Lachlan's povI tried to wrap my head around the files staring back at my desk but I just couldn't.Each second, the image of Amelia's face keeps flickering through my mind like some kind of torchlight in the woods. “Ugh!” I pushed back my seat and stroller to the glass window with a peculiar view of the city. I heaved a sigh and stuffed both my hands in my pockets. Amelai had looked at me this morning like I was some stranger. Even when I gave her a kiss on her forehead, she flinched. The thought raked through my heart like a knife and it hurt. I had hurt her. “God, how do I fix this?” I dragged my hand through my hair.“You could always divorce her.” A voice interrupted me.I didn't need to turn around to know that the owner of the voice is Cassie.“What are you doing here?” I asked her back.“Ummm…” she chuckled. “I work here, remember? I'm a model of the product launch, remember, Mr. CEO?”I could feel her hot breath in the back of my neck now. Her hands wrapped themselves aro
Chris’s POVDetective Matthew's voice cut through the speaker. “Ah. I was wondering when you were going to make contact.”“Listen up, I've got something very important to say.” The elevator doors parted, and I walked out of it.“I'm listening.” Matthew replied with keen interest.I pushed the button on my car keys and unlocked the car. “I'll confess to everything.”Matthew sounded surprised. “You will?”“Yeah. The break-in, the arson, all of it. But I wasn't working alone. Cassie put me up to it. She's the mastermind.” “Cassie?” It came as a question. As if realizing who it was, he cursed. “Cassandra Hamm?”“Yes.” I heaved a sigh and entered the driver's seat. “How do I know you're not making this up?” “You want answers, don't you? Why don't you bring her in yourself?” I chuckled into the call.“I'd need evidence to do that.” Matthew said, proving stubborn.“Is that so?” I curled an eyebrow. “Yes.”“Okay.” I went to my sound recorder app and found just what I was looking for—20241
Eric's povI always hated how Lachlan got everything how he wanted. It didn't matter what sacrifice I made, I was always one step behind. Despite being in the spotlight, I was invisible. Amelia… though… Amelia saw me once. She smiled at me in a way that made me believe I was more than just the shadow lurking behind Lachlan. Amelia deserved the world. She needed someone who saw someone for who she was and someone who loved her. Not Lachlan. He couldn't even appreciate her properly. And now, here we are. With her on the couch and me pointing at her with a gun.I tossed the wedding gown on Amelia's bed Amelia. “Put it on.”Amelia shivered. Her tearful eyes darted to Bailey, bound to her own chair in the corner of the room. The sight of her pale face rather than making me sympathize with her made me annoyed.“Put it on.” I repeated.She turned to me with an icy glare. “You're insane!” “No, I'm a genius! Can't you see what we're doing here? Lachlan can't have you. He said he didn't wan
Amelia's POVA scream escaped my lips as the sound of gunshot echoed in the cathedral. Eric collapsed to the ground, his brown eyes holding mine as crimson began to grow around his white shirt. I felt a familiar pair of warm arms wrap around me. “Amelia… hey, it's going to be okay.” It was Lachlan. He planted a light kiss on my forehead, cradling me in his arms. “It's going to be okay. I need a medic in here!”Panic ripples through me as I struggle to breath. Each gulp of air was more difficult than the last and sooner, I began to hyperventilate.“Amelia?” Lachlan's voice became muffled in my head and his face became blurry.“Hey, get help! She's not breathing well!” Lachlan yelled, sounding the alarm to the officers.Amidst the panic, I felt a gush of water flood my shoes. A loud cry tore through my lips as I tightened my grip on Lachlan’s shirt. He looked down at me and gasped in shock. “Her water just broke! Amelia's going into labour.”Detective Matthew rushed to our aide with
