Chapter 3%
Wendel panicked. He immediately got up to chase after Esther but hesitated for a moment as he passed by Iris.
He sighed and explained, “She’s a young woman running out alone. I’m afraid something might happen to her.”
Inhaling sharply, Iris chose to say the exact same words she had in her past life. “Do you really not know why she’s upset?”
Wendel frowned and scolded her. “Iris, Esther might be in danger. This isn’t the time for you to be stubborn.”%
Without waiting for her reply, he bolted out of the courtyard.
Before she knew it, tears welled up in her eyes.
Even after two lifetimes, watching Wendel defend Esther so fiercely still made her heart ache.
So he wasn’t indifferent or unfeeling–he simply never loved her.
Stella was confused. “What’s going on with those two?“%
Her adoptive mother might not have understood, but Iris knew all too well. Still, she chose to say nothing.”
Quickly regaining her composure, she simply sighed and shook her head.ꞌ
Stella wasn’t stupid. If things played out like they had in her past life, it would take less than a month before she realized what was going on between Wendel and Esther.
Iris remembered it vividly–when Stella found out, she had actually demanded to not only give up her chance to study, but also to step aside and give up on Wendel.
Blinded by love, she had refused, even to the point of attempting suicide. Only then did Stella finally relent}
But this time, having lived another life, Iris had no intention of fighting for a place in this family. She would put on a good act for now, then disappear the moment her birth parents came for her.
That night, Wendel finally returned, bringing Esther with him.§
Her eyes were still red, as if she had suffered some unspeakable grievances.
Gently, Wendel reached out to wipe away her tears, speaking in a soft voice.
“It’s late. You should get some rest.”2
Esther choked back a sob and clung to his arm. “I don’t want to sleep. I’m afraid that when I wake up in the morning, you won’t want me anymore.“B
“You don’t have to worry about that,” a sudden voice interrupted, startling both of them.
“He won’t leave you. Once summer break is over, he’ll become a teacher in town–he’ll stay right here, in this home, with you,” Iris added as she stepped out from the living room, her gaze falling on their tightly clasped hands.
Perhaps out of guilt, Wendel pulled his hand away as if it had been scalded.
He forced an awkward smile. “Iris, why aren’t you asleep?“%
She replied calmly, “Oh, I just couldn’t sleep. Esther, you didn’t eat dinner earlier, so Mom asked me to heat up some food for you. It’s in the kitchen.“%
Esther lowered her head, her eyes still red. ‘I’m sorry, Iris. I was just feeling a little down today and needed some comfort. I know I was being thoughtless… You and Wendel are getting married, but I still keep clinging to him. You understand, don’t you? I don’t have any family, so I rely on him more than I should. Iris, you don’t mind, do you?*%
Iris smiled, but the warmth never reached her eyes. Her mind was racing, her fists clenching involuntarily.
The only emotion she had for the woman before her was hatred.%
In her past life, she had been blind–she never realized the secret between them. Not until after she and Wendel were married.}
When Stella arranged a marriage prospect for Esther, Wendel panicked. He immediately quit his secure teaching job and eloped with Esther to Nashville.
Iris was left completely in the dark
Wendel had snuck away in the dead of night, leaving behind only a letter full of lies–tricking Iris into believing he was being sent to Nashville for work.E
At that time, she had already been pregnant. Yet he never even returned for the birth of their child.
She had naively believed he only went to Nashville for work, clinging to that illusion to comfort herself. But that fragile belief shattered the moment he returned–he took their two–year–old child away!2
