Chapter Two

Iris's POV

Adrian turned away from me to calm Bianca down, his voice so gentle it didn't even sound like him.

"Come on, don't be mad. If you don't like the idea, we'll forget about the baby."

My fingers clenched. It felt like something had grabbed my chest and twisted hard.

He said it so casually, like he was deciding what to have for dinner.

All the research I'd done the past few days, all the favors I'd called in, none of it meant a thing to him.

Bianca hooked her arm through his, looking smug, and raised an eyebrow at me. Then she finally left, completely pleased with herself.

As soon as the door shut, I opened my laptop again.

I deleted the scheduled rejection and typed out a new reply.

"Thank you for the offer. I'm happy to accept the position, and I'll be in Paris ready to start a week from today."

Strangely, the moment I hit send, I felt calm.

Theo showed up before dinner.

He was carrying a box from Bianca's favorite bakery, and the second he walked in, she turned away and ignored him.

"Don't think buying me stuff means I'm going to forgive you."

That's what she said, but her eyes kept drifting to the box.

Theo threw out a couple of lines to smooth things over. He was just as half-hearted as he used to be with me.

Then he looked past Bianca to where I stood at the foot of the stairs, and his eyes softened right away.

"Iris, are you okay?"

The words were barely out of his mouth before Bianca and Adrian both scowled.

Adrian stepped in front of me, blocking me completely.

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's Donna."

This time, I didn't stay quiet like I usually did.

I leaned out from behind him and gave Theo a little wave. Then I patted Adrian's arm, sounding as reasonable as could be.

"It's just a title. Why are you picking a fight with him over it?"

I'd just thrown his own words from that afternoon right back at him.

Adrian's jaw went tight.

Bianca was grinding her teeth, but she didn't dare say anything nasty.

Ever since I'd married Adrian, Theo had stopped giving in to her on everything. With him in the room, she wasn't about to act the way she had with me that afternoon.

All she could do was grab Theo by the wrist and practically drag him out the door.

The living room went quiet.

Adrian loosened his tie and looked down at me, and he was actually smiling a little.

"So you're sulking now? Since when do you play games like this?"

I shook my head. "I'm not sulking. I'm just sick of all of it."

He raised an eyebrow like he didn't follow.

I looked up and met his eyes.

"You and Theo both treat Bianca like she's the most precious thing in the world. So why'd you have to drag me into it?"

The smile slowly faded from his face.

"So you heard."

I didn't deny it.

The room stayed silent for a long time. When he finally spoke, he sounded as calm as if he were talking business.

"I married you, so I'm going to see this through. The day I put that ring on your finger at the altar, I let go of whatever I felt for her."

I let out a soft laugh.

"Wow, what a touching sacrifice. Too bad I don't want any of it."

"Since you don't love me, let's just get a divorce."

Adrian froze for a second, then looked at me like I'd told a joke.

"A divorce? Where would you even go? Do you know how many people have their eyes on this family? The second you walk out that door, you've got a target on your back."

I looked down and didn't argue.

He was right. I was an orphan with no family to turn to. I lived on his estate, my passport was locked in the family vault, and even my job was in the family's jewelry business.

To everyone else, I had it all. Divorcing him would be the dumbest move I could make.

But I was done being a prop in the show the three of them were putting on.

When I didn't say anything, Adrian smiled, completely sure of himself, like he knew I couldn't leave him.

Theo had looked at me the exact same way when he came back from that roof and begged me to forgive him.

Suddenly I was exhausted. I didn't even have the energy to argue.

I grabbed my coat and walked straight out the front gate of the estate.

The night air was chilly. I stood at the side of the road, not sure where to go.

The cab drove around the city for a long time and finally stopped at the corner of a street I knew well.

During the day, this place was a busy craft market. At night, the stalls were all packed up, and there was nothing left but a few dim streetlights.

I stood in the spot where I used to set up my table, and for a moment, it all felt unreal.

Funny thing was, the first person I ever met on this street wasn't Theo. It was Adrian.