Lachlan's POV “So…” Amelia asked quietly. “What happens now?” I ran my hand through my already tousled hair and exhaled softly. “Now?... We move with our lives.” “What do you mean?” Amelia looked at my face now, her brows furrowed in confusion. A shudder escaped my lips, and I replied. “You've given me an heir, Amelia…. The deal was to give me an heir and sign the divorce papers…” As much as it hurt me to admit it, it was the truth. “What?” Her eyes went round, and my heart clenched. The image of her broken expression was like a dagger to my heart, and I looked away. The only thing that mattered was Amelia. I didn't deserve it after hurting her—not once or twice, but over and over again. Her eyes filled the same way they did when she stumbled on Cassie kissing me in the office. It was never my intention for her to see that. Hell, I hadn't even wanted it to happen, but it did, and she had run away like she did before. Suddenly, memories of the incident flickered through my m
Lachlan’s POVThe paramedics arrived in time and rushed her to the hospital. I called her father to come wait with us. Even my family arrived at the hospital, and we all waited in the lobby, praying for Amelia's delivery. And just when I thought all hope was lost, I heard the cry of a baby.Now, we were waiting in the sterile waiting room surrounded by our family and everyone else who cared about us—her father, Bailey, Rebecca, hell, even my family showed up. Despite the company, I still felt alone. “Amelia will be fine.” Bailey said, sitting next to me. I looked down at my trembling hands. “She's been through a lot because of me….”“Come on. Don't say that, Lachlan.” Bailey put her arms around my shoulders.I shook my head. “If anything happens to her or the baby, I don't know what I'd—”“Stop!” Rebecca interrupted in a firm voice. “Don't say that! Nothing will happen to them.”My voice cracked as I tried to speak. “But…”“You've made mistakes, Lachlan. I understand, but you're he
Amelia's POVI watched Lachlan lower his gaze and apologize in a low voice. “I am so very sorry, Amelia. I want nothing else from you, but I do have a favor to ask.”Favor? What did he want? “What is it?”He hesitated for a moment before he whispered now. “That you forgive me.”“What?” I heard a light knock on the door, and the nurse entered. “Mr. Mallory, the police are waiting.”“Oh.” Lachlan said, then turned to me as if waiting for an answer. I gave him a nod, and he rose off the bed. “Can I come see you later?” He asked in a somber tone.Has Lachlan ever looked this vulnerable? “Yeah.” I replied weakly, leaning against the reclining bed. “Okay.” He turned away from the room and shut the door behind him. I heaved a sigh and closed my eyes. Tonight was a long night. The baby moved in my arms, and I pulled him close, inhaling his clean scent. “What do I do, baby?” I whispered. “What do I do?”The days that followed after that, Lachlan visited me in the hospital. And when he
Amelia's POV“Love is messy, Amelia. That's why we're in this mess. We are both tied down by the people we thought we loved. Love is ugly. It's—”“Real!” My cracked voice echoed in the room. “Love is real, and it's ours.”“You don't understand, Amelia,” Lachlan looked down. “We… we were never going to work out, Amelia. You and I... were…“Doomed from the beginning?” I completed it for him.“Yeah. We were doomed.” He whispered this time. A bitter laugh tore through my lips and I covered my mouth.“Amelia…” Lachlan tried to touch me but I stepped back. “Do you even hear yourself, Lachlan?” I said with a scoff. “Yeah. It's annoying, but it's true. Nothing …” he ran his hand through his hair. “Nothing about us was perfect. It was messy.”“Are you serious? Nothing about us was perfect? If it was, then why did you insist we divorce after the baby is born? Why did you make efforts to win me back? Why— “Don't romanticize what we had, Amelia. It was convenient and not love. You were conven
