CHAPTER 63: 63-FALLING INTO HIS ARMS

Iris:

As soon as I began to walk away, I heard Kash call out to me again.

"Wait, Iris," he yelled.

But I didn’t stop.

"Let her go. It was probably not that important," Lady Vivian told him.

I could still hear them talking because I was walking slowly, not because I wanted him to catch up, but because if I tried to move too fast, I felt like I would trip and fall.

That’s how broken I was at that moment.

"Mom, why did you even come outside? I can deal with my own issues. I don’t need you all interfering in my business. Now look what you’ve done!"

I heard Kash yell at them, and for a moment, I thought maybe, just maybe, I had judged him too soon.

Maybe he did care about his son.

But I kept walking.

Soon, I was back home. Once in the living room, I began pacing anxiously, wondering what I should do next.

There was no way I could go back to my room and face that man.

I couldn’t handle him right then.

As I turned, deciding to stay in the living room, I saw Kash walk in. My eyes widened in surprise.

He had followed me.

I hurried toward him, grabbed his arm, and pulled him outside with me.

"What?" Kash asked, confused.

Only once we were out in the garden did I let go of his arm.

"What about Colin?" he asked first.

"He had another attack today," I whispered, barely able to meet his eyes.

I didn’t know why, but he didn’t feel like my Kash anymore.

It felt as though I was stealing time from his girlfriend.

Which was the truth though.

"What? And you’re telling me this just now? Why did it take you so long?" he demanded.

I glared at him, an obvious look that silenced him.

"Right. Sorry. Forget those women—they— I don’t even know what they’re up to," he muttered, glancing away.

"It’s not just them. I don’t know what you’re up to either. And I don’t want to interfere with your engagement preparations, but my son can’t take this pain anymore, Kash."

My voice cracked, and I swallowed hard to keep from crying.

"Is he awake now? I want to see him," he urged, his eyes full of emotions.

"He’s resting. He had dinner and went to sleep," I explained quietly.

"Iris, you don’t seem okay. Are you fine?"

I didn’t know why he suddenly changed his tone, reaching for my hand, but I began to pull away.

"I need you to talk about Colin. When are we going to get him help?"

As I tried to speak, I realized how hard it was to make a sound.

My throat felt clogged, and I had to cough a few times before I could say anything.

"Iris, are you okay?" he questioned, his voice more panicked this time.

"I’m fine. Why do you keep asking me that? I’m really fine," I uttered, taking deep, heavy breaths.

But everything started to blur and fade, as if I were underwater.

The noises slowed, and my vision turned hazy. My eyes could barely stay open.

The next thing I knew, my body was collapsing, only it never hit the ground.

It landed in two strong arms, and his scent filled my senses.

Kash was carrying me. I was still conscious but too weak to respond or speak.

It felt strange, unfamiliar yet not entirely new.

I remembered feeling this way years ago, when I had fallen ill and Kash had cared for me.

But it hadn’t happened again, especially after I got pregnant. I couldn’t understand what was happening now.

Kash took me inside, that much I knew.

"Kash? What the hell? Why are you carrying her?"

Then I heard Lara’s voice and realized he had brought me to his mansion, not my own.

The next thing I knew, he was laying me down on a soft bed that carried his scent.

"Lara, no," I heard Kash grunt.

I didn’t know what she said or did until he slammed the door shut, and that’s when I realized he’d stopped her from coming inside the room.

Then I felt Kash sit beside me. I didn’t know what had gotten into me.

Why couldn’t I open my eyes?

But I stayed like that for a few minutes, in a near-vegetative state, almost lifeless.

Finally, I let out a loud gasp and began to wake up.

I noticed he was sitting nearby, having dragged a chair close to the bed, watching me in silence.

"What the fuck happened to me?" I asked him, as if he would know.

"I guess it was the stress," he uttered rather coldly. He seemed lost in thought.

"Are you okay now?" he then asked, his eyes eerily searching my face for answers.

"Yeah, I guess I am," I replied, taking slow, heavy breaths.

"Good," he said.

Then there was an awkward silence while I started getting off the bed.

"You can stop looking at me like that now. I’m fine."

As soon as I said that, I heard him laugh.

"Well, I’m not looking at you. Remember I told you I’m over you?" he said, not taunting, but softly.

I sighed, stretching my neck.

"Well, yeah, someone who’s over someone doesn’t trail their boyfriend off a cliff," I retorted, fixing my shirt and my hair in his mirror.

Standing in his room felt strange, almost as if I’d never left. Much to my surprise, it really did feel that way.

He walked up behind me and stood there, staring at me through the mirror.

My eyes lifted to meet his for a few seconds before I forced my gaze back down, tying my hair into a messy bun, loose strands falling around my face.

Then I noticed the way he scrunched his eyebrows.

"I hope you didn’t tell Colin you’re looking for a cure for him."

His tone sounded more like a suggestion than a judgment.

"Of course not. I didn’t let Colin know there’s something wrong with him. Even when he keeps asking, I just tell him it’s normal with fever, that he just gets feverish sometimes," I replied, turning around and almost bumping into him.

I thought he would back away once he noticed I was ready to leave, but he didn’t.

He stood there like a brick wall, so I had to step back.