Chapter 5
Before I could even process his words, chaos erupted at the doorway.
Victor stood there, face purple with rage. Behind him—Serena, Margot, three household staff, all gaping at the shattered window and me in Ezra's arms.
"Verna—I mean, Iris!" Victor caught himself, jabbing a finger at me. "What the hell have you done to my study?! Do you know how much that window cost?!"
Serena rushed in, gasping at the broken glass, then whirled on me with manufactured horror.
"Oh my God, Iris—were you trying to hurt yourself?! I knew we shouldn't have left her alone!" She turned to Ezra with glistening eyes. "I'm so sorry—I should've warned you. Iris has... episodes."
"Episodes." Ezra's voice dropped to a register that made the room temperature plummet.
He released my shoulders slowly, turning to face the family with the controlled fury of a man about to detonate.
"Let me make something very clear," he said. "I don't care what arrangement you had before. I don't care what whispers happen in hallways. From this moment forward—"
His gaze swept across Victor, Margot, and Serena like a scythe.
"Iris is my wife. Not my placeholder. Not a bargaining chip you can lock in rooms. Mine."
Victor sputtered. "Ezra, be reasonable—we're practically family now! Serena was only trying to—"
"Your daughter," Ezra cut in, "whichever one you consider that to be—will not speak for my wife again. Will not touch my wife again. Will not make decisions on my wife's behalf."
Serena's smile finally shattered.
"Kinney—Ezra," she corrected quickly, tears threatening, "you can't mean that. After everything we—"
"There is no 'we,'" he said flatly. "There never was."
He turned to me. Held out his hand.
"We're leaving."
I stared at his hand—steady, open, waiting.
My mind buzzed: "Did he just... choose me? Publicly? In front of all of them?"
I placed my hand in his. His fingers closed around mine—firm, warm, certain.
As we passed through the doorway, I heard Margot hiss at Victor: "Do something!"
And Serena—voice cracking: "This isn't over, Iris."
But Ezra didn't stop. Didn't look back.
And for the first time in twenty-four years, neither did I.
---
Victor stood there, face purple with rage. Behind him—Serena, Margot, three household staff, all gaping at the shattered window and me in Ezra's arms.
"Verna—I mean, Iris!" Victor caught himself, jabbing a finger at me. "What the hell have you done to my study?! Do you know how much that window cost?!"
Serena rushed in, gasping at the broken glass, then whirled on me with manufactured horror.
"Oh my God, Iris—were you trying to hurt yourself?! I knew we shouldn't have left her alone!" She turned to Ezra with glistening eyes. "I'm so sorry—I should've warned you. Iris has... episodes."
"Episodes." Ezra's voice dropped to a register that made the room temperature plummet.
He released my shoulders slowly, turning to face the family with the controlled fury of a man about to detonate.
"Let me make something very clear," he said. "I don't care what arrangement you had before. I don't care what whispers happen in hallways. From this moment forward—"
His gaze swept across Victor, Margot, and Serena like a scythe.
"Iris is my wife. Not my placeholder. Not a bargaining chip you can lock in rooms. Mine."
Victor sputtered. "Ezra, be reasonable—we're practically family now! Serena was only trying to—"
"Your daughter," Ezra cut in, "whichever one you consider that to be—will not speak for my wife again. Will not touch my wife again. Will not make decisions on my wife's behalf."
Serena's smile finally shattered.
"Kinney—Ezra," she corrected quickly, tears threatening, "you can't mean that. After everything we—"
"There is no 'we,'" he said flatly. "There never was."
He turned to me. Held out his hand.
"We're leaving."
I stared at his hand—steady, open, waiting.
My mind buzzed: "Did he just... choose me? Publicly? In front of all of them?"
I placed my hand in his. His fingers closed around mine—firm, warm, certain.
As we passed through the doorway, I heard Margot hiss at Victor: "Do something!"
And Serena—voice cracking: "This isn't over, Iris."
But Ezra didn't stop. Didn't look back.
And for the first time in twenty-four years, neither did I.
---