Lachlan's POVI couldn't handle Amelia rejecting me again. The moment I went home, I went straight to my bedroom and began to pack my bags. Maybe, space was what she needed from me. I was done packing and kept my box at the side. In the morning, I would leave for Japan. I had already informed my pilot. The jet was ready and so was everyone. After that, I sat in the bar in the living room, drinking some water. I didn't have the stomach for any more alcohol. I finished and kept down the glass. Almost immediately, I heard the sound of a driving vehicle. I wasn't expecting any guests and the guards knew better than to let anyone into the compound without informing me. I rose to my feet and waited. Just who was here?A soft knock in the door tore through the air and I froze.Was it mom? Nina? Dad?I made a beeline for the door and held it open. Standing before me was the person I expected to show up at my doorstep — Amelia. “Amelia, what are you—”Without a word, she pressed her lips
Amelia's POVI scrolled through my phone, wondering if I should call Lachlan.A part of me wanted to, while the other half told me it was a terrible idea.I sat up on the couch and chewed on my lip. It was late, and here I was, thinking about someone who was probably not thinking about me. I had rejected him most horribly. I'm pretty sure he hates me, and I'm pretty sure he's out drinking and laughing and living while I sit here, questioning every decision I have ever made.I searched for Lachlan in my message app, and I stared at the screen. “Do I apologize for what I did, or should I do it in person?”My finger hovered over the keyboard, and I typed. “I'm sorry.”Then I went to the emoji icon, looking for a sad emoji. I settled for the faceless emoji, but instead of sending it, I sent a kiss emoji.Just like that, I sent it. “No, no, no, no!”Before I could delete it, he had already read it. My phone dropped to my lap and I nearly screamed.Lachlan's POVI arrived with a dry look
Lachlan's POVThe next day, I decided to pretend nothing unusual happened in New York. But every time an employee asked how my vacation was, my mind drifted back to Amelia's rejection, and when that happened, I thought about her.I couldn't focus during meetings. I zoned out on more than one occasion, imagining endless possibilities of Amelia accepting me. One time I imagined I had never treated Amelia horribly in the past and that we were very happy. But rewinding time was impossible.“Sir… Sir!” Clara said it aloud.I blinked twice and looked at her and the sea of confused faces in the conference room.Shit. I zoned out. It was clear from the looks on their faces that they were worried about me. One more second in this room and they'll drown me in questions.I cleared my throat and reached for my phone on the table. The time was a few minutes past 4.“The meeting is adjourned to next Friday.” I pushed back my seat and walked out of the room. I took the elevator to the parking lot
Lachlan's POVThe work came crashing down around me. The kiss… The “Yes”... The happily ever after… Everything was a fantasy… A cruel trick the mind played on me.She turned to leave, but I couldn't call out to her or beg her to stay. I couldn't even move or speak. The ring was still clutched in my hand, and my heart was bleeding deep inside.I looked behind me as she walked away, not even stopping to even stare at me. I wanted to scream for her to stay with me, but she didn't.I rose to my feet and pocketed the ring, feeling absolutely dejected and somewhat dead on the inside.I followed the path she took, walking slowly behind her. “Amelia…”She didn't answer.“Amelia, please…” I whispered again, but she didn't stop.I couldn't let her go home like this. I ran up to catch up with her and caught her wrist. “Amelia!” I believe I raised my voice because almost everyone was staring at us.She passed, but she didn't look at me, but I could feel her hand tremble in mine.God, what the h
Lachlan's POVI ordered room service, and we ate breakfast in silence.As we ate, I couldn't stop myself from staring at Amelia. She looked twice as beautiful as she was before.She finally broke the silence. “Umm… You're looking the wrong way, Lachlan. The food is on the plate.”“Well, that's not the food I see.” I flashed her a grin, and her cheeks turned red. She gave a nervous laugh. “Wow. So funny.”When I saw that she was embarrassed to leave, I pushed back my chair. “Maybe we could go home today!” Amelia announced aloud, forcing me to resume my seat.“You want to go home?” I asked, sitting down. “Yeah…” She looked everywhere except my face. “We… we could just go home, you know…Uh… unwind… Forget about everything for a while.” “My face is up here, darling.” I told her.Amelia lifted her eyes to meet mine, and I smiled. “I thought of that too.”“You did?” She asked in surprise, and now I had the irresistible urge to kiss her.“Y—yeah.” I fisted my left hand, restraining mysel
