18. Secret Security #2
The warm rays of morning sunlight filtered in from the half-opened blinds, rousing Iris from a deep sleep. Her body was pleasantly sore and her muscles exhausted. Nash was insatiable last night. Like he was every night. Not that she was complaining.
Well, at least not about their nights.
The rest of their days? Maybe. She looked at the cold sheets beside her and let out a deep sigh.
He was gone. Again. Her eyes darted to the clock and saw it was just after eight in the morning.
On a Saturday. She spent all week telling herself if she just made it to the weekend that everything would be fine.
He'd stay home and equilibrium would be restored.
Obviously, she was wrong.
Loneliness was tearing into her. She didn't handle being alone well. Growing up, her family made it crystal clear they wanted her nowhere near them. She spent her formative years essentially alone.
She hated it.
When she lived with Daisy, it was the first time that Iris was truly comfortable. She always was with someone. If not Daisy, then Dahlia. But now? She felt like a prisoner in her own home. Shoved away in a cupboard and forgotten about.
Was he bored with her? Already? In the week they had been back in the city, she had scarcely seen her husband. She tried to be patient. She did.
Nash was a busy man, she knew that. He took so much time off because of her attack and then their wedding.
It was understandable that he needed to put in time now to make up for it.
It was foolish to fear she'd already lost his interest. She needed to give him time to handle all of his responsibilities.
But...
Part of her couldn't help but be resentful.
He had made promises to her. When he brought her back to New York, he rarely wanted to be parted from her.
Forced her into the office with him. When she wanted to be away from him, he stuck to her like glue.
While she recovered in the beach house, she saw him every day. Now?
He only made it home for dinner once since their wedding.
It was as if he was avoiding her. What had she done?
A lone tear slid down her cheek. The wet track mocked her.
She refused to be one of those women who placed all of their self-worth into the hands of their husbands.
Her mother raised her to do just that, but she refused to live up to that expectation.
It wasn't like she was just moping around all day.
She tried to be proactive to battle off the depression she felt descending on her.
She called Daisy and spoke to her. Contacted her charity and got everything set up for her to work remotely from the penthouse.
It was her dream. He may have set it up for her, but it was hers now.
She wouldn't let it fail because she neglected it.
But still... phone calls and the charity only filled so many hours.
She was lonely. Even when Nash was here, she still felt alone.
Besides sex, he rarely spared her any attention.
Locked away in his office. Never answering her questions.
She ate alone. It was as if he no longer cared for her at all.
Perhaps he never had.
With a furious shake of her head, she banished that thought. The sheer effort he put into the wedding, and the lengths he went to save her from James, should be more than enough to prove his affections.
He was just busy; she reassured herself. She would give him a few more days and then she'd confront him. The ringing of her phone drew her out of her melancholy thoughts. She glanced down and saw Daisy's picture light up on her screen. She smiled while raising the phone to her ear.
"Hey, you. It's early for you there, isn't it?" Iris teased. It surprised Iris to hear from Daisy so early, knowing that New York was three hours ahead of Arizona.
"Yeah, I couldn't sleep," Daisy's rushed voice came over the line. "Never mind about that. I just forwarded you an article. It's about your wedding." Iris's stomach sank. What could be so serious that her friend felt she needed to see right away?
"OK, hold on. I'm going to switch you to speaker while I pull it up.
" Iris opened the article up on her phone while Daisy's voice floated up from the phone.
The large space ate her gentle tone up, somehow making the room seem even more empty than before.
Iris's eyes scan the beginning of the article.
It was from a notorious gossip site. Worry beat down on her when she saw it. No article from them could be good.
Love Conquers All? Or Is There More Than Meets The Eye?
Warrick Nash and Iris Blackworth tied the knot this past week in a private ceremony.
The pictures tell a tale of grand romance and happily ever afters.
But could there be more going on? Our dedicated reporters have their doubts.
