Chapter 19(Iris P.O.V)

“Do you have to go to work?” I whined as Zayn dressed sharply, the morning sunlight catching the edge of his tailored suit.

“I’m sorry, babe. I have a meeting by eight,” he replied, his voice calm, confident.

“Fine,” I muttered, crossing my arms, though I knew it was just for show.

“Don’t be mad at me, come on,” he said, pulling me into a gentle hug.

“You have to make it up to me,” I added, smirking.

“I would, babe,” he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead.

I waved as he left. “Bye.”

“Bye,” he called back, his driver pulling the car away.

Once the house fell silent, I waited a while before retrieving my second phone from its hidden spot. My fingers trembled slightly as I dialed my father’s number.

“Dad, it’s Iris,” I said as soon as he picked up.

“How about what I asked you to do?” he asked, voice clipped but tense.

“You were right about everything, Dad,” I began, my voice steady. “He arranged for the murders of Mom and Irisa, had Kingston killed this morning. Judith is dead, and Tori has escaped- with a doctor named Adrian. He’s likely on their trail as we speak.”

“That’s a lot,” Dad replied.

“Keep a low profile, Iris,” he instructed. “Remain the loving, ignorant wife you’ve been all these years. Let us gather the evidence. Zayn will be locked away forever.”

“I’ve missed you, Dad,” I whispered, a pang tightening my chest.

“I’ve missed you too, my girl. We’re almost done with all of this,” he reassured me. “Be patient until then.”

“What about his child?” I asked cautiously.

“We’ll raise her differently than her father might have intended,” he said, ending the call.

I smiled to myself, slipping the phone back into its hiding place. Patience would be key. I would play along for now, biding my time until Zayn got everything he deserved.

He had no idea. None. Not about my family, not about Mom, who had been the family lawyer to Tori’s parents and the one who first uncovered his sinister schemes. Not about Irisa, whose life had been stolen along with Mom’s by Zayn’s calculated cruelty.

I remembered that last social media post Tori had made before disappearing: “Me at my big brother’s house, did I mention how much I love him?”

Every detail mattered. Every investigation, every secret, every piece of knowledge I had gathered over months of tracking him brought me closer to my goal. I knew what he loved, what he feared, what he desired.

I had shaped myself to fit the perfect bait- dyed my blonde hair brown because he loved brunettes, endured months of tanning to match his type. I made sure he noticed me naturally, subtly, never forcing affection but letting it grow until he fell in love and proposed.

I told him my parents were gone, and he had promised to take care of me. He thought he had me under control, unaware that I had told Dad everything, and we had planned meticulously, piece by piece, to put him behind bars.

Every move he made, every lie he believed- he didn’t know I was playing the long game. And when the time came, I would reveal my true identity. I would watch him crumble, see him feel the pain I had felt.

And his child? She would be raised with love and care, shielded from the monster her father truly was. She would never know him.

I clenched my fists, a steely determination settling over me. Nothing, no one- would stop me. Not Zayn. Not his power. Not his arrogance.

I would see him pay. And then, finally, justice would be mine.