"Fine! But repaying a debt isn’t just about saying the words—you want to repay me? Give me five thousand dollars, and I’ll cut ties with you immediately!"

Wendel quickly stepped in to stop her. "Mom, what are you saying?"

To put things into perspective, as a teacher, Wendel only earned fifty dollars a month. Stella’s demand was nothing short of absurd.

Who in the entire village could possibly come up with five thousand dollars?

Wendel put his arm around Iris’ shoulders and comforted her. "Don’t worry, Mom is just saying things out of anger. Just apologize, and everything will go back to normal. We’re still a family."

"Iris..." He leaned closer, his voice gentle as he coaxed her. "Be good, don’t be stubborn right now."

Iris lowered her head, avoiding his gaze.

"I understand. I’ll do my best to save up the five thousand dollars," she flatly stated. "I’m tired. I’m going to rest now."

With that, she turned and walked back into her room.

However, Stella’s curses continued ringing in the air.

"Ha! Save up five thousand dollars? How much could she even earn in a month? Dreaming in broad daylight, is she?"

"I treated her so well, gave her food, gave her clothes, and this is how she repaid me? What a disgrace to this family! If I had known back then, I would’ve let her die!"

Leaning against the door, Iris took deep breaths, forcing herself to stay calm.

She wasn’t bluffing—her biological parents were wealthy. Five thousand dollars was nothing to them.

Soon, the house quieted down, and exhaustion took over. She decided to get into bed and sleep.

But then, a knock came at the door.

"Iris, I know you’re still awake. Can we talk?"

It was Wendel’s voice.

Iris walked to the door and replied flatly, "Brother, you should go rest."

Hearing her call him "brother" again, Wendel felt inexplicable discomfort.

Ever since they had agreed to get married, she had never called him that.

For some reason, an unfamiliar sense of loss crept into his heart.

Refusing to give up, he continued patiently, "You were too stubborn today. Think about it—why are you even arguing with Esther? Once we’re married, she’ll be calling you ‘sister-in-law’ anyway. We’re all family."

Iris found his words ridiculous.

She couldn’t understand how Wendel could love Esther while still speaking to her like this.

Calming herself, she answered, "Brother, I think we need to reconsider this marriage."

Wendel immediately panicked. "Iris, why would you say that? What’s wrong with us getting married?"

"Are you just trying to spite me?"

"Iris, we’re not children anymore. Don’t joke about things like this. I know you just want me to coax you—is that it? Fine, I’ll coax you, okay?"

Iris let out a long sigh.

Talking to this man was exhausting.

All she wanted now was to close her eyes and rest. "Brother, just leave. I’m really tired."

Wendel was silent for a moment before his voice turned cold. "Iris, I’ve already lowered myself to apologize. Don’t say I’m heartless."

With that, he left.

Iris knew he was angry.

He had always been like this—if his coaxing didn’t work within three minutes, he would give up completely.

The next day, Wendel started giving her cold shoulder.

Iris didn’t speak to him either, simply going about her chores as usual.

No one knew that she had already contacted her biological parents.

Until they came to take her away, she would keep a low profile.

Every day, she would find an excuse to go to town for groceries, making sure to stop by the post office, afraid of missing a letter from her real family.

That day, as usual, Iris used the excuse of buying groceries to visit the post office in town.

Once again, there was no news.

She mentally counted the days—it had already been nearly seven.

Her biological parents lived in Nashville. Communication in the 1980s was slow, and it wasn’t uncommon for letters to take over ten days to arrive.

Feeling disappointed, Iris walked out of the post office, only to spot a familiar figure at the street corner.

It was Wendel, and beside him was Esther.

They had just stepped out of a clothing store, with Esther holding a floral dress in her hands.

The moment they looked up, their eyes met.

Since their last argument, Wendel had ignored her for three days.

He hesitated, debating whether to break the silence. But before he could say anything, Iris spoke first.

"What a coincidence. I was just out buying groceries. You two go ahead and enjoy your shopping—I’m heading home."

With that, she turned to leave.

"Iris!"

After holding back for so long, Wendel finally called out to her.

She stopped and looked at him, her expression calm.

"Be careful on the way back," he said—just a casual remark, nothing more.

Iris nodded, but her gaze unconsciously lingered on the floral dress in Esther’s hands.

Noticing her look, Esther quickly explained, even before Wendel could speak. "My birthday is coming up in a few days, so Wendel took me out to buy a gift."

Wendel immediately chimed in, "That’s right! And when your birthday comes around, I’ll get you a gift too."

As he said this, his eyes landed on Iris’ worn-out clothes, patched up in several places.

For some reason, a wave of guilt washed over him.

After Iris left, Wendel hesitated for a moment before turning back toward the clothing store.

Esther grabbed his arm, confused. "Brother, didn’t we already buy clothes? Why are you going back in?"

He explained, "Technically, you’re both my younger sisters. I should be fair—I can’t play favorites."