Read on to find out everything we know about this power couple and the drama hidden beneath their supposed happily ever after.
"What are they talking about?" Iris's voice was dry and cracking.
What were they insinuating? Did they discover her attack?
Nash had kept that story out of the public eye.
She felt her face blanch as a thought came to her.
Was it worse? Did someone figure out where she had been all this time?
Did they suspect the blackmail? Or his criminal connections?
"Go ahead and keep reading." Daisy's disembodied voice spoke from the phone. With dread settling heavily, she did just that.
Inside sources have confirmed that the guest list was extremely exclusive.
With only two people in attendance being non-family members.
To date, the identity of these lucky ladies is still a mystery.
All that we know for sure is they were guests of the bride, and apparently quite close with her.
No more details about these mystery guests have surfaced.
But who was there is not nearly as exciting as who wasn't. Both of the elder Blackworth siblings were in attendance, as was the Nash family patriarch.
No surprises there. But we were all shocked to have discovered that neither Aster nor Augusta Blackworth were present.
Or even invited. Yes, you read that right.
The newest Mrs. Nash's parents were not welcome at the ceremony or the reception.
No one in the family has replied with a comment over the obvious snub, but it bodes ill for the elder Blackworths. But their fall from grace was a long time coming. Their old ways and refusal to progress forward with the rest of society have not been looked on kindly by their peers.
Several anonymous quotes came in detailing how many of our wealthy elite prefer not to invite Aster or Augusta to their society events. Perhaps this snub from their own daughter will set the precedence of excluding them.
What could they have done to alienate themselves from all three of their children? We don't know yet, but it's sure to be riveting. We'll be the first to bring you all the juicy details as it unfolds. Stay tuned!
"Wow," Iis murmured, the tension building up within her. "Mother will not be happy about this."
"Who cares what that hag likes?" Daisy growled over the line. "She deserves it for being such a shrew. She has no one to blame but herself. I just wanted you to know about it so you could prepare for her inquisition."
"Thank you, Daisy, I appre—" A beep from her phone cut her off. A glance down showed her mother trying to call in. "Speak of the devil. She's calling me now."
"Don't you even think about answering that phone, Iris." Daisy nearly shouted over the phone. "She doesn't deserve your attention. You should block her completely, but I know you won't." Her words were sad, sounded defeated. There was nothing she could do though.
Iris knew she was right, but still watching her mother's call ring and ignoring it until it went to voicemail caused nausea to well up inside her. Her mother conditioned her from a young age to follow the rules. It made her physically ill to intentionally defy her.
It was easier in Arizona when she could pretend that she'd never see her again.
Once the phone went quiet, she could finally breathe again.
"I'm proud of you," Daisy said warmly, helping the nausea to fade away. "I know that wasn't easy."
"Thank you," she murmured. It was the best she could do.
She fell into a long silence, one that Daisy easily filled up with stories about Dahlia and the business.
She stayed on the phone with Iris for two hours, keeping her calm through three more phone calls from her mother.
But Daisy couldn't stay on the phone all morning.
"I hear Dahlia up and I promised her we would take one of the boats out today. I need to get going," her voice was thick with apology.
"Have fun, send me pictures." Iris infused as much happiness as she could into her words. Daisy had enough going on. She didn't need to be worrying about her. They disconnected, and Iris sat immobile at the table she ate breakfast at while listening to Daisy.
It was nice to eat with company. Even if it was only over the phone. Better than silence.
The shrill ring of her phone sent Iris jolting in her seat. It was her mother. Again. Five calls in a single morning. She must be furious. There was no point in delaying the inevitable. Forcing the bile down, she lifted her phone and answered the call.
"Hello," no matter how hard she tried, her voice came out quiet and unsure. At least there was no waver.
"How dare you! You ungrateful child!" her mother's shrill voice thundered in her ear. Guilt sunk heavily in her gut.
"Mother—" Iris tried to interject, in a useless attempt to calm her down, but she never had the chance.