The Unfinished Vow

Chapter 4

Iris felt like the universe was messing with her. Every time she convinced herself that this Lucas could not possibly be her Lucas, something new would surface to make her doubt all over again.

Her thoughts were a tangled mess. She could not grab hold of a single clear thread.

"What are you doing here?"

The genuine surprise in Lucas' voice snapped her back. It dawned on her then. 'He has been waiting for another woman.'

Iris could not name what she felt at that moment. She lowered her gaze and explained. "Someone called me and said Warren was drunk. They told me to come to Room 3602 to pick him up."

"He already left."

Lucas turned and walked toward the large bed. Iris meant to leave too, but something stopped her cold. The mole on his left shoulder blade.

Her Lucas had a mole in the exact same spot.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

Iris had no memory of how she got home. She sat on the sofa in the rental, unable to stop herself from comparing this Lucas to her boyfriend Lucas, over and over. The thought crept in and refused to leave. 'If a man could rise to the top of a cutthroat business world filled with schemes and knives in the dark, how hard would it really be for him to disguise himself as someone else? This Lucas has to be my Lucas. He has to be. But if he is the same man, why did he leave her five years ago? And why, after we crossed paths again, would he still refuse to acknowledge me?'

She could not make sense of it, no matter how hard she tried.

Her phone rang. She picked it up and saw Warren's name on the screen. When she answered, his voice was rough with alcohol. "Sorry, Iris. Lucas saw I was pretty far gone, so he had someone drive me home early. I just found out you went to pick me up. You went all the way there for nothing."

Iris went still. "Lucas had someone take you home?"

"Yeah. Why?"

'Nothing. Except that if Lucas arranged it, he would have known I was going to show up at that room. So why did he wait there? And why did he act so surprised, as if he had no idea I was coming, as if he kissed the wrong person by mistake?'

She could not figure it out. But she wanted an answer.

The only link between Iris and the present-day Lucas was Warren.

She tightened her grip on the phone. Silently, in her heart, she apologized to Warren. Then she spoke. "Warren, I resigned. I bought a ticket out of New York for early tomorrow morning. But I had just taken on the Sterling Holdings matter a few days ago, and now I am leaving so abruptly. Can you apologize to Lucas on my behalf? I just hope he does not hold it against the firm because of me."

Warren did not respond for a long moment. She had no idea what was going through his head. She was about to speak again when he finally said, "So you're not planning to come back."

"No."

After she answered, he fell silent again for a long while. Then he said, "I understand. I'll pass along your apology to Lucas."

Hearing him agree, Iris let out a breath. The guilt only pressed harder against her chest. "Thank you. You have helped me so much all these years in New York. I don't even know how to repay you."

Warren sighed. "What is all this talk about repaying anyone? Just take care of yourself from now on. That will be repayment enough. Get some rest. I have other things to handle, so I won't be able to see you off."

The call ended.

Iris looked down at her phone as the screen returned to the home page and then lifted her gaze to the window. Heavy snow was falling again, thick and silent. In the five years since Lucas had been gone, this was the first winter that did not feel quite so unbearable.

She did not sleep that night.

She dragged a chair over to the door and sat there, waiting for the answer she wanted. She was gambling. If this Lucas was her Lucas, then the moment he learned she was leaving New York, he would come to this house. She was sure of it.

At last, when the sun had climbed to its highest point, she got her answer.

She watched the lock turn, and her heart rose slowly with it.

Then the door opened.

The man who walked in wore a fine bespoke coat that was utterly out of place in this humble space. In his hand was a single key on a ring, and hanging from that ring was a small, yellowed rabbit.

It was the matching keychain she and Lucas had shared. Hers was a little bear.

Iris stared at it, her eyes locked on that small, worn charm. Slowly, her gaze traveled upward until it met the man's face, a face that was clearly in shock.

"Mr. Sterling. Glad to see you here."