

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