Wendel panicked. He immediately got up to chase after Esther but hesitated for a moment as he passed by Iris.

He sighed and explained, "She's a young woman running out alone. I'm afraid something might happen to her."

Inhaling sharply, Iris chose to say the exact same words she had in her past life. "Do you really not know why she’s upset?"

Wendel frowned and scolded her. "Iris, Esther might be in danger. This isn’t the time for you to be stubborn."

Without waiting for her reply, he bolted out of the courtyard.

Before she knew it, tears welled up in her eyes.

Even after two lifetimes, watching Wendel defend Esther so fiercely still made her heart ache.

So he wasn’t indifferent or unfeeling—he simply never loved her.

Stella was confused. "What’s going on with those two?"

Her adoptive mother might not have understood, but Iris knew all too well. Still, she chose to say nothing.

Quickly regaining her composure, she simply sighed and shook her head.

Stella wasn’t stupid. If things played out like they had in her past life, it would take less than a month before she realized what was going on between Wendel and Esther.

Iris remembered it vividly—when Stella found out, she had actually demanded to not only give up her chance to study, but also to step aside and give up on Wendel.

Blinded by love, she had refused, even to the point of attempting suicide. Only then did Stella finally relent.

But this time, having lived another life, Iris had no intention of fighting for a place in this family. She would put on a good act for now, then disappear the moment her birth parents came for her.

That night, Wendel finally returned, bringing Esther with him.

Her eyes were still red, as if she had suffered some unspeakable grievances.

Gently, Wendel reached out to wipe away her tears, speaking in a soft voice.

"It’s late. You should get some rest."

Esther choked back a sob and clung to his arm. "I don’t want to sleep. I’m afraid that when I wake up in the morning, you won’t want me anymore."

"You don’t have to worry about that," a sudden voice interrupted, startling both of them.

"He won’t leave you. Once summer break is over, he’ll become a teacher in town—he’ll stay right here, in this home, with you," Iris added as she stepped out from the living room, her gaze falling on their tightly clasped hands.

Perhaps out of guilt, Wendel pulled his hand away as if it had been scalded.

He forced an awkward smile. "Iris, why aren’t you asleep?"

She replied calmly, "Oh, I just couldn’t sleep. Esther, you didn’t eat dinner earlier, so Mom asked me to heat up some food for you. It’s in the kitchen."

Esther lowered her head, her eyes still red. "I’m sorry, Iris. I was just feeling a little down today and needed some comfort. I know I was being thoughtless... You and Wendel are getting married, but I still keep clinging to him. You understand, don’t you? I don’t have any family, so I rely on him more than I should. Iris, you don’t mind, do you?"

Iris smiled, but the warmth never reached her eyes. Her mind was racing, her fists clenching involuntarily.

The only emotion she had for the woman before her was hatred.

In her past life, she had been blind—she never realized the secret between them. Not until after she and Wendel were married.

When Stella arranged a marriage prospect for Esther, Wendel panicked. He immediately quit his secure teaching job and eloped with Esther to Nashville.

Iris was left completely in the dark.

Wendel had snuck away in the dead of night, leaving behind only a letter full of lies—tricking Iris into believing he was being sent to Nashville for work.

At that time, she had already been pregnant. Yet he never even returned for the birth of their child.

She had naively believed he only went to Nashville for work, clinging to that illusion to comfort herself. But that fragile belief shattered the moment he returned—he took their two-year-old child away!

Iris sobbed, her heart breaking into pieces. "Your son was born, and you never even looked at him once—now you just want to take him away from me?"

Hearing the accusation in her tone, Wendel ran his finger through his hair, letting out a weary sigh before finally admitting the truth.

"I've always loved Esther," he confessed. "She's fragile and can't have children. So I thought—" He hesitated, then met her gaze. "I thought I could take your child instead."

Iris refused with everything she had, but Stella locked her up in the house. She could only watch helplessly as her own flesh and blood was taken away.

The mere thought of losing her child filled her with a burning hatred. She wanted nothing more than to rip Esther’s face apart.

Seeing the look on Iris’ face, Esther trembled all over.

"Brother, Iris's expression is so scary. Did I do something wrong? I'll apologize, okay? I’ll apologize!"

With that, she raised her hand and slapped herself repeatedly, crying out, "It’s all my fault! I’m the one to blame! I should just die! If I die, everyone will be happy!"

Wendel panicked. He rushed over to stop her. "Esther, what are you doing? Who told you to die? Who can’t accept you?"

Esther said nothing. She just kept crying.

Before Iris could even defend herself, Wendel suddenly shoved her hard.

"What the hell is wrong with you? If you're angry, then just be angry! What’s the point of being passive-aggressive? Haven't you bullied Esther enough over the years?"

His harsh accusations rang in her ears.

Supporting her sore shoulder where he had shoved her, Iris clenched her teeth. "I have never bullied her. You're the one who's always had a bias against me!"

But Wendel wasn’t listening. His mind was entirely occupied by the sight of Esther, crying like a delicate, tragic heroine.

