Chapter 43. Surprise! Surprise!!!

Adeline’s POV

“I… Iris?”

Her name left my lips like a whisper, roaming around my head in complete shock. My mind refused to accept what my eyes were seeing.

I felt lightheaded, like I had been pulled from my body, hovering between reality and some cruel trick of my imagination.

Was this real? Was she real? My fingers gripped my purse so tightly I didn’t even realize when it slipped from my grasp and fell to the ground.

Oh my God.

I could actually hear my own heart pound.

I was experiencing different emotions all at the same time.

Relief, fear, guilt. I didn’t know whether to run into her arms or run away from this moment entirely.

“Adeline!” Theodore’s voice snapped me back.

He was suddenly right in front of me, reaching out, looking concerned.

But as he stepped closer, my body reacted before my mind could catch up—I moved back.

Just a single step, I created a boundary between us right in front of Iris. I