Chapter 332: Bitter truth [3]
Iris stepped out of the room, but she did not have a moment alone since Reece followed her into the corridor.
"You should go back inside to have your time with him, Reece. Do not spoil your talk with him simply because I refuse to speak. I do not want you, years later, to blame me for missing your chance," Iris said, avoiding Reece’s eyes.
"I am not going to force you to speak to him. I did say you should take this as you feel. I only wanted to be certain you would be well outside, since it is a prison," Reece replied, his eyes scanning the corridors. "It is not safe."
"I am not going to wander off and find myself in a cell. The guard is still near, so I shall remain here. Do what you must," Iris said, urging him to return. "Do not worry about me and have your talk with him."
"I am sorry that-"
"Don’t," Iris cut him off. "Stop apologising on behalf of others. I hate it very much. Always remember that you are my brother, not my father. You should not apologise for what he does."
"I know. I just hate that this is not going well for you. I had high hopes we would all have a proper talk, sit together, and enjoy our time as before, like the old days, but without our mother. I will try to convince him to speak to you," Reece promised.
"If you do so, I shall be forever angry with you. I want him to want to speak to me of his own accord, not from being forced. He has somewhat admitted to what he did, so I will not push it, but he is not in a place to speak to me," Iris said, tempted to look back, but she didn’t.
She nudged Reece gently, urging him back. "You must go. I want a moment alone, so please leave me."
Reluctantly, Reece returned inside, leaving the door ajar so he could still watch her.
He sat down by the bed. "Father, you should not send her off like this. Mother turned away from Iris because she refused to marry the man chosen for her. All she had left to turn to was you."
Clive stared at the ceiling. "Iris should not forgive me. I am fortunate to have raised a daughter who knows right from wrong. It stung me that she went behind my back to help Eloise, but that is the daughter I raised."
"Why can’t you say this to Iris?" Reece asked, puzzled by his father’s silence towards her. "You should tell her, so the two of you will not remain at odds. It might not feel that way, but you are dying. Each time you move, there is blood, and they sent for us."
"I do not want to spend my days thinking I shall die here within these walls. I wanted to make it home at the very least. I have made bad decisions that cannot be forgiven, not by you nor by Iris. I can only think to push her away so she does not change her morals," Clive explained, his voice heavy with regret.
"Father, that is the most nonsense I have heard all day. Iris is upset with you and wanted to hear that you were regretful. Aside from that, she still cared for you, as do I," Reece said.
He continued, "Trust me, she will never forgive you for what you did, but she will continue to love you. Do not let her live with the feeling of never having one last talk with you. One without argument."
Reece didn’t want Iris to live with that awful feeling of missing a proper goodbye.
Clive’s gaze drifted to the doorway where Iris lingered in silence.
"I leave you with this thought: Eloise has taken in Iris and provided her with all she needs. Shelter, money, and dresses. The very person you betrayed has taken in your daughter. That is what fuels her anger," Reece explained.
Clive was not surprised. Eloise’s bond with Iris was unbreakable, so his plan had been doomed from the start.
"Bring her back to me. If I could stand, I would go to her, but it hurts. I know Damien had a hand in this, but I have no proof, and the men here will not listen. I know Eloise will keep Iris safe, but will Damien be safe?" Clive asked, worried.
"He treats everyone good to Eloise with care. I do not see why he would ever hurt Iris when Eloise cares for her. Their only target is you. There is news I want to share with you, so I will bring back Iris," Reece said, rising from the bed.
Clive lay still, fearing that Iris would not return. He closed his eyes, listening to the faint exchange between his children.
"Iris," Clive said, opening his eyes again. He looked directly at her. "I was wrong for how I spoke to you and for not admitting to what I did. Can you come to me, dear child? I do not deserve it, but can you grace me with your presence?"
Iris hesitated, but she felt a pull to step forward.
Reece guided her back inside and sat beside her on the bed.
Clive reached for Iris’s hand, though she tried to pull away. "I have not been good to you of late. I placed you in a position where you had to choose, and I am certain I sullied your name with this. I hate knowing you are without your mother."
Iris remained silent.
"I truly have no proper excuses for what I did. I was consumed by greed, and it led me down a dark path. I did this to you. To all of us," Clive admitted, and he knew what needed to be done. "I should not have done it, but I was searching for an easy way out of debt."
"There is not a day that passes when I do not hear his voice or see his face in my mind. I stubbornly tried to ignore it, convincing myself I was right, but you are right. I am sorry for being such a sorry excuse of a father," Clive said, his eyes clouded by tears.
Iris squeezed his hand, her eyes glistening. "It is a start that you can admit to what you did. I truly want to be present for you in this moment, Father. Let us sit like the good old days and talk. Just the three of us."