The thought left her hollow and aching in ways she hadn’t known were possible. She’d lost family before—her brother, her parents, and everyone who’d ever truly mattered to her. But this felt different. This felt like losing herself.
Because somewhere in the months of caring for Evie, she’d stopped being the abandoned wife waiting for scraps of affection. She’d become a mother, a partner, and someone who mattered. Iris had felt like someone whose presence made a difference in the world.
Without Evie, without the purpose she’d provided, what was left? A marriage built on convenience and maintained through careful distance. A husband who would give her children but not his heart. A life that looked perfect from the outside while feeling empty within.
“I love you,” she whispered to the baby in her arms. “Whatever happens, remember that someone once loved you completely. Someone thought you were worth everything.”
CHAPTER 30
“You look like hell.”
Owen glanced up from his whiskey to find Felix standing beside his table.
The club was nearly empty at this time, since most members had departed for their evening meals with their families.
“Thank you for that astute observation.” Owen’s voice came out rougher than he had intended. The whiskey had done its work on his throat if not his memory.
“What happened?” Felix settled into the opposite chair without invitation. His eyes catalogued the empty glass and Owen’s disheveled appearance. “You were the picture of domestic contentment. Tonight, you’re drinking alone like a man who’s lost everything.”
“Perhaps I have.”
“Stop being cryptic. Grace mentioned Iris sent a note asking her to visit tomorrow. Something about needing a friend’s counsel.” Felix leaned forward. “What’s driven you from your home, Owen?”
Owen considered another drink but found his hand trembling too badly to pour steadily.
The irony wasn’t lost on him. The very control he’d spent years cultivating had abandoned him when he needed it most.
“Evie’s leaving us.”
“What do you mean, leaving?”
“A solicitor arrived this morning. Apparently, she has French relatives with legal documents and blood claims. They want her back.” Owen’s laughter held no humor. “We were simply temporary guardians until proper arrangements could be made.”
Felix went still. “And you’re letting them take her?”
“I’m doing what’s legally required.”
“Legally required,” Felix scoffed. “Is that what you told Iris? That duty trumps love?”
Owen thought of Iris’s face when he’d spoken of faking Evie’s death. Her eyes had filled with tears when he’d reduced their months of happiness to temporary necessity.
“I told her the truth. That we have no legal right to keep a child who belongs elsewhere.”
“And what did she say to that?”
“That she loved Evie because I was there, too. That caring for her together made us a real family.” Owen’s voice cracked slightly. “She’s wrong, of course. We were playing house, nothing more.”
“Were you?” Felix’s voice was dangerously quiet. “Because you three looked like the most real family I’ve ever seen. More real than half the blood relations in London.”
“Appearances can be deceiving.”
“Can they? Or are you deceiving yourself because admitting the truth is too frightening?”
Owen reached for his glass again. He was grateful when his hand didn’t tremble much this time. The whiskey burned going down, but it was nothing compared to the fire in his chest whenever he thought of Evie’s trusting smile.
“You don’t understand the complexities involved.”
“I understand that you’re sitting here, drinking yourself senseless instead of fighting for your daughter.”
