Chapter 6

Iris reeled. "Miss Quinn?"

"Oh yes, Miss Quinn! She sprained her ankle. Mr. Sinclair stayed by her side the whole time. He was so worried she might be in pain. I swear, fairy-tale romance still exists!" the nurse replied, beaming.

Iris went pale. 'So that's why he abandoned me. His attention had been on Regina and her minor injury.'

She reminded herself that she had tried to let go of that relationship many times. Still, she had devoted over four years of her life to Alfred. A bond that long could not vanish without leaving a mark.

The ache hit her then, sharp and deep in her chest. Her breath turned shallow.

"Miss McGuire, are you all right?" the nurse asked at once.

Iris steadied her breathing and pulled herself together. "I'm fine. Thank you."

"All right. I'll check on the other patients. Use the bell if you need anything," the nurse said, heading for the door.

Left alone, Iris' thoughts spiraled back to the incident that had landed her here. The memories churned until they drove her nearly mad. Certain details refused to line up, no matter how hard she tried to grasp them.

She decided to step out for some fresh air. Instead, she ran straight into Regina, who leaned on another nurse for support.

Regina's face drained of color. "You! How did you get here?!"

Years in the service sector had sharpened Iris' eye for subtle expressions. She saw panic beneath Regina's shock. When Iris linked that reaction with what the thugs had said, a suspicion snapped into focus.

Regina was the missing piece. She had to be the one behind those two men.

Iris walked toward her. "Where else would I be, Miss Quinn? What do you think?"

Regina recovered quickly. Her panic gave way to polished concern and feigned hurt.

"Iris… I was just worried you were stalking Alfred again," she said.

Passersby in the corridor perked up at once. Several cast pointed looks at Iris, the kind reserved for public nuisances.

Iris kept a practiced smile in place. "I'm here for a follow-up after my accident. You remember that. As for why I had that accident in the first place, should I explain it right now, as loudly as possible?"

Regina and Alfred had only just announced their relationship. She had every reason to keep Iris' past involvement quiet, especially with a public that never turned down a scandal.

Regina pressed her lips together. "I see. Then this must be a misunderstanding. I won't bother you."

She walked past Iris, then paused.

Leaning close, she murmured, "Stop struggling, bitch. He won't care about you, no matter what happens. Accept your place already. Because next time, it won't just be a car accident."

It was a warning.

Iris ignored her and returned to her room.

After thinking it through, she picked up her phone. "Hello, 911? I'd like to file a report."

…

The police worked fast. They checked every street camera in the area and soon found the thugs groaning in pain near a private clinic.

Before Iris met them, an officer offered a cautious disclaimer. "Miss McGuire, they may look a little different from when you first saw them. I hope you understand."

Iris frowned. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

When the men were brought in, the answer became clear. They were beaten badly enough to look ridiculous. One limped, and the other cradled a broken arm.

For reasons Iris could not explain, they were also terrified of her. They twitched and flinched like turkeys on Christmas morning. Several officers had to corral them into place.

"We're sorry, ma'am! Really sorry! We swear we'll never do it again!"

"That's right! We're just desperate idiots drowning in gambling debt! Some guy paid us to wait outside the hospital, do that awful stuff, and film it!"

Iris blinked. 'This is far too easy. They confessed everything, motives and actions alike. What happened after I lost consciousness?'

The memory of those piercing black eyes surfaced again, just before everything had gone dark. Curiosity flared. Who was he?

The officers exchanged looks of disbelief. This had to be the fastest confession they had ever seen. No questions required.

It did not take long to trace the payment. The man responsible worked as Regina's bodyguard. To push the investigation forward, the police summoned both the suspect and his employer.

They did not expect Alfred to arrive with her.

When he strode in beside Regina, shock rippled through the room.

Alfred's face hardened the instant he saw Iris. "Bitch, you again! How long are you going to keep this up? Stop wagging your tail and begging for my attention like a dog!"

The station fell into silence.

Iris could hear a faint buzzing in her ears, the aftereffect of his shouting.

There was something almost comical about the fact that this man had lost his temper over this one woman. It felt like both comedy and tragedy at once. She had given four years of her life to a man who now exploded in her face over his current girlfriend.

Alfred did not care in the slightest what was going through Iris' mind. What mattered was that she was infuriating. She loved him too much to let him go, which was why she kept orchestrating scenes like this.

But why did she have to drag an innocent person into their mess?

He swore to God that she could not have been more different from Regina.

'When will this idiot finally understand her place, and the only role she could ever have occupied in my life?' he wondered.

"And here I thought you were trying so hard to pretend you had a spine," he sneered. "Turns out you just turn into a self-serving asshole. Get a grip, Iris. Stop making up baseless accusations and causing a scene for your ulterior motives."

He pulled the young woman into his arms in a protective embrace.

Regina's eyes reddened, and she looked like a poor little girl who had been unfairly accused, if not for the daggers she shot at Iris.

That was all Iris needed to understand what had happened. Dear old Regina must have framed everything as Iris inventing an assault to deceive Alfred.

The idea felt strange. Alfred had always been headstrong, a man who trusted his own judgment above anyone else's. He was never the type to accept another person's words without question.

Until Regina, apparently. Somehow, Regina's version of events required no skepticism at all.

Iris knew this was love at work, but how did that have anything to do with her accusation?

"Mr. Second Heir, do you truly believe that defending yourself from sexual assault is self-serving?" she snapped. "Does the law mean nothing to you?"

"Enough!" Alfred bellowed.

He had raised his voice deliberately and fixed her with a sharp glare. The message was unmistakable. He was angry.

Iris frowned and bit her lip, as though she wanted to protest but could not bring herself to do so. It was a habit she had developed during their relationship. Whenever Alfred showed the slightest sign of anger, she shrank back.

Alfred snickered. 'Predictable.'

Iris liked to present herself as an independent woman who could live without him, but she still centered her emotions on his reactions. She still feared offending him.

He turned to the police.

"This was all manufactured by the self-proclaimed 'victim,' officers," he said. "There is nothing substantive here. If you allow this to stay on record, I am sure your superiors will be calling all of you in for a meeting very soon."

With that, he strode toward the entrance with Regina in his arms and brushed past Iris.

"Don't be scared, babe. She can't hurt you as long as I'm here. By the way, your custom-made jewelry arrived today. I can't wait to see you wear it," he said smoothly, as though dismantling an investigation required no effort at all.

Regina leaned closer to him and cast a sidelong glance at Iris. "Oh, Freddy, I don't care about the jewelry. What matters is that you stand up for me every time."

'Have I not warned this foolish woman already? Nothing Iris does can ever threaten my position. Alfred will never choose her, no matter what schemes she attempts,' Regina thought.

Alfred reached out and booped Regina's nose right in front of Iris. "You silly, sweet thing."

That was right. Iris should watch and finally let it sink in. She had no control over him, and she needed to stop indulging in fantasies of anything different.

Iris stepped around their little performance and fixed her gaze on the officers.

"Do people involved in a case have the authority to halt an active investigation?" she asked.

"Never," one officer replied firmly. "We will proceed with impartiality."

Alfred's expression darkened. He shot Iris a dangerous look. "Excuse me? Are you accusing me of being involved in this? How much bullshit do you plan to throw out in a single day?"

"Who says you aren't involved?" Iris shot back.