Chapter 42
[ 1,505 words ]
Sophia rubbed her back slowly, her movements rhythmic and soothing. She looked utterly devastated, her own disappointment in Vanessa palpable.
“I cannot believe that Vanessa… that she could do this to you, huni. My sweet girl. I am so, so incredibly sorry that you had to see that, on your own anniversary, darling. It must have been… utterly heartbreaking.”
“It was, Mom. It truly was.” Iris’s voice was muffled against her mother’s shoulder. “No words, honestly, could describe how I felt that night. The agony of their betrayal, both of them. So, to escape from it all, Zoey… Zoey dragged me to a club. She thought I needed to get out of the apartment before I completely lost my mind.”
Sophia gave her a knowing look, a slight lift of her eyebrows. “And did it help?”
“Eventually.” Iris hesitated, a different kind of flush now rising in her cheeks. Her gaze flickered to her mother, then away. “Because I met someone.”
Sophia’s eyes immediately brightened, a spark of curiosity replacing the earlier sadness. A small smile played on her lips. “Someone?”
“Mom…” Iris groaned, a mix of embarrassment and resignation in her tone.
“What? You cannot tell me that you spent three years dating Jason, caught him cheating on your anniversary, went to a club afterward, and then met another man without expecting me to be interested.” Sophia’s voice held a playful admonition, but her eyes twinkled with genuine amusement.
Iris laughed, a shaky, self-conscious sound. “Well, yeah I met someone there and he was just… different.”
“Different how?” Sophia prompted, leaning in slightly, her curiosity piqued.
“I don’t know.” Iris shook her head, a faint smile touching her lips at the memory. “I saw him across the club and couldn’t stop looking at him. There was something about him that made me feel like I should already know him.” Her gaze became distant, lost in the recollection.
Sophia smiled, a knowing glint in her eyes. “Was he handsome?”
Iris looked at her, a quick, almost shy glance. “Very.”
“How handsome?” Sophia pressed, her smile widening.
“Mom.” Iris groaned again, a gentle reprimand.
“I’m asking a perfectly reasonable question,” Sophia insisted, a mock-serious expression on her face.
“He was ridiculously handsome.” Iris admitted, a faint blush returning.
Sophia laughed, a warm, rich sound. “Well, now I understand.”
“Understand what?”
“Why you couldn’t look away.” Sophia winked playfully. “What was his name?”
Iris rolled her eyes, but a genuine smile played on her lips. “He introduced himself as Alexander.”
“Alexander what?” Sophia asked, her eyebrows raised in expectation.
“I don’t know.” Iris said, her voice a little smaller.
Sophia stared at her, her smile slowly fading, replaced by a look of bewildered amusement. “You don’t know his last name?”
“No.” Iris admitted, a deep blush coloring her cheeks again.
“Huni, after having a horrible experience of catching your cheating boyfriend with your best friend and then meeting some ridiculous handsome dude in a night club, you were obviously interested in…. you didn’t bother asking his last name?” Sophia’s voice rose slightly in pitch, a mixture of disbelief and motherly concern.
Iris’s cheeks warmed even more, a deep crimson now. She picked at her blanket, avoiding her mother’s gaze. “Mom I wasn’t exactly thinking about having anything serious with the guy. I mean….I just got my heart broken, so it would have been weird if I hitched another guy immediately right?”
Sophia laughed, a genuine, hearty laugh this time, throwing her head back slightly. “Fair enough.” Her eyes, however, still held a hint of inquisitive concern.
Iris smiled despite herself, the tension in the air easing slightly.
“And then? What happened with him?” Sophia prompted, her gaze returning to Iris’s face, serious now.
Iris looked down at her hands, twisting them together in her lap. Her breath hitched slightly. “Then I slept with him.” The words were barely a whisper, almost lost in the quiet room.
Silence filled the room, thick and heavy. Sophia blinked once. Then twice. Her mouth, which had been curved in a smile, now hung slightly open, unmoving. “You…what?”
Iris swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. She kept her gaze fixed on her hands, unable to meet her mother’s eyes. “Yes mom…. exactly what you heard.”
“You slept with him?” Sophia’s voice was low, incredulous.
