Every word Catherine spoke was the truth. If Lucas were nothing more than an ordinary lawyer, the daily grind of making ends meet might very well have torn him and Iris apart. But that was only a hypothetical. The reality was that he had abandoned Iris. He had left her in a way that was unspeakably cruel. He wanted to make it right. He regretted the choice he had made back then.
Lucas was silent for a long moment. Catherine assumed her words had finally sunk in. Her tone softened a fraction. "Come home once you have come to your senses. Mina has waited long enough. Fulfill this marriage, and I can finally set this matter aside."
What she did not expect was for Lucas to rise from the hospital bed and ask, "If I leave the Sterling family, can I be with Iris?"
Catherine's expression turned
