Chapter 61

Iris’s POV I didn’t realise how much of me had settled into Marcus’s place until I started packing. It wasn’t obvious before just small things that had slipped in and stayed. A cardigan thrown over a chair, my book on his bedside table and my charger that had quietly become his charger. Little pieces that made the place feel like mine without either of us ever saying it. Now I was gathering all of it into one suitcase. Marcus stood by the door for a bit, watching me in a way that made me self-conscious. “You’re really taking everything,” he said. I glanced at him, folding a top with more care than I usually bothered with. “Do you want me to leave something behind so I have a reason to come back?” “I don’t need a reason,” he said, stepping into the room. “You can just come back.” Something in his tone made me slow down. “I will,” I said. “It’s just… you know how it is. I’m just staying with my parents before the wedding.” “I know,” he said. “It doesn’t mean I have

Chapter 62

Iris’s POV The gate had barely swung open before my mum appeared, as if she had been waiting just behind it. I had one foot out of the car when she reached me, pulling me into a tight hug that caught me off guard. She held me at arm’s length a moment later, her hands framing my face as she looked me over properly. “My baby,” she said, her voice soft with relief. “You’re finally here.” “I’m here,” I replied, smiling. Her attention shifted almost immediately to Marcus, and her expression warmed even more. “Marcus, you’re welcome,” she said, stepping forward to greet him. “You didn’t have to bring her yourself.” “I wanted to,” he said easily. That seemed to please her, because she ushered us inside without another word, already calling out to the rest of the house. The moment we stepped into the foyer, I could hear voices layered over each other, laughter spilling from the sitting room, the faint clatter of dishes from the kitchen. It took a second for my eyes to adjust

Chapter 63

Iris’s POV My mother waited until we were all belted into the car before she dropped it. “We are going lingerie shopping.” I turned so fast my neck protested. “We are what?” “Lingerie,” she repeated, calm as ever. “You need things for the wedding night. And the honeymoon. And honestly, Iris, your underwear drawer is depressing.” Maya snorted from the back seat. “She’s not wrong. I found a pair with a hole in them.” “That was my favourite pair.” “That is exactly the problem,” my mother said. I slumped back and stared out the window, mourning the peace I’d just lost. The spa had been perfect and now I was being dragged into something that felt deeply unnecessary. “Can we not just order something online?” I tried. “Like a normal person?” “No,” my mother and Maya said together. “This is a bonding experience,” my mother added. “This is a hostage situation,” I muttered. Maya leaned forward. “Think of it this way. You’re buying something Marcus will see for about four seconds b

Chapter 64

Iris’s POV My phone buzzed on the nightstand, rattling against the wood like an angry little beetle. I fumbled for it with my eyes still closed, swiping at the screen until the buzzing stopped and a voice came through instead."Good morning, future wife,” Marcus said cheerfully. His voice was still rough with sleep, that gravelly edge he always had first thing in the morning."What time is it?" I mumbled into the pillow."Early. I couldn't sleep."I rolled onto my back and blinked at the ceiling. "So you decided I shouldn't sleep either?""Exactly. Marriage is about sharing everything."I laughed, soft and sleepy. "I don't think that's what the vows say.""I'm adding it. 'In sickness and in health, and also I will wake you up when I'm bored.'""That's very romantic.""I thought so."I stretched under the covers, my body still heavy with the kind of deep sleep I hadn't had in

Chapter 65

Iris’s POV He was standing near the counter, waiting for his order, looking like he had just stepped out of a business meeting and also somehow a magazine photo shoot at the same time. Dark blazer, crisp shirt, that effortless composure that made everyone around him look slightly underdressed. My stomach dropped so fast I thought I might actually slide out of my chair. Maya saw him a second after I did. Her eyes went wide, and she kicked me under the table. Hard. "Ow," I hissed. "Sorry," she said, not sounding sorry at all. "My foot slipped." Victor turned, coffee in hand, and his eyes scanned the room. I knew the exact moment he spotted me because his expression flickered, just for a heartbeat. Then he smoothed it over with that calm, polite smile I had come to know too well. He started walking toward our table. "No

Chapter 66

Iris's POV The bridal shop was everything I had pictured and somehow nothing like it at all. I had walked into the appointment expecting the same quiet, polished atmosphere the shop usually offered with soft music and respectful silence. The kind of place where everyone whispered like they were in a library that happened to sell wedding dresses. Instead, my friends had turned it into what could only be described as organized chaos. "I need more pins," Margaret the seamstress announced, her voice barely cutting through the noise. "She keeps moving." "She keeps breathing," Amy corrected. "That's the problem. If she would just stop breathing, this would go much faster." I stood on the small raised platform in front of a wall of mirrors, wearing my wedding dress for what felt like the hundredth time. It was the same dress I had tried on with