The woman on the bed was motionless.
She was so pale that her skin looked almost transparent.
She looked like she had already lost all signs of life...
However, Philip was not panicked at all. He continued to gently stroke Iris’ cheek with his fingertips.
He persisted like that for ten minutes until Iris finally let out a long sigh. She slowly opened her eyes, meeting Philip’s head-on. Underneath Iris’ long eyelashes, her eyes were filled with a sense of resignation. "Why are you doing this?"
That day, when she went into shock from Philip’s strangling, Iris had nearly died.
At that moment, she had really stopped breathing.
But when Philip saw that she really wasn’t breathing anymore, he’d panicked and hurriedly performed CPR on her, bringing her back to life.
At the same time, Philip had also been informed that Nora was Q. Only then did he realize that he had ultimately still lost the bet with Justin.
Iris hadn’t struggled at that time but merely looked at him quietly.
Her gaze had terrified Philip, and he couldn’t help but ask, "What are you looking at me for?"
Iris replied, "I have already given you a life back. Is this enough as repayment for the love between us back then?"
Iris had become utterly disappointed in him a long time ago.
Back then, Iris asked him for help, yet he’d continued to test her feelings for him. During that time, Iris had given up on the man.
If one asked her whether she loved him?
Iris’ love for Philip was certainly not as deep as the latter’s love for her.
After all, to Philip, love was everything.
However, that was not the case for her. She had never been someone obsessed over love. Compared to romantic love—family affection, friendship, and even her life itself were more important.
Yet if one were to say that she did not love him?
Philip was someone whom she found hard to forget and let go of.
Despite five years passing since her marriage to Herman and even after having Justin, Iris had still been shocked at that moment where she met Philip once more.
After all, he was her unforgettable first love, how could she possibly not have loved him?
However, Iris had already made her choice.
She had sealed her heart and would never give herself and Philip another chance.
She and Philip both owed each other.
Philip owed her a debt of trust, whereas she owed him unwavering love. Only with much difficulty had he finally seen true love in her, yet in the end, it had still turned into a sham, causing him to lose his trust in the world.
In that instant, Iris felt like she had been freed.
Philip’s expression, which had been full of guilt, had also shown his regret and fear.
In that instant where his emotions had gotten the better of him, he had hardly been able to control his emotions. That was why he’d done something so ruthless. Philip regretted his actions.
The moment he saw Iris’ head hanging and her losing all signs of life, he knew that he had made a mistake.
True love for someone was to watch them live happily, not constant tests and destruction!
In the past twenty years, he had watched Iris from a distance and watched how she’d rather take care of flowers in the suburban villa than leave with him. That had indeed been torturous, but compared to that, he couldn’t accept Iris leaving this world for good even more!
It could be said that Philip’s bout of venting had allowed him to finally realize his true feelings—he was afraid of losing Iris!
Yet, Iris had completely let go of the relationship after her close brush with death.
She didn’t owe him anything anymore.
Unfortunately, when Iris wanted to leave, Philip hadn’t agreed to it and had forcibly taken her to the cruise ship.
Only on the ship, and only at sea, would that man be unable to find them.
Iris wanted to escape, but in the vast sea, where could she go?
She could only ignore him and try her best to persevere.
At this time, seeing that she had finally spoken, Philip hurriedly said, "It’s enough, it’s enough! Iris, everything you say is correct. Let’s have something to eat first, okay?"
Iris had not eaten for three days.
Without food or water, the body wouldn’t be able to take it.
However, Iris shook her head. "I told you, I’m not going to eat if you don’t free me. Philip, I don’t owe you anything anymore, you have no right to put me under house arrest."
Philip sighed silently when he heard this. He said, "I’m not putting you under house arrest. I just want to start over with you."
Iris was weak, so her voice was a little low.
She sighed. "Nothing can happen between us anymore. There are no longer any ties or debts between us."
Her firmness made Philip panic.
He wanted to say more, but Iris closed her eyes, turned over, and continued to rest on the bed as if she had fallen asleep.
Philip stared at her back, at a loss as to what to say. He could only back away quietly and leave the room in silence.
Upon hearing him leave, Iris breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
However, not even five minutes later, the door was opened again. Philip said a little joyfully, "Iris, I’ve thought of a solution."
Iris opened her eyes. The moment she looked over, she was stunned. "What are you doing?!"