Amelia's POVThe smell of food interrupted the dream I was having, and I stirred awake.I rubbed my eyes and sat up only to see Lachlan walking towards the bed with a tray of food. My heart skipped a beat. “Lachlan?”“Morning, beautiful.” He set down the tray next to me and plopped down on the bed next to me. I noticed a white flower and note ona the tray. The family sight made my heart flutter. Ife just like before. He still hasn't forgotten. “You did all this for me?”“Yeah. Do you like it?” Lachlan asked, tucking a stray hair behind my ears.“Like it?” It had been so long since he'd done something like this. I was surprised and happy all at once. I smiled and blushed. “I love it.”I picked up the note and read it. Warmth rushed through me, and my cheeks were flushed with heat. I had missed this too, a,nd I'm sure he had too.I, had even forgotten last night's little “argument.”“Thank you, Lachlan.” I beamed him a smile, and he palmed the back of his neck.His cheeks were red, a
Lachlan's POVMy mind keeps drifting to when Amelia hid the bag from me. Clearly, there was someone else. Someone else she clearly didn't tell me about. Well, why would she? She's an adult and has every right to do whatever she wants. I heaved another sigh and reached for the 5th glass of tequila shots. These shots soothe me more than any therapist I've ever been to.As I brought the alcohol to my lips, I heard a familiar voice behind me.“Ah, I see you escaped too.” said the voice.I looked around and found him—Duke. What was she doing here?He walked up to me and gave me a nod. “I didn't know you drank alone.”I refocused my gaze on the tequila shot, suddenly feeling too ashamed to drink, so I used it in my hand instead.Duke plopped on a stool beside me. “Well, I want to let you know that you have my gratitude.”I looked at him, puzzled. “Gratitude?”“Well, yeah.” Duke tossed a dollar bill on the counter, and the barman passed him a bottle of wine and a champagne glass. I guess he
Amelia's POVI was about to down my fourth glass of wine before Lachlan took it from me.“We don't want you drunk before dinner, do we?” He whispered gently in my ear, and I giggled.My head felt heavy, and the room was spinning. “Oh.”I felt Lachlan's arm around my waist, and he pulled me close to him.“Careful or you'll miss your step.” Lachlan whispered behind my ears, and I felt my toes squirm in my heels.“Oh.”“The champagne here is amazing.” I heard the Duke say this to his wife.Then Lachlan let go of me. I wanted his hand around me again.Before I could call for him, Eloise took my hand. “Amelia, you have a secret, don't you?”I sobered up immediately when I heard that. “S—secret?”Then I turned to Lachlan. Did he tell them that we were divorced?“Yes,” Eloise smiled. “You just tell me. What's your secret… to stay so young?”“What?” I was stunned.“Yeah.” Then she gave my arm to Lachlan. “Don't you feel how smooth it is?”“It is,” Lachlan smiled. “She takes care of herself.”
Amelia's POVWhen Lachlan left the house, I felt a bit disappointed. I had wanted him to stay. “Are you okay, Amelia?” I felt Rebecca’s hand on my arm, and I flinched.“Yes, of course.” I shot her a smile.“No, are you hearing the baby? He's crying.” She said with alarm.“What?” I yelled.That was when I heard it—a faint cry coming from upstairs. “Oh shit,” I bolted upstairs. “Thank you, Rebecca.”I raced upstairs to the nursery, where I found Bailey cradling the baby in her arms. “Where have you been?” She mouthed to me. “Downstairs.” I mouthed back. “My mind took a little detour.”She rolled her eyes and shooed me away from the room.I walked downstairs and slumped on the couch.“Are you okay?” Rebecca looked up from her phone. “No.” I said it with all honesty.“What's wrong?” She asked, palming circles on my back. “The baby?... Stress?... Both?”I heaved a sigh. “I wish.”“Then what is it?” she asked. Then she paused before she continued. “Is it Lachlan?”I felt my heart skip