“Yes, Mom.” Iris confirmed, her voice a little firmer this time, as if speaking it aloud solidified the truth.
Sophia stared at her daughter, her mind clearly working overtime, trying to process the revelation. Her eyes darted from Iris’s face to the wall, then back again, as if searching for an explanation. “Like… you actually slept with him?” She asked, her tone still laced with disbelief.
“Yes. And if I remember correctly, you didn’t want me to be a virgin anymore. And I wanted to get back at Jason for cheating on me.” Iris reiterated, her voice now steady, a touch of defiance in it.
Sophia slowly leaned back against the headboard, a long, drawn-out sigh escaping her lips. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, then opened them, a wry smile touching her lips. “I need a moment to process all these.”
Iris laughed nervously, a high-pitched, strained sound. “I knew you would react like this.”
“Huni, yes I wanted you to spend your first time with Jason because you loved him, and I thought he loved you too. And I just spent three years thinking that you were going to marry him someday. That’s why I was unboard with the idea.
And now you’re sitting in front of me telling me that you went to a club after catching him cheating and ended up spending the night with a complete stranger, loosing your chastity to him.” Sophia shook her head, a bewildered chuckle escaping her.
“When you put it that way, it sounds terrible.” Iris mumbled, shrinking slightly.
“It sounds like something that happens in one of those dramatic movies you pretend you don’t watch with me.” Sophia’s eyes twinkled with a renewed light, a hint of playful teasing entering her voice.
Iris covered her face with her hands, groaning. “Mom.”
Sophia laughed, a full, warm sound. “I’m not judging you.”
“Are you sure? Cos you look like you’re judging me.” Iris’s voice was muffled from behind her hands.
“I’m surprised that’s all. There’s a difference.” Sophia clarified, a soft smile still on her face.
Iris lowered her hands, her expression serious again. “I did it partly because of Jason.”
Sophia’s smile faded, replaced by a look of concern. “What do you mean?”
“Jason told me that one of the reasons he cheated was because I wouldn’t sleep with him.” Iris’s voice was tight, a flicker of old hurt in her eyes.
Sophia’s expression hardened, her jaw clenching. “He said that to you?” Her voice was dangerously quiet.
“Yes.”
“And you believed that was your fault?” Sophia asked, her eyes narrowing.
“No.” Iris shook her head emphatically. “But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn’t somehow the problem.” She paused, her gaze drifting to the window. “So when I met Alexander, I thought… maybe I could just forget Jason. Maybe I could prove that I could move on.”
Sophia studied her daughter carefully, her gaze searching. “And did you? Have you moved on?”
Iris didn’t answer immediately. Instead, her fingers drifted unconsciously toward her neck, her thumb brushing lightly over the spot where the wolf mark lay hidden beneath the collar of her shirt.
A brief, almost imperceptible flinch. Sophia noticed the movement, her eyes following Iris’s hand, but said nothing, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Iris finally looked up, meeting her mother’s gaze, her expression unreadable. “I don’t know.”
“Well…..do you regret it?” Sophia’s voice was gentle, probing.
Iris thought about the question, truly considered it. A small, almost imperceptible shake of her head. “No.” The answer came more easily than she expected, a surprising certainty in her tone. “I don’t regret it.”
Sophia nodded slowly, a soft, understanding look in her eyes. “There you have it then. Since you didn’t regret it, then it answers the question.”
Iris looked at her in surprise, a faint wrinkle appearing between her brows.
“Was he gentle with you? First time’s always hurt. And I would be sad, if it wasn’t spent with a man that knew how to cherish a woman.” Sophia squeezed her hand, feeling concerned.
“He was mom.” Iris admitted, a smile adorning her face. “I don’t have any experience to compare to the time I spent with him, but I felt safe, protected and….wanted with him.”
“Then am happy for you darling. Am happy that he treated you right. But I will tell you something.” Sophia continued, her voice gaining a touch of quiet wisdom.
“What?”
“Don’t let what Jason did make you believe that every man you meet is going to hurt you.” Sophia’s words were firm, a mother’s protective warning.
Iris lowered her gaze, a small, weary nod. “I know mom.”
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