I believe in you, my darling. I believe in you."<br />He closed his eyes.<br />And when he opened them the ice had melted. He was looking at her with tears in his crystal eyes.<br />"Iris, my Iris," he whispered, and drew her lips to his.<br />He kissed her like a man dying. Like a man taking his last breath.<br />As if he cherished her.<br />And something in Iris blossomed open and expanded in her chest and seemed so full it would make her burst. She wasn't sure she could contain this feeling, this emotion, she had for him.<br />Her husband.<br />She 'cared' for this man- rather a lot. Perhaps even 'more' than cared for him.<br />The thought should frighten her, but all she felt was happiness.<br />Happiness.<br />"Iris." He sounded desperate. Undone. And she realized his hands were shaking as he held her.