Esther’s face fell. Pouting, she snapped, "So, every year on my birthday, you have to buy her something too? I don’t like that!"

"Esther, be good," Wendel coaxed patiently. "That’s not what I meant. But no matter what, Iris sacrificed her education so you could go to school. We should at least show some gratitude."

Upon hearing that, Esther's temper flared.

She threw the new dress onto the ground, attracting the attention of nearby pedestrians. Without a care for the growing crowd, she shouted, "So what? Did I force her to drop out?!"

Several people turned to watch the commotion.

Wendel hated being the center of attention—especially in a negative way. Panicking, he hurriedly picked up the dress and quickly softened his tone, coaxing her like a guilty puppy.

"Alright, alright, I won’t buy her anything. Besides, she’s always doing chores at home—she wouldn’t have anywhere to wear such a nice dress anyway."

Only when she heard his reply did Esther’s anger subside. Satisfied, she smirked. "Now that’s more like it."

Then, as if suddenly recalling something, she frowned and muttered, "But I remember Iris went out to buy groceries this morning. Why hasn’t she returned home yet? The market isn’t even on this street."

Her simple words made Wendel pause. His brows furrowed as he realized something about it felt off.

Esther continued, "Look—the post office is right over there. You don’t think... Iris is—?"

Before she could finish, Wendel’s expression darkened.

Ever since learning that Iris had found her biological parents, he had felt a growing sense of unease.

He couldn’t quite explain why.

Was he afraid that she would leave this home behind and return to her rightful place as a wealthy family’s daughter?

Or... was he afraid that if she left, he might never see her again?

With a complicated mix of emotions, Wendel returned home.

As soon as he stepped inside, he saw Iris squatting by the stove in the kitchen, tending to the fire.

Her small figure looked especially frail.

The summer heat made cooking unbearable, and sweat had already soaked through the back of her thin shirt.

He had seen this scene countless times over the past twenty years, but for some reason, today, a faint sense of guilt welled up inside him.

During dinner, Iris had little appetite. After eating just a few bites, she retreated to her room.

After holding back for days, Wendel wanted to talk to her, but he couldn’t find the right opportunity.

Meanwhile, Esther clung to him, insisting he accompany her for a walk by the small river at the west end of the village.

Feeling restless himself, he agreed.

The summer night breeze by the river was refreshingly cool. As they walked, their hands gradually found each other.

With no one else around and the dim moonlight casting a soft glow, Esther grew bolder. She leaned her entire body against Wendel.

The scent of her hair, the warmth of her skin—his face instantly turned red.

Instinctively, he tried to pull away, but she tightened her grip.

Her voice was gentle, almost pleading. "Wendel, do you really want to marry Iris? You know deep down..."

"Esther, stop talking." He cut her off, his tone firm.

"I’ve always known how you feel about me. If you weren’t considered my adopted sister, I would’ve been willing to marry you."

Esther’s eyes turned misty with grievance. "But Iris is also your adopted sister. Why did you choose her?"

Wendel let out a deep sigh. "I’m afraid of what people would say about you. You still have to continue your studies—if rumors spread that you have feelings for your own brother, it would ruin your reputation.

"But Iris, she has no future beyond this village. It doesn’t matter to her." As he spoke, their bodies pressed even closer.

Lost in that moment, neither of them noticed the figure standing just a few steps behind them.

It wasn’t until Wendel finally let go of Esther that he saw her—Iris.

She stood there, silent and motionless, like a ghost.

Wendel's heart nearly stopped. Panicked, he instantly moved away from Esther, putting as much distance between them as possible.

"Iris! It’s not what you think!" he blurted out, his voice flustered. "Esther said she was cold, so I was just—just trying to keep her warm! Don’t misunderstand!"

Only then did Esther realize Iris had been watching.

She froze for a moment, but quickly recovered, putting on an innocent and pitiful expression.

"Iris, please don’t take it the wrong way," she said weakly. "I’ve been sick lately... Sometimes my body just feels cold."

Iris looked at the two of them as if they were complete idiots.

It was August—the hottest time of the year. If they were going to lie, at least put some effort into it.

As for what they had just said, she had heard every single word.

So, Wendel understood. He understood how much a woman’s dignity meant—he just didn’t care about hers.

Thankfully, none of this mattered to her anymore.

But she had no interest in arguing, so she simply curled her lips into a faint smile and replied, "Esther, if you’re sick, you should see a doctor. Wendel isn’t a physician."

Esther choked, unable to say another word.

Iris continued, "Anyway, I came to find you because Mom sent me. She said it’s getting late and told you two to go home and sleep."

With that, she turned and walked away.

Esther was so furious that she stomped her foot, pointing after Iris’ retreating figure.

"Brother, look at her attitude! She’s always either giving me that sarcastic tone or ignoring me completely. How can anyone stand it?"

Wendel quickly comforted her. "Don’t worry. She’s just throwing a little tantrum. What else can she do? Run away?"