All Chapters of The Iris Lie: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Three months my husband's been gone. I thought my heart was broken. Then I walk into his favorite den and find him fucking another woman.Thirty minutes earlier.I pushed open the heavy oak doors of Club Allegro, what passed for a gentlemen's club in the heart of Chicago.This was Moretti territory. No uninvited guests.It was the first time I'd set foot in Julian's private den in three months. I just wanted to feel his presence, to remember his warmth.But then I heard his laugh.It came from a room in the back, followed by the sweet, low moans of a woman."Julian, you're a genius," the woman's voice was sickly sweet. "Faking your own death. And getting that little artist wife of yours to fall for it.""Seraphina?" Julian scoffed. "She's a pretty, empty doll my father made me marry. A political move to strengthen our position. Now, I'm finally free."Ice flooded my veins.Through the crack in the door, I saw him—my husband, "dead" for three months. He was caressing a blonde's face, hi

Chapter 2

The next morning, I sat in the study and pulled up the mansion's security feed. Three months of footage. I needed to see it all.The days flew by on the screen. The first month, the second... and then I saw it.July 15th, 2:00 AM.Julian, sneaking in the back door with Bianca. They went straight upstairs. Into my art studio.My studio. My sanctuary.I fast-forwarded, my heart pounding. I watched them fuck on the floor of my studio, right in front of my most prized painting, Venus Reborn. The one that took me a year to complete. They'd tossed it aside, using the canvas as a goddamn drop cloth."You son of a bitch," I seethed.My phone buzzed. Unknown number."Seraphina." The voice was low and gravelly. I knew it instantly. Dante. Julian's uncle. The real brains of the Moretti family."Dante.""Julian's alive," he said, straight to the point. "I assume you already know.""I do.""Good. In an hour, Marco is bringing you something. You'll need it.""Why are you helping me?"A lon

Chapter 3

That night, I left the city condo Julian and I had shared and moved back to the main family estate on Lake Michigan. It sat on fifty acres of private land, surrounded by high walls, with armed guards patrolling the perimeter. This was safe."Smart move." Dante was waiting for me in the estate's marble foyer. He wore a black suit, and his presence was so powerful it was almost suffocating. "You'll need the protection for the next few days.""Julian knows?""He's lost his mind." A cold smile touched Dante's lips. "He called Tony seventeen times last night, threatening to kill everyone.""Including me?""Especially you."I nodded. I expected as much.For the next two days, I focused on planning the "funeral." Black wreaths, memorial cards bearing the Moretti crest, even a custom guest book. Every detail was perfect, as if Julian were truly gone.The evening before the mass, Marco came with an update."Boss, Bianca's been making noise at the private card rooms, telling anyone who'll l

Chapter 4

Julian stumbled towards the altar, his arms open wide as if to embrace me."My angel, I'm back!" His voice trembled, tears welling in his eyes. "I thought I'd never see you again!"I took a deliberate step back, just beyond his reach."Three months." My voice was ice. "Where have you been, Julian?""I was taken!" he cried, turning to the whole church. "The Torrinos… they grabbed me, tortured me, tried to get our secrets!""Taken?" I let out a soft, humorless laugh. "So who saved you?""I… I escaped. On my own." Julian’s eyes darted around. "I fought my way back to you.""Really?" I tilted my head, my voice as sweet as poison. "And this 'Good Samaritan' who saved you from your 'kidnappers'... was it Bianca?"The color drained from Julian's face."I don't know what you're talking about.""You don't?" I nodded to Marco.The massive screen at the front of the church—originally intended for a memorial slideshow—flickered to life.The first photo: Julian on a luxury yacht in the Caribbean, h

