CHAPTER 68: 68-AN AWKWARD CAR RIDE WITH MY EX

Iris:

"It seemed like you had struck a nerve when talking about Luca." I heard my mother say.

She mother walked in after me, after I had returned to my room, and stood in the doorway of the bathroom while I washed my face at the sink.

I was splashing water just to wake up and to process what I had done.

"Why do you get so excited whenever something goes wrong in my life?" I taunted, noticing her playful smile start to fade.

"I was just trying to be funny," my mother complained, clearly upset that I had taken her comment too seriously.

"No, like seriously, it’s not the first time. Besides, that man over there, you need to tell him that there are some boundaries," I said, pointing toward the wall behind which Luca sat.

"Luca, don’t annoy her again," my mother called, in a tone almost like giving a little child a lollipop.

That was how she treated me. She thought I would be grateful for her small actions.

All I could do was clench my fists tightly.

"What is he doing there?" I asked, frustrated, grabbing my toothbrush and starting to brush my teeth.

"Well, you know he’s important for the plan," my mother said, referring to Luca.

"No, I mean Kash," I said, rolling my eyes.

"And then, you know, I had to sleep on the couch. He took over the entire bed last night," I complained, brushing my teeth aggressively while watching my mother anxiously.

"Who did? Kash did?" my mother asked.

I stopped brushing, slouching my shoulders in exhaustion.

"Luca did!" I hissed.

"Well, the thing is, you have to go with him," my mother said. I frowned at her in confusion.

"With Luca?" I asked.

She followed my gesture of exasperation with an eye roll.

"With Kash. He is here to talk about something."

"He said about the cure, right? So I have to go wherever he’s taking me now?" I asked, confused.

She nodded vaguely. It was so odd with her.

Sometimes she was clingy enough to somehow insert Luca into our lives by any means, and at other times, she wanted me to go out with Kash alone.

It was as if she saw me as a toy, using me for her own benefit without caring what I wanted.

"Fine. If you leave the bathroom, I’ll get ready," I said tiredly and finally she walked away. I locked the door so that no one else barges in. At this point, the bathroom was the only place where I got to be alone and at peace.

After I got ready in a black blazer and matching suit for the office, Kash himself asked me to leave with him.

Luca was still in the room, so I got away quickly, partly because my mother didn’t want to bring Luca along too often and risk Kash getting annoyed, and partly so I could have some private moments with Kash.

At least, that’s what I assumed.

As soon as I got into the car with Kash, I could feel the tension.

He seemed annoyed, gripping the steering wheel like it was a weapon.

"So, where are we headed?" I asked, adjusting my seat belt.

I hadn’t even had breakfast yet.

"Didn’t I say it was an emergency meetup?" he replied, barely acknowledging my question.

Even the way he responded to me was so irritating.

"Yeah, but I asked where we’re heading, not why," I corrected him.

I noticed him stretching his neck, maybe recalling that he was supposedly ’over me,’ or maybe not, because the next moment he turned to gaze at me. His eyes were narrowed in my face, almost furious.

"What?" I hissed. "Focus on the road, dammit."

"Don’t tell me what to focus on. I know how to drive safely," he retorted, his voice filled with irritation.

I sank into my seat and waited before speaking.

"Why do you act like you’re bothered when you’ve moved on? And the fact that you had Lara in your home..."

I had promised myself I wouldn’t bring up our relationship unless he commented first, but he was making it impossible to stay quiet.

"You think I’m bothered?" he chuckled, and I clenched my jaw.

This was exactly what I had expected. Even when he was irritated, he had a way of twisting it so I looked like the one overreacting.

"Where are we heading?" I asked again, changing the subject.

"There’s a cave in the mountains," he began. "Outside the northern border, where herbs are in abundance. I researched, and some of them have healing properties. So I was thinking--" He paused, and I scrunched my eyebrows.

"For Colin?" I asked and he nodded.

"Of course. I can’t heal your mental obsession with a man like Luca," he muttered under his breath, and my jaw clenched even tighter, practically popping.

I decided to focus on Colin instead.

Somehow, this was why I trusted Kash with his son’s condition.

He was proactive, searching for alternatives, not sitting idly like I was forced to by my mother.

Her entire focus was on the water, that was all she wanted, as if nothing else could help.

"Oh, you think it will work?" I asked.

"Well, it’s just a guess. It’s what they say in different forums. We’re not even very certain about the water yet. And while we plan a trip for the waters, I just can’t stay sitting while my son is suffering."

He made me look out the window, and I felt a twinge of embarrassment.

What they say about fathers is true, having a father is a blessing, and having one like Kash is truly something special.

Sadly, I couldn’t say the same about myself, but maybe my brother was lucky.

He had parents who cared so much that they were even ready to punish their daughter for the sake of their son.

It was almost as if they thought, if their son wasn’t in a better state, why should their daughter be?

"And I assume it’s a long journey because you made me pack my bag?" I asked, and he nodded.

I felt a twinge of unease and instinctively gestured for him to stop the car. He complained immediately.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

As he noticed me anxiously shifting in my seat, he began to question me.

"Kash, we can’t leave like this," I replied nervously and unable to explain why.

But knowing Kash, I was certain he wouldn’t stop until he got every detail out of me.

Sometimes, his persistence annoyed me, but other times, it helped him understand my reasons.

In the past, whenever I came home bruised, he would bombard me with questions, and somehow, I always managed to dodge them.

This time, though, I wasn’t so sure I could.

"The children—they’re alone at home," I tried to explain, but I sounded insincere because he knew that wasn’t true.

"They aren’t alone. Their grandmothers are with them, and they have a nanny." As he started to reason with me, I shook my head, and he fell silent.

"Is Luca a good father figure to them? Do they even like him?" His mind went straight to Luca.

Although I could have thrown Luca under the bus, it would have been a lie, and I refused to use my children that way.

"He mistreats them, doesn’t he?" Kash asked, his voice stern as I tried to shake my head.

Part of me wanted to stay silent so he would believe me, but that wouldn’t be fair.

With Luca, the only issue I had was his forced involvement in my life.

Before I could respond, Kash continued.

"You don’t like him like that, do you? Is your mother pressuring you? Or did you say yes to dating him out of anger toward me and now you regret it?"

As he spoke, I realized he was hoping that was the case, that he was jealous of Luca.

"No," I said, and he clenched his fist so hard I heard his knuckles crack.

"What does that mean? So you really, really want to date him?" he demanded.

I rolled my eyes, tired of the interrogation.

"Tell me," he pressed on, "is he one of those clingy guys who doesn’t get hints or respect you when you’re trying to break up with him?"

His words left my mouth hanging open for a moment, stunned by his assumptions.

"No, it’s not that." I clenched my jaw. "It’s my mother. Her parenting is a bit strict, and my kids always complain about it." That was all I could bring myself to say.

I was already preparing my mind for more excuses when he suddenly stopped the car.

"What’s going on between you and your mother?" he asked, unbuckling his seat belt and shifting in his seat, almost as if he wanted me to turn and meet his eyes.

He wanted honesty, I knew that much. I kept my face turned away, pretending not to hear him.