My Cousin Faked Illness to Steal My Boyfriend, He Turned the Tables Chapter 03

My Cousin Faked Illness to Steal My Boyfriend, He Turned the Tables Chapter 03

When Greyson and I arrived at home that evening, the living room was packed.

Grandma, Aunt Nova, my parents, and Iris were all there.

Iris was wearing a light green dress.

I recognized it instantly—it was a dress I had bought just last month and hadn’t even had the chance to wear yet.

Seeing my gaze shift toward her, she jumped up right away.

“Hadley, please don’t be mad. I just borrowed it for tonight. Aunt Charlotte said you wouldn’t mind.”

Mom frowned. “It’s just a dress.”

“It’s not like you don’t have other clothes,” Dad added.

Greyson glanced at me but remained silent.

At the dinner table, Iris sat directly across from him. Whenever she passed the food, she kept trying to slide portions directly onto his plate.

“Mr. Brown, try this. I made it myself.”

Greyson moved his plate out of reach. “Thanks, but I don’t eat food touched by other people.”

Iris bit her lip. “Other people?”

Aunt Nova quickly chimed in. “Greyson, Iris has always been innocent. She sees you as family.”

“Since when did she and I become family?” Greyson asked.

Aunt Nova’s smile froze.

Grandma tapped her fork against the table. “Young man, watch your tone. Iris is fragile; she can’t handle harsh words.”

Iris put her fork down, and her tears began to fall right on cue. “Grandma, please don’t blame Mr. Brown. He probably just finds me annoying.”

Mom glared at me. “Hadley, are you just going to sit there and watch this?”

Before I could say a word, Greyson took my plate away too.

He stood up, walked into the kitchen, and brought back two clean plates.

“My girlfriend doesn’t eat food that’s been touched by other people’s forks either. From now on, please keep that in mind.”

The dining room went dead silent for a few seconds.

With tears still hanging on her face, Iris looked completely stuck, unsure whether she should keep crying or stop.

I kept my head down and ate.

This was the most satisfying meal I had eaten in this house in years.

After dinner, Grandma mentioned that the house had plenty of space and insisted that Greyson stay the night.

I refused immediately.

Grandma’s face darkened. “What are you afraid of? Greyson isn’t an outsider.”

Iris kept her head low, her voice barely a whisper. “If Hadley is worried, I can give up the upstairs guest room. That one is further away from my room.”

She sounded so considerate, yet her eyes kept drifting toward Greyson.

Greyson cut in. “No need. I’ll just sleep on the living room couch. That way everyone coming and going is in plain sight.”

Grandma disapproved. “We don’t make guests sleep on the couch.”

“I get thirsty at night,” Greyson said. “The living room is more convenient.”

I caught his drift.

He wasn’t staying because he wanted to.

He was staying to see exactly what Iris was going to pull next.

Mom pulled me into the kitchen and lowered her voice. “Your boyfriend’s nothing special. Iris wouldn’t be interested in him anyway. Don’t treat her like she’s some thief—it’s embarrassing.”

I stared at her. “Savannah trusted you just like this back then.”

Mom’s face warped. “Don’t bring up your sister. She was always difficult. She cut us off, and somehow that’s Iris’s fault?”

“Do you really not know why she left?”

“Hadley.” Dad stood at the doorway, his voice dropping dangerously low. “Greyson is here today, so I won’t argue with you. If you still care about this family, stop stabbing your mother with the past.”

I said nothing more.

As I turned around, I saw Iris standing at the end of the hallway.

She was holding my jacket, a faint smile playing on her lips.

In that instant, I knew tonight wasn’t going to end quietly.

At eleven o’clock, Greyson claimed he had a headache.

Iris immediately offered to make him some coffee.

I said, “What good’s coffee gonna do?”

Iris looked entirely innocent. “Maybe the dinner was just too heavy. A coffee might make him feel better.”

She carried the mug over and stopped in front of Greyson.

Greyson took it, sniffed it, but didn’t drink.

“Hadley, go on up to bed. I’ll be fine after I sit for a bit.”

I played along and went up to my room.

I left the door slightly cracked.

Half an hour later, faint footsteps echoed down the hallway.

Iris passed by my door, wearing my jacket.

She had drenched herself in my usual jasmine perfume, and the scent was so overwhelming I could smell it right through the crack in the door.

I followed her out.

She stopped by the living room couch and leaned down to touch Greyson’s shoulder.

Greyson remained leaned back against the couch with his eyes shut, seemingly completely unaware.