Chapter 16 Finally, I stand
IRIS
I blink up at Archer, stunned, not because he’s here, but because of the sheer audacity it must’ve taken to walk over to this table and open his mouth.
He’s still standing stiffly at the edge of the booth, arms crossed like some righteous ex-boyfriend delivering divine judgment.
“You’re unbelievable,” he says, his voice low but sharp. “It’s only been what? A month? And here you are, flaunting yourself around with McAlister of all people?”
I don’t respond. Not yet.
“You know, I thought maybe you just needed space. Time. But clearly, I was wrong.” His voice is rising. “You’re already on to the next shiny thing. Real classy.”
Adrian leans back in his seat with a smug smirk, but for once, he doesn’t say a word. Daisy stares at Archer like he just dropped a steaming pile of trash on the table.
Archer keeps going. “You always pretended like you weren’t like the rest. Guess I was wrong. Gold digger behavior looks good on you.”
I blink slowly, watching him, awestruck, but not because I’m hurt. No. I’m in awe of the absolute boldness.
I let him go on for a few more seconds, ranting about my ‘lack of loyalty’ and how I ‘never wasted time moving on.’ He’s in the middle of another insult when I finally speak.
“What,” I ask, voice calm, sharp, “gave you the idea that you can walk up to me and talk to me, let alone accuse me of anything?”
That stops him for a moment. His jaw clenches, but he forces a bitter smile.
“I’m not accusing you. I’m stating facts.”
I laugh. It is not funny. “Facts? Archer, if I were whoring around like you say, it still wouldn’t concern you. Because let’s not pretend you were some saint.”
He blinks. “What are you talking about?”
I stand up. Slowly. Deliberately.
“I gave you five years of my life,” I say, voice trembling not from rage, “and you threw it all away in the blink of an eye. You think you have the right to come up to me and tell me what I can and cannot do?”
His face reddens. “I made a mistake.”
“A mistake?” I snap. “You cheated, Archer. That wasn’t a mistake. That was a choice.”
Daisy stands beside me now, arms folded. Adrian hasn’t moved. He's watching the entire scene with quiet, unreadable amusement.
“I messed up, okay?” Archer says, quieter this time. “But this? You with him? This is worse.”
“Worse?” I take a step toward him. “You think me moving on, maybe, is worse than you sleeping with another girl behind my back?”
Silence.
“You don’t get to hurt me and then police how I heal,” I say coldly. “You don’t get to show up out of nowhere and shame me for existing.”
His jaw tightens. “You’re not the same, Iris.”
“No,” I reply. “I’m not.”
I feel lighter. Fiercer.
“Now get away from my table.”
He opens his mouth like he wants to argue, but Adrian leans forward, eyes pinned on him as he says a casual “You heard the lady.”
Archer doesn’t leave.
Instead, he takes a step closer, his eyes locked on Adrian now. “Maybe you should keep quiet, McAlister. This conversation doesn’t concern you.”
Adrian lets out a slow, low laugh, the kind that isn’t amused, but filled with disbelief. He shifts in his seat, folding his arms across his chest. “You stroll over here, humiliate my friend in front of half the cafeteria, and you think I’m gonna sit here and sip my milkshake in silence? You’ve got jokes.”
Archer scoffs. “She’s not your friend. You barely even know her.”
“I know enough,” Adrian replies, rising from his seat now, towering slightly over Archer, his tone calm but edged. “I know she didn’t deserve that.”
Archer’s eyes narrow as he tilts his head. “You know what? You need to be careful. Because you’re not seeing her clearly. Iris is… not what you think.”
A silence spreads.
I stare at him, confused and stunned as the venom in his tone sharpens.
“She’s manipulative,” Archer says. “She plays the victim like it’s a second language. She always makes you feel like you’re the problem, when really, she just doesn’t know how to be decent. She drains you, makes everything about her, and once she’s done, she’ll leave you just like she-”
The slap lands before I even realize I’ve moved.
The sharp crack echoes through the open space, silencing every nearby conversation. Archer stumbles back a little, holding his cheek, eyes wide in shock.
My hand tingles, but I don’t feel regret. Not even close.
“Don’t you ever speak to me or about me like that again,” I say, voice shaking with rage. “You don’t get to paint me as a monster just because you’re the one who did me dirty.”
He opens his mouth like he might defend himself, but I cut him off with a glare that could kill.
“You don’t get to humiliate me, and then twist the knife when someone else tries to help.”
I turn without another word and begin gathering my books and bag from the table. My hands tremble a little from fury. Pure, burning fury.
Daisy jumps up and helps me, throwing Archer a disgusted look. Adrian picks up my fallen notebook, then nudges me gently toward the exit.
We don’t look back.
I march out of the café, my boots pounding against the tiled floor. The air outside is cooler, sharper, like it’s trying to calm me down. But I’m too far gone for that. The anger sits heavy on my chest, but beneath it, something else brews; relief.
Finally. Finally, I stood up for myself.
Adrian catches up to me first, his long strides keeping pace. “You okay?”
“No,” I mutter. “But I will be.”
Daisy is right behind us, breathing hard. “He’s a piece of trash. I can’t believe he actually said those things. You were right to slap him. I would’ve done it twice.”
I exhale, finally slowing down. “He just always knows how to twist things. Make himself the victim.”
Adrian glances over, sliding his hands into his pockets. “He’s a coward. And cowards hate when you don’t fall apart without them.”
That surprises me. His tone, his words. There’s no teasing. No flirting. Just quiet understanding.
“Thanks,” I say softly.
He nods once. “Anytime.”