《Stolen Night With My Brother In Law》全部章節：第 161 章 - 第 170 章

I got to the hotel and I checked in. Gave them a name. I did not really hear what the receptionist was saying because it all sounded far away. I got into the elevator. It took me to the sixth floor. When the doors opened I walked down the hallway to my room.It was quiet inside.The silence felt familiar.I closed the door. Leaned against it. I let out a breath that I had been holding since I left Iris.There were no voices.There were no accusations.There were no memories attached to the things in the room.The room was plain. It had colored walls and a neat bed. The window looked out over the city. The city was still moving. It was like nothing had happened.I took off my shoes. Sat on the bed. I did not turn on the television."I need to think," I said to myself.This was not something that I could fix with tears.I had been surviving by breaking down problems into pieces. If my whole past had just changed, then I needed to look at it that way.One memory at a time.One thing I th

KATHRYN’S POVThe knock on the door was soft.For a moment Iris and I just stood there in silence. I thought maybe he was not home but then I heard the lock turn and the door opened.Iris was standing there wearing a dark sweater with the sleeves pushed up to his forearms and his face changed the moment he saw me. I saw surprise, then relief,. It did not last long. He just looked at me like he had hoped I would come. He did not think I actually would.Neither Iris nor I said anything for a while.The silence was not uncomfortable, even though it felt like a long time since we last talked.I had to swallow before I could say anything."I owe Iris an apology and it is probably going to take more than one conversation " I said.Iris kept looking at me for another moment. I looked for anger or disappointment in his eyes but I did not see any of that. Instead, he stepped back. Held the door open."Come in " he said quietly.That was all he said.No accusations.No demands.No reminder of w

KATHRYN’S POVThe days that followed were quiet and gentle. Neither of us tried to force anything. I slowly realized that healing doesn't always announce itself with moments. It often arrives quietly disguised as mornings and familiar conversations.Every day reminded me that Iris and I weren’t trying to be the people we used to be. This made our time together feel honest. We were learning to love who the other had become, and mourning who we had lost.Breakfast became our part of the day. We both lingered over coffee long after the food was gone. Neither of us wanted to rush into the noise of real life. One morning I reached for the slice of toast at the same time Iris did. Our hands bumped together.He looked at me with disappointment."You stole my breakfast."I laughed my fingers still touching his."I touched it first.""That's not how it works.""It absolutely does."He narrowed his eyes then leaned back in his chair."I knew inviting you to stay would lead to food theft."I tor

KATHRYN’S POVThe morning was pretty normal. I had coffee getting cold on my laptop and rain falling softly against the windows. Then I saw this cream-colored envelope on the counter. It was mixed in with bills and junk mail. The envelope seemed heavy even though it was small.I almost threw it away.. Then I saw who it was from. My hands stopped moving. It took me a second to catch up. I knew Jacob's handwriting. We used to exchange birthday cards. He would write me notes all the time. Jacob's writing was burned into my memory.I stood there at the counter for a while just staring at the envelope. Iris looked up from cutting fruit for breakfast. "Hey is everything," he asked.I did not answer right away because I was not really sure. "I think this is from Jacob " I said finally.Iris stopped cutting. He did not get up. Ask to see the envelope. He just nodded, like he was giving me space. "You do not have to open it " he said quietly.His words actually made me think I should. For a ti

KATHRYN’S POVThe invitation was still on the coffee table that evening. Every time I walked by I would look at the cream envelope and then I would look away on purpose. I was not afraid of opening it because I already knew what it said. The paper was not about Jacob's future anymore. It was about mine.I found Iris on the balcony just after the sun went down. The city was shining with thousands of lights and the cool breeze was moving the sleeves of his shirt. He was resting his hands on the railing. It seemed like he had been standing there for a while."You have been thinking " I said.He looked at me. Smiled a little."I got caught " he said.I stood beside him."So did I " I said.We both knew what the other person meant. The invitation was with us in every room even though it did not move.I crossed my arms over my chest."We cannot avoid talking about this " I said."No " he said.He turned to face me completely."We probably should not " he said.For a moment we did not say an