Too Late Alpha The Mate He Never Wanted (Iris and Eric) novel Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Eric’s POV

Irritation flared within me.

E

I gritted my teeth as I stared at the screen. She called again. I let it ring once… twice… before I reluctantly picked up.

“What?” I said.

“Eric?” Her voice was tight. “It’s already dark. You said you were just going to drop the gifts and–Tiffany’s crying again-

“I’m busy now,” I cut in, sharper than I meant to. “I’ll call you later.”

“Eric, what’s going on? Where are you-”

I hung up.

I didn’t have time for this now. I needed to just prove that everything was a lie.

I drove back to the house minutes later and slammed,the car door behind me. I stormed to the back of the house, grabbing a shovel leaning on the wall on my way.

I paused, staring at a small mound of fresh dirt. It was a few days old.

I slowly walked towards it, my heart pounding. I felt sick, and my hands shook.

After a moment of standing there, I took a deep breath, then I started digging.

I stabbed the shovel into the ground and tossed the dirt to the side.

The sky was pitch–black now, but I didn’t care, I kept going.

I didn’t know how deep I was supposed to go. I didn’t know what I expected to find.

A memory slammed into my mind as I kept digging.

“Say hi to Daddy,” Iris whispered to Evie, pushing the little girl forward.

I remembered standing by the door with a frown on my face, arms crossed, already annoyed that Iris had cornered me into visiting Evie.

“Hi, Daddy,” Evie said, her voice tiny and unsure.

ܙܙ

She was holding a drawing. It was a stick figure family of me, her, Iris. I had scoffed at the drawing with disdain. I didn’t even remember what I said, but I remembered the way her little face fell.

I dug faster, as another memory hit me.

“Daddy, is that for me?” Evie asked me, staring hopefully at the huge teddy bear I was holding.

“No, Evie,” I muttered with annoyance. “It’s for Tiffany. Don’t you have so many toys already? Tiffany barely has any. Stop being selfish.”

Her lips wobbled, tears welled up in her eyes, and without another word, she turned and ran up the stairs to her room.

Iris turned to me immediately. “What is wrong with you?”

I rolled my eyes. “She needs to learn that she can’t get everything she wants. You’re spoiling her.”

“She’s just a child,” Iris hissed. “That’s not spoiling. That’s basic kindness. You insulted her over a stuffed toy.”

“She’s too sensitive,” I snapped. “And she needs to stop competing with Tiffany for everything.”

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Chapter 19

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“She’s not competing with anyone,” Iris said, her voice rising. “She just wants to feel seen. You barely acknowledge her, and when you do, it’s to insult her and make her feel less.”

Before I could respond, Evie came back downstairs, her arms wrapped around something.

It was a stuffed unicorn. It was a little worn out from use, especially as she always held onto it while sleeping. She held it out to

1. me.

“Tiffany can have this one,” she whispered, her eyes widened hopefully. “It’s my favorite.”

I stared at the toy like it was something diseased.

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