"Shane."
"He was the dream that never came true."
For the umpteenth time Iris pondered over the decision she had to make. She looked at the sky, seeking some answers but found it empty, devoid of any hint that could free her from the tumult she was in.
It was no more just a question of her past. It had become the question for the love she had for Derek, accepting it duly by leaving Shane. Or still clinging to the forgone.
Iris gently raised her hand to grasp the chain around her neck and found it around the pendent that Derek gave her. She looked down and saw the wedding bands lying solemnly around her neck, while her hand was clutching the star.
A gentle breeze hit her face that made her gasp for more. She raised her face slowly, facing the sky she breathe deeply. She felt the tumult in her heart was slowly washing away. She felt at peace away from the chaos and decision. Away from everything.
while gazing the darkened sky her eyes caught the glint of something, she pursued it and found the shining star above her head.
She clenched her eyes close for a while. With a deep intake of breath. she opened them and walked away.
Maybe to the new beginning.
Or maybe to the Old Road!
♥
Derek ran his hand through his hair and rested his head over the main frame of the car. He had been sitting on the bonnet, staring at the now darkened sky with nothing but a cluster of clouds covering it.
A faint noise of rustling of leaves made him look away from the sky to the road ahead of him where he saw a shadow walking out.
He sighed and jumped up from the bonnet of his car and stood near it with his hand in his pocket.
As slowly the shadow came into his view he could see Iris walking towards him with slumped shoulder and bowed head with her black hair half falling over her face, other half piled on her back.
He saw her walking forwards without paying any heed to the road, she was there but wasn't there at all, before Iris could bumped into Derek, Derek caught her by her shoulder.
"You okay?" Derek asked looking at Iris.
Iris raised her head to meet the blue eyes staring her back. She smiled wryly.
She walked out of his grip and slipped into the passenger seat.
Derek slipped following her and turned to look at her with that one question in his eyes.
Iris took a deep breath and looked at Derek with glint of uncertainty in her eyes, before she turned to see the GPS and punched the most expected destination on it.
Derek glanced over the GPS and then at Iris who had closed her eyes, her head laid back on the seat.
Derek sighed deeply and hit the gas to the truth he has been waiting for, Shane.
♥
It was already past midnight when they drove out from Manhattan to their expected destination.
Derek glanced over Iris who was now looking out of the window.
He looked at the GPS and found that they had already reached their destination, he took a turn and drove the car into a sleek road extended through the main road. He saw a cottage coming in his sight from the darkness of the night. And stopped the car in front of it.
Derek gently nudged, "Iris? We are here."
He said taking in the surrounding in front of him. The cottage was at literally nowhere, surrounded with outstretched farmland. The only source of life coming from the cottage itself, which was dimly lit.
Iris gulped hard and gave a wavering gaze to Derek.
Derek turned himself to face Iris and held her trembling hands.
She sucked the breath deeply and slowly walked out of the car to the cottage.
Derek quietly followed Iris to the cottage.
With each step, he could feel his heart getting heavy and a gulp forming in his throat. He didn't know why but he was scared of this moment.
He raised his head and saw Iris walking ahead of him with her gaze firmly held at the cottage.
♥
As slowly the cottage was coming close, Iris could feel her steps getting heavier like a burden starting to rise. She could feel her nerves getting frenzied with each breath intake.
With the last few hesitant steps, she made her way to the door of the cottage and knocked at it softly.
♥
Derek looked at Iris from behind who was standing by the door shifting on her legs.
She was tensed and scared. But Derek knew how much she needed it. This guy named Shane needed to be gone for good. From her head and life, both.
♥
Iris turned around to see Derek for assurance who was standing there looking at her smilingly, and nodded.
Iris turned around to knock again but before she could, she heard the slow steps approaching her from the other side.
Iris sighed and took a step back. She gulped hard and wrapped her hands around her neck.
She didn't want it to happen. There was no turning back if the door opened.
No she didn't want to let it go. She didn't want.
Abruptly she turned to face Derek and looked at him pleadingly.
Derek sighed deeply and looked at Iris, with an unidentifiable expression.
Iris took a step forward and so did Derek.
But before the both could take another step, the door opened, followed by a voice, "Who's this?"
Iris stopped in her tracks when she heard the voice that reached her ear slowly. She found the ground slowly turning into a sea, drowning her hard.
Derek hurriedly reached Iris and held her in his embrace.
"It's fine...It's fine." He murmured, before he raised his eyes to match the voice to the face.
Iris clutched his shirt hard and ducked her head in his chest.
"Who is this?" A voice called again, before he took a step out of the shadow to the light under the porch.
Derek furrowed his brow when he saw the man in his forties standing at the porch, eyeing them in bewilderment. He pulled Iris out of his embrace and turned her to face the man standing in front of them.
Iris hesitantly turned to face the man standing in front of her with quivering lips,
"Miss?" The man's eyes widened.
"Iris." She gulped hard.
The man's eyes softened with the mention of the name.
"Mrs. Mason?" He smiled.
"No... Mi- Miss Hadraniel."
He took a step forward and saw Derek with furrowed brows from tip to toe.
"I am here...to meet him."
The man looked away from Derek to Iris who was still holding Derek's hand.
He smiled wryly, "He has been waiting for you."
"I know..." She found her voice breaking slowly as the tears started brimming in her eyes.
The man slowly reached the door and closed it quietly and walked away from the house to the farmland without turning back.
Iris held Derek's hand and took a hesitant step forward following the man.
Derek looked at the man and then at Iris, totally perplexed with the thing that was happening right now.
He followed both of them with thousands of situation playing in his head.
She could feel Iris's hand getting colder with each step. They were walking in a brazen farmland with no source of light and not a destination on mind, at least not in his mind.
They were walking for sometime when Derek saw a small barn in his sight. He could feel Iris's hand slowly digging in his. And eyes wide like deer caught in a headlight.
The man was now walking briskly and turned to glance at Iris before he walked up to the barn, stopping outside, waiting for Iris.
He turned and clasped his hands together before glancing over to Derek who was standing beside her.
"I think you should go alone..." The man said before he turned the knob of the barn and opened the door meekly.
Iris saw the man and then at Derek and loosened her grip on his hand.
"I need him to be here." Iris said and took a step towards the door.
She stopped and put her hand around the knob gently with a deep breath and clenched her eyes tightly before she took her final step and opened the door.
Derek looked at the man who was looking at him with pure disdain in his eyes and furrowed his brows at him.
The man shook his head and walked away from the barn, probably back to the cottage.
Derek sighed deeply and looked at the door which was now wide open. He took a cautious step forward before his gaze burned with the light illuminating the room.
He flinched and adjusted his gaze slowly to the light.
He gaped when his eyes adjusted to the scene in front of his eyes, he could feel the breath hitch in his throat.
He gulped hard and saw Iris on her knees shuddering and whimpering, he held onto her shoulder instantly and looked ahead with one thought in his head,
'He is Dead...?'
♥ ♥ ♥
Ola. ♥
First of all, sorry for the late update.
Probably most of you are now planning to kill or maybe smiling triumphantly that you have guessed right.
So this is "The" truth. I have been holding since the beginning.
Not much but I wanted to keep the gist of this chapter.
Keep voting..commenting and sharing. ♥
Next update will be around 12 July.
Happy reading.
Enjoy summer. ♥
XoXo ♥
_autumngirl_