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1481 Words
IRIS
All the color drained from my face as I gawked at the diamond earrings on Leah’s ears, and I was instantly thrown back to the moment of my accident.
It became increasingly hard to breathe as my chest tightened. And my breath quickened as the realization that Leah had tried to kill me struck me like a punch to the gut.
Lucian’s phone slipped from my gasp as my chest began to heave rapidly. The room around me became a blur as I felt myself slipping into a panic attack.
“s**t, Iris,” Lucian cursed in alarm and he was by my side in a second. His arm wrapped around me as he pulled me into his chest.
“I need you to take a deep breath for me. Come on, slowly,” he encouraged as he rubbed slow circles on my back. “1…2…3,”
I found myself following his lead, as I took slow, deep breaths in rhythm with his words. The tight feeling in my chest began to ease and the haziness in my vision dissipated.
This particular moment brought back nostalgic memories of when we were still in high school. I had just lost my mom to a drug overdose, and I slipped into a similar panic attack at the hospital.
Lucian had been there to comfort and help me. He stayed by my side until I got a hold of myself. And after that day, I rarely got any panic attacks.
He had been so good to me when we dated, but everything changed when he suddenly disappeared without a word. Only to return years later when I had moved on and married Zander.
Like a bucket of ice water was poured over me, I snapped back to the present and instinctively pulled away from Lucian’s embrace, putting as much distance between us as I could.
A glint of an emotion flickered in his eyes, but I didn’t dwell on it as my sadness and panic quickly morphed into anger.
Leah tried to kill me. She killed my baby, and I had to confront her.
But first I had to meet Lucian at the courthouse. If a divorce was what he wanted, then a divorce he would get.
With that thought in mind, I shot up from the couch and made my way towards the door, not bothering to spare Lucian a glance or change out of my hospital clothes.
Iris, wait,” Lucian called after me, but I ignored him. Just as I reached the door and opened it, his hand shot out to shut it back, and he came to stand in front of it, blocking my path.
“Where are you going?” His brow arched as his eyes darted all over my body. “You’re not strong enough to leave the hospital yet.”
My gaze was cold as I locked eyes with him. “It’s none of your business, Lucian,” I spat. “Move out of the way.”
Lucian crossed his arms over his chest, his biceps straining against the fabric of his shirt as he did so. He made no attempt to move as he gave me a deadpan stare.
“You’re not in the right state of mind to go out, Iris,” he reasoned, his voice calm as though he were talking to a child.
The last shred of patience in me snapped and I lunged at him, shoving him in the chest with all my might. But my strength was no match for him as he barely stumbled from my shove.
“Get the hell out of the way, Lucian!” I screamed as I pounded my fist against his chest in frustration. “Someone tried to kill me, and I just lost my baby! Give me a break and leave me alone!”
His hand gently closed around my wrist, stopping me from hitting his chest, then his expression softened as he noticed the tears streaming down my face.
“Fine,” he released my wrists, letting my hands fall limply to my sides. “But, I’ll only let you go if I get to drive you. You can’t go anywhere alone in this condition.”
My shoulders slumped as I reluctantly nodded in agreement. Frankly, I was too tired to argue.
“Good girl. So where are we going?” he asked as he finally stepped out of my way.
“Courthouse,” I muttered as I brushed past him, opened the door and headed out of the room.
***
A few minutes later, Lucian pulled up at the courthouse, and I turned towards him with a pleading gaze. “I need to do this alone, so please, just stay here.”
Without waiting for his reply, I opened the car door and stepped out. Staring straight ahead, I made my way into the courthouse, ignoring the curious and bewildered stares I got from people as I passed.
I probably looked like I just stepped right out of a train wreck with my bandaged head, tattered hair and oversized hospital gown, but my appearance was the least of my concerns right now.
As soon as I entered the courthouse, my eyes landed on Lucian, and they flashed with rage as I saw the blonde lady sitting next to him.
Leah.
My blood boiled in my veins at the sight of the woman who killed my child. My fists tightened so hard that my fingers drew blood from my palm, but I hardly registered the pain as I stormed toward her.
They barely had the time to notice my presence as I lunged at Leah, every shred of control I had flying out the window.
“You murderer!” I growled as I grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her up from her seat. “You killed my child!”
A loud scream tore from Leah’s throat, and her eyes widened in terror as they met mine.
“What are you talking about?” She winced, trying to free her hair from my hold, but I only tightened my grip. “Zanny help me! This crazy woman is trying to kill me!
Zander shot up to his feet instantly, and his eyes widened for a split second as he took in my disheveled appearance before he stepped forward and grabbed my hand, prying it away from Leah’s hair.
“Stop this nonsense, Iris!” he barked as he harshly dropped my hands to my sides. “How dare you accuse Leah and cause such a scene here?”
Leah whimpered as she clutched her hair that now resembled a bird’s nest with one hand and Zander’s arm with the other.
“You’re a mad woman,” she glared at me. “No wonder Zander wants to divorce you!”
My eyes narrowed as I looked in between her and Zander, and the moment I saw the smug smirk on her lips I had the sudden urge to claw it off her face.
“You she-devil! Stop acting like you don’t know what I’m talking about,” I snapped and made a move to lunge at her again, but Zander stepped in front of her in a protective stance.
His eyes were like molten lava as they locked onto me. “What the hell has gotten into you, Iris? And why do you look like this? Were you run over by a bus or something?”
“I was run over by her!” I shot a finger at Leah, my whole body trembling with fury.
“She tried to kill me with her car yesterday! I’ve been in the hospital ever since, but I guess you were too busy to notice.”
Leah gasped and she let out a fake sob behind Zander. “I don’t know what she’s talking about, Zander,” she sniffled. “She’s lying.”
Zander’s jaw clenched in annoyance as his gaze never left mine. “You must have hit your head hard, because your accusations don’t make sense. Why would Leah try to kill you?”
“Because of you!” I retorted, my voice trembling as I tried to fight back tears. “She wanted you all to herself, and she killed our child in the process!”
Zander froze, and his frown deepened. “What child are you talking about?”
My jaw dropped as it began to dawn on me that Zander had not listened to the voice message I sent yesterday.
“Our child, Zander,” I whispered, my voice cracking with despair. “I found out I was pregnant yesterday.”
Zander’s expression hardened at my words. “That’s impossible.”
My brows pinched together. “W-Why would you say that?”
His jaw clenched and his gaze turned cold. “Because, I can’t father a child, Iris.”
- Writer
