The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

Chapter 263: Tearful reunion [2]

Iris took a moment to let all that Eloise shared settle in her mind. She thought she was only visiting to let Eloise know that she was well, but there was far more news than she expected.

"I didn’t know about any of this at all because I was hiding away," Iris said, pressing her right hand to her forehead. "She would be mad to destroy our childhood home. Do you think my running away pushed her to do it? I just didn’t want to marry the man she selected."

"It wouldn’t be fair to place the blame on you," Eloise replied gently, her heart aching for her cousin. "I think she burned the home to escape what her life had become. I don’t believe the house has burned to the ground, so it can be repaired, but I imagine she thought it would."

"We don’t know for certain if your mother was the one, or if it was one of the men to whom your father owed a debt. I don’t want to accuse her without knowing, because she is still your mother," Eloise added, careful with her words.

"If it wasn’t one of those men, then I believe it was my mother. Perhaps she feared losing the home and didn’t want anyone else to have it. I’ve been saving money from my work to pay off the debts. What should I do now?" Iris asked, her voice trembling with uncertainty.

"Even if she burned the home, it won’t erase the debts. It would have been wiser to sell the house and use that money to settle them. Reece brought money with him to help, but as Damien told him, he shouldn’t use it," Eloise said, sharing the same caution for Iris.

"I don’t know exactly how much is owed, but I would hate to see you work yourself into exhaustion to pay off a debt that isn’t yours. This is for your parents to settle. You cannot spend your life repaying it," Eloise insisted, not wanting Iris to burden herself.

"But when those men can’t find my mother, they’ll come to me. Right now, I have food and shelter, so I don’t need the money. I can pay what I can. I must thank them for all the years they cared for me. I have to do something," Iris said, her voice breaking with guilt.

"I understand that, being their daughter, you want to help. But don’t let yourself be trapped into making a deal with those men to repay it all. Debts like these never end. You should come and live here," Eloise offered, her hand reaching out for Iris’s to comfort her.

"But your husband," Iris whispered, pulling her hand away.

"Damien will understand the predicament you’re in. I cannot allow you to wear yourself down when I have the means to help. I even planned to offer my father’s home to you, so you have somewhere to be free. It wasn’t much, but he even left money to you," Eloise shared, finally able to share the good news.

"He did? He thought of me," Iris whispered, her eyes glistening. It hurt Iris to know that her uncle had been so thoughtful, but her father then turned around to steal from him.

"He did, and I shall follow his lead. That home will be transferred into your name so you have a place of your own. You don’t have to run anymore, and you can shape the home to your liking. Until it is settled, I want you to stay here," Eloise urged again.

"I..." Iris started, but didn’t have the answer. She was uncertain.

"Iris, I care for you. If you were in my position, I know you would do the same for me. Please, allow me to help. I will make sure you are comfortable. It doesn’t feel right for me to live so easily while you wander about the town," Eloise said, her plea heartfelt.

"But my family tried to take all you had. My father killed your father-"

"It wasn’t you who hurt me," Eloise interrupted firmly, stopping Iris before she could drown herself in guilt. "You didn’t harm me, so you mustn’t feel punished or undeserving of help. We have always been close. Nothing changes that now."

Iris lowered her head, hiding her tears. "I didn’t want to trouble you. You should live without worrying about the rest of us."

"I cannot do that, Iris. I will always care for you and Reece because you’ve always been good to me. I will always love you and want to help. Please don’t push me away when I truly want to support you," Eloise pleaded.

Eloise glanced around for a cloth to wipe Iris’s tears, but finding none, she brushed them away with her fingers. "I understand you not wanting to stay too long, so why don’t you remain until my father’s home is ready? It will need furniture, and we have some here in storage."

Iris startled Eloise by suddenly embracing her. "Thank you. Truly."

Eloise returned the hug. "You are most welcome."

"I don’t want to be another mouth for your husband to feed, so I’ll keep my work with Zayne. It isn’t hard, and someone must look after him. You couldn’t imagine how dark he likes to keep his home," Iris said, pulling back slightly.

"It was only yesterday that he rid the darkness so I could see better," Iris added.

"He did it for you?" Eloise asked, suspicion flickering in her mind.

"Yes. He’s been trying to convince me we are family, since he is close to Damien, and I am your cousin. I’ve warned him not to speak of it to anyone else," Iris said, wiping her eyes.

"It seems Zayne has been taking good care of you. I’ll have to thank him when he returns. Wait—where did he go?" Eloise asked, only now realising his absence.

"He said he had business with your husband."

"Damien is unwell, so I didn’t want anyone disturbing him. I should warn Zayne. Would you like to join me? I can give you a tour," Eloise said, rising and offering her hand.

"I would love a tour," Iris replied, standing with Eloise’s help. "Do you know where Reece is? I want to speak to him. Why didn’t he write to tell us sooner that he was married all this time? It’s unfortunate we missed the wedding."

"I think he feared letting your mother know, and there is more to his story. We must find him soon so he can tell you everything," Eloise said.

"Don’t tell me my brother went and made a baby," Iris joked lightly.

Eloise nodded.

"What?" Iris exclaimed.