Chapter 5

"No right?" Julian scrambled to pick up the scattered pages, his face twisted in a snarl. "It was an act, Seraphina. A lie. I was playing her to protect us—to protect the family!""Protect the family?" I sneered."Yes!" He clung to that lie like a lifeline, his voice growing desperate. "The Rossos have been trying to move in on our territory for years. I pretended to be with Bianca to get their intel!"Whispers broke out in the pews. A few of the older faces in the pews softened with uncertainty."Seraphina, you're my wife." Julian fell to his knees before me, grabbing the hem of my dress. "You have to believe me! Help me explain to the family! It was for the bigger picture!""The bigger picture?" I looked down at him, my expression unreadable. "What 'bigger picture' required you to carve another woman’s crest into your skin? Or transfer millions from the family's offshore accounts?""That money was bait! To earn Bianca's trust!""Was it?"For the first time, Dante, who had been a sil

Chapter 6

After the mass, all I wanted was to leave. The smart play was to keep my distance from Dante. I’d learned my lesson about men."Seraphina," Dante's voice came from behind me. "We need to talk.""About what?""The transfer of assets Julian signed off on is complex. There are loose ends I need your help to tie up."I had no choice.Dante’s office was on the top floor of a skyscraper in the financial district. Floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over the city, a river of light against the night sky."Sit." He gestured to a leather sofa.I kept my distance, choosing an armchair farthest from him."Nervous?" Dante poured two whiskeys, sliding one across the low coffee table toward me. "Relax. I don't bite... much.""I'm not nervous.""Liar." He sat down across from me, his presence filling the space. "Your hands haven't stopped shaking."I quickly hid them in my lap. Damn him for being so observant."Why did you help me?" I asked, getting straight to the point. "And don't tell me it was

Chapter 7

"Seraphina, my angel…" Julian staggered toward me, reaching a grimy hand for my face.I recoiled in disgust."Don't touch me.""Please, just let me explain. It was all Bianca. It was all her. She seduced me, Seraphina. It was like she put a spell on me. I wasn't in my right mind.""A spell?" I laughed without humor. "And I suppose she forced you to make those bank transfers, too?""I… I just wanted to be free." Julian collapsed onto the cold, wet steps. "Three years of marriage… I felt like I was in a cage. I needed to breathe, I needed…""You needed to be a traitor.""It wasn't betrayal!" he cried, grabbing the hem of my skirt. "It was a moment of weakness! The kind of mistake any man could make!""A mistake any man could make?" I knelt, bringing my face level with his. "Is betraying your own blood also the kind of mistake any man would make?"Julian’s mouth opened, but no words came out."And the tattoo," I pointed to his chest. "Changing my iris into her dagger. Was that a moment of

Chapter 8

A month later, Julian was gone. No one asked where, and no one cared.For the next month, our partnership fell into a rhythm. We worked in near-perfect sync, running the family's legitimate businesses together. The art investments, the galleries, the antique trade—the ventures Julian had ignored were now thriving under our control."This Monet, the Water Lilies," I said, pointing to an image in an auction catalog. "It's a fake. The brushstrokes are too controlled. They lack the free, chaotic energy of his later period."Dante looked up from his desk, his eyes filled with a respect I was beginning to get used to. "You're sure?""A hundred percent. I've seen the original at the Musée de l'Orangerie.""Then we pull the bid." He made a note on the file. "You just saved us five million dollars."Our days were like this. Dante never questioned my professional judgment, and I was beginning to understand the ruthless brilliance of his business strategies. We fit together, two pieces of a

Chapter 9

I looked down at Bianca kneeling on the pavement, a pathetic, broken thing, and I already knew.This was Julian's final, desperate play.He was using Bianca, using the specter of a war with the Cartel, to force Dante’s hand. He thought he could manipulate us into cleaning up his mess, and then, in the ensuing chaos, he would find a way back in."Fine," I said, my voice cold. "I'll help you find him."Bianca looked up, a flicker of wild hope in her eyes. "Really?""Yes. But on one condition.""Anything.""When this is over, Julian is yours. I don't care what you do with him, but I never want to see his face again.""Done!" Bianca nodded without a second of hesitation.Dante stood beside me, a faint, knowing smirk playing on his lips. He knew exactly what I was planning.Two hours later, we got our "tip." An anonymous call. Someone had spotted Julian at the abandoned docks on the Chicago River."How convenient," Dante said with a sneer as we drove. "It's almost like he wants to be found

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