Glaring at Iris, he snapped, "Apologize to Esther right now!"

Iris lifted her head, her eyes stubborn and unyielding. "I won’t apologize. I did nothing wrong. Why should I?"

The dim candlelight reflected in her bright, unwavering eyes.

For the first time, Wendel saw a defiance in her gaze that he had never noticed before.

She stood her ground, her voice steady and clear. "I didn’t say anything wrong. I simply passed on Mom’s words. It was Esther who lost control and started acting crazy. Yet you blindly blamed me without knowing the full story. I’ve done nothing wrong—why should I apologize?"

"You-" Wendel was stunned.

He had always thought he understood Iris best. To him, she was obedient and gentle, always yielding to his demands without a single complaint.

But today, she was like a completely different person.

The tears that had been endlessly streaming down Esther’s face suddenly stopped. She stared blankly at Iris, unable to believe what she had just heard.

Iris glanced at the two of them, let out a cold laugh, and said, "If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going to bed."

"Iris..."

For some reason, an uneasy feeling crept into Wendel’s heart.

He reached out and grabbed her hand, pressing his lips together before saying, "I know I was wrong to accuse you just now, but we’re all family. The way you talk is just too harsh."

Iris pulled her hand away indifferently and asked coldly, "What do you mean? Are you trying to make me apologize a second time?"

Hearing her words, Wendel felt a sharp, piercing pain in his chest.

He had known for a long time that Iris had feelings for him—feelings that were different from simple affection.

But he had never loved her. Let alone wanted to marry her.

Yet she had always been so obedient, so easy to control, never resisting, never questioning him.

Until now.

As a man, Wendel had never been able to refuse the obedient and submissive Iris.

But today, this woman who had been by his side since childhood, who had never once defied him, suddenly felt unfamiliar.

For the first time, he began to reflect—perhaps, just perhaps, not everything that happened today was Iris’ fault.

"Wendel..."

Esther tugged at Wendel’s sleeve, her voice soft and pitiful. "Maybe we should just leave it at that for today. If Iris is really upset, that wouldn’t be good..."

Iris almost laughed out loud.

Esther probably never imagined that one day, her pitiful act would stop working.

In her past life, the moment Esther shed a tear, Iris would have been so guilt-ridden that she would have dropped to her knees to apologize.

On the other hand, the moment Wendel heard those words, it was as if he had been injected with adrenaline.

His expression turned serious, and he spoke with righteous indignation.

"Even if Esther misunderstood you, your words were too harsh! Esther is sensitive—she’ll be upset for days because of this. You need to apologize! Besides, she’s younger than you. It’s only natural for you to give in to her."

A wave of bitterness surged in Iris’ heart.

Two lifetimes had passed, and yet Wendel still didn’t remember—Esther was actually three months older than her. She was the youngest in the family, not Esther.

But at this moment, she had no interest in arguing over such trivial facts.

She refused to back down. Glaring at him, she enunciated each word clearly.

"I. Will. Not. Apologize."

Tension filled the air. The three of them stood in silence, locked in a standoff.

"What’s going on here? Why aren’t you all in bed at this hour?"

Their adoptive mother and father emerged from their room, looking concerned.

Wendel brushed them off. "Dad, Mom, go back to sleep. This doesn’t concern you."

The moment their adoptive parents appeared, Esther reacted instinctively—her tears started falling again.

"Mom, Dad... please don’t worry, really, everything’s fine..."

Hearing her beloved adopted daughter cry, the adoptive mother’s heart twisted in pain. She rushed forward to comfort her.

"Who bullied you? Tell me! I’ll stand up for you!"

Esther sniffled. "It’s nothing... Iris didn’t mean it..."

The moment Iris’ name was mentioned, a cold glint flashed in their adoptive mother’s eyes.

"You shameless thing!" Stella shrieked.

She grabbed Iris and, without hesitation, slapped her hard across the face.

She cursed furiously, "We took you in to shield Wendel from misfortune, not so you could turn our family upside down! Who do you think you are, daring to bully Esther?"

"You were almost killed by human traffickers back then. If not for me, you would’ve been dead long ago! You owe me a debt of gratitude you can never repay! And now, you dare cause trouble in our home?"

Holding her stinging, swollen cheek, Iris felt a deep, suffocating grievance rise in her chest.

These words had been drilled into her since childhood.

She knew she had to repay her debt. That was why she had taken on all the household chores from a young age—so that when Wendel and Esther came home from school, they could do their homework while she fed the pigs and ducks, washed the family’s clothes, and worked late into the night.

When the family couldn’t afford to send all three children to school, she was the first to be sacrificed.

Even when she discovered the whereabouts of her biological parents, she was forbidden from contacting them.

The Lancaster family couldn’t stand the thought of their doormat leaving—let alone seeing her live a life of wealth and comfort.

But this time was different.

She had been reborn. She would not walk down the same doomed path again.

Her voice was hoarse as she spoke softly, "If I’ve repaid my debt, can I leave?"

Stella froze, clearly not expecting such a question.

Then, she burst into laughter.