Chapter 4

Iris's POV

Iris didn’t sleep well that night.

She kept wondering if he would actually keep his word and show up in the morning. She wasn't looking forward to the disappointment on Evie's face when he didn't come.

When a sleek black SUV pulled up in front of the house at 7 a.m., her heart jolted in surprise.

Eric stepped out, freshly dressed in a tailored black shirt and slacks. He looked like he had just walked out of a magazine. He looked effortlessly handsome, like always but cold, and unreadable.

Evie ran to the window, gasping in joy. “Mom! Daddy’s here!”

Iris smiled weakly. “Go on, grab your bag.”

Evie raced around the house gathering her things while Iris went to answer the door. She didn’t say anything to Eric when she opened the door.

“Ready?” he asked, not glancing at Iris.

Evie nodded eagerly, holding his hand with a wide grin on her face.

When they left, Iris followed behind in her own car. She didn't trust Eric with Evie, even though he was her father.

When she arrived at the pack school, she spotted them instantly.

And she froze.

Zara was already there.

She looked stunning, even at this hour. Her icy blue eyes lit up as Eric approached. Tiffany, her little blonde daughter, ran straight into Eric’s arms with a giggle. He caught her  and lifted her up, spinning her around with a genuine laugh that Iris hadn’t heard in years.

Zara joined them moments later, slipping her arm casually through his like it belonged there.

And Eric didn’t shake her off.

Evie stood quietly, staring at them. Her smile slowly faded.

Iris quickly rushed to her, crouching beside her. “Hey, why don’t you go say hi to your teacher? I think I saw her just now.”

Evie nodded slowly and walked off, her shoulders drooping a little.

Iris stood back up, her jaw clenched as she marched toward Eric.

“We had an agreement,” she said lowly, pulling him aside when Zara and Tiffany turned toward the building.

He raised an eyebrow. “And I’m here, aren’t I? I dropped her at school.”

“You just neglected Evie for Zara and her daughter. That wasn’t part of the deal.”

Eric sighed, his jaw tightening. “So now you want me to neglect Zara when she’s clearly struggling? She’s a single mother, Iris. She needs support.”

Iris wanted to argue that she was also a single mother, and she needed support, but she didn’t.

“If you want me to sign those divorce papers, then yes. I want you to neglect her.”

His green eyes narrowed with disgust. “You’re unbelievable.”

She stood tall, “No. I’m a mother, and I will do anything to make sure Evie is taken care of.”

Eric clenched his jaw and stormed off without another word.

Iris stood there shaking as her heart pounded.

~

However, over the next few days something shifted.

Eric started ignoring Zara. He didn’t answer her calls whenever he was with Evie.

He started picking Evie up from school. He sat with her during lunch breaks, even attended her weekend drawing class.

He wasn’t warm with her like Iris had seen with Tiffany, but he was present and Evie was happy.

And that was enough for Iris.

On one of the days, Eric took Evie to the park.

The park was nearly empty that Saturday afternoon, just a few parents scattered around with their pups. Eric sat stiffly on the bench, arms crossed as Evie ran around, spinning in circles with a squeal.

Iris had brought her sketchbook, but she couldn’t focus on anything with Eric just two feet away, silent and unreadable as always.

Evie ran up to them with her cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling. “Let’s play together! All of us!”

Eric’s brows pulled together. “Play?”

“Yes! Tag! Mommy, you too!”

Iris hesitated. “Sweetheart, I don’t think—”

“Please?” Evie clasped her hands. “Just one game. It’ll be fun, I promise!”

Eric opened his mouth to object, but Evie was already tugging on his hand, then Iris’s. “Please, please!”

They both stood reluctantly and stiffly. The next thing Iris knew, she was actually laughing as she chased her daughter across the grassy field. Eric joined in reluctantly at first, but Evie’s laughter was infectious, and he eventually cracked a small smile as he tagged her and ran.

For a fleeting moment, it felt like they were a family.

Iris turned to run, but her foot caught on a tree root, and she tripped with a gasp right into Eric.

They stumbled, and she fell against him hard, her hands landing on his chest. He caught her instinctively, his arms wrapped around her waist.

They froze.

Their faces were inches apart.

His eyes glanced at her lips for a second, and Iris's heart pounded. She could feel the tension in the air. Her lips parted slightly.

Eric’s phone rang, and the sound shattered everything.

He snapped out of the moment, stepping back quickly and letting her fall out of his arms like she had burned him. She staggered, catching herself just before she hit the ground.

He didn’t even glance at the phone, instead, he was glaring at her as if it had been her fault.

His jaw was clenched, and his eyes were cold.

“You always find a way to twist things,” he muttered under his breath.

Iris’s chest tightened. “What—”

Before she could say anything else, he shoved the phone to his ear and turned away, muttering harshly into the receiver. Without another word, he stormed off, leaving her standing there in the middle of the field, stunned.

Evie came running back later. “Where’s Daddy going?”

Iris forced a smile, kneeling to wipe grass from her daughter’s cheek.

“He just… remembered something. But it’s okay, baby. We had fun, didn’t we?”

Evie nodded slowly. “Yeah. It felt like we were a normal family.”

Iris blinked back tears at Evie's words.