Amelia I watched him walk out of the house without saying a word to me. His face was swollen, and he appeared weak. I wanted to go up to him and hold him, probably place his head on my breast, and let him know; we just had a very weird outburst yesterday, which was very expected. That we didn’t mean anything we said. I was in love with him, and only he had the key to my heart. All I wanted was peace between him and Eric. I didn’t like the fact that their rival worsened on my account. But I didn’t think this would escalate this much. I was troubled.And maybe I used the wrong words the previous day. But I also didn’t appreciate the fact that he kept likening Eric to that slutty bitch. I just couldn’t contain it. That was too insulting, and I just couldn’t take it. Of course, Eric was crossing the lines, and I needed to keep him in check. But I just couldn’t take the insults Lachlan hurled at him.At the moment, I didn’t even know where I stood. But I knew I wasn’t happy with what hap
Amelia A familiar ringtone interrupted my nap, and I turned to my phone to check who had called. At the sight of the caller ID, my lips widened in smile. Bailey was never late. She was always accurate with timing when she called. I didn’t feel good to call her and let her find out about what happened; seeing her nephew was the reason this happened in the first place. I knew the problems this could create for them, and I didn’t want that.But I didn’t think I could manage this anymore. This was my marriage, and I needed to throw sentiments aside and get help. So I was determined to tell her everything. I didn’t care anymore who it affected. Because obviously, no one cared how this affected me. “Hi Bailey,” I said as I answered the call, sitting up. “So if I never call, we can never talk?” She said, scolding me. I sighed. I was very guilty of this.“I’m sorry, Bailey. I promise to also reach out.” I apologised, not knowing how to defend myself. She heaved a sigh. “It’s okay. How ar
AMELIAMy mind was whirling with so many thoughts as I ended the call with Bailey. I bit my lip as I began to strategise a plan on how I could apologise to Lachlan. Last night was so awkward and tense between us, and I don't think I want to live so uncomfortably with him when we just recently started to heal from our past. He was trying his best, and I just decided to be a fool and open my stupid mouth and compare him to Eric. I'm still wondering why he sent those gifts. I needed to talk to him, but first I must fix my marriage. I had decided to look at it from his own point of view. I knew his relationship with that woman was more intimate than the relationship I had with Eric. Maybe that was why I suddenly got defensive. Because she got to enjoy his touch, meanwhile I had never been with any man apart from him, and from the beginning it was a horrible experience for me. Until recently. I had imagined Cassandra sending him a box of gifts, and suddenly I felt livid and territorial
LACHLANDrowning my sorrows in alcohol was the worst decision I have ever made. My head felt like it was about to split open and my chest felt cramped and suffocated. I was suffocating in dread. When I left the house early in the morning I headed straight to work but did nothing except sign papers. I made sure Clara cleared my whole schedule and if anyone asked she should just say I was indisposed. I waited till it was late in the evening before I drove over to one of my bars. It has been a while since I came here. It was one of the few properties I have in my name and I realized I needed to pay much more attention to it. When I walked in the manager recognized me immediately and led me to my office. I asked him to send someone to get me a bottle of whiskey and he replied with a “Right away sir.” Before leaving me alone. Not too long after he left, a waiter came back later with the bottle, a glass and a bucket of ice. I had been drinking ever since the bottle arrived and I was alm
AMELIA Lachlan stared at me with weary eyes, his grip on the fork tightening. It was a good thing he had gone halfway through his plate before I spoke. I knew his appetite was long gone now. He reclined back on his seat and sighed. “What is it you want to talk about?” No term of endearment, just straight to business. I unconsciously chewed my lip in anxiety. I didn't know how this conversation was going to go. But first I needed to apologise for what I did. “I’m sorry.” Silence followed my words. We stared at each other for a while, and I couldn't decipher what he was thinking. His face was blank of any emotions, and it was already making me uncomfortable. Normally I could tell what he was feeling just by his facial expression and body language, but now I couldn't see a thing. It was new and daunting. “You don't need to apologise for anything, Amelia. I'm the one who needs to apologise,” he finally said after minutes of stretched silence. I shook my head in disagreement. "N
LACHLANI held Amelia’s wrists as she fought against me, struggling to be free of my embrace. “I'm so sorry, my love. I'm so sorry for everything I have done. For everything I've put you through.” I kept whispering in her ears over and over again. My fingers tangled in her hair as her body racked with sobs. I could feel her pain like it was my own. As she cried, I could hear the sorrow in her voice. The sound made my knees almost buckle against the weight of it. It was like a vice pulling me down underwater in an attempt to drown me. I wanted to take all her pain away. I picked her crying body bridal style and walked us upstairs to my room. Thankfully, she let me carry her. I had to find a way to manoeuvre and pull the door open with her in my arms. I was grateful when it worked after several failed attempts. I carefully placed her on the bed and walked back to close my room door, then turned off the room lights. I pulled my shoes off and left my socks on, then I got into bed wi
ERIC“What do you mean she returned them?” “Exactly what I just said, Cassandra, or have you suddenly gone deaf? She returned everything I sent.” “But why?!"I completely zoned out the moment she began her endless rant about how I said this plan would work in ruining their relationship. It was supposed to work. I just have no idea what went wrong. All the cards were falling into place. After the gifts were delivered, I got a call from Amelia saying we needed to talk. What I didn't expect was to hear Lachlan's voice at the other end of the phone call. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face when he started to yell through the phone. I knew there was no way they didn't get into a fight after that phone call. It was just impossible. I decided to wait for Amelia to call me again after Lachlan showed her his true colors. Instead, I got the shock of my life when the delivery man knocked on my door and returned the gifts I had sent to her. I was so angry I trashed everythi
AMELIAI woke up to the feeling of someone caressing the side of my face. A low hum spilt from my throat when those powerful hands kneaded the flesh of my neck in a massage. The knot that has been forming there for days loosened a bit, leaving me a little satisfied. Emphasis on a little. “Good morning, Amelia.” God, even his morning voice was sexy. “Don’t stop….” I caught his hand, which had stopped its ministrations, and put it on my lower back, which had been aching too. Lachlan chuckled and applied pressure to the spot I placed his hand on. Unconsciously, I let out a soft moan in response to his touch. My cheeks burnt in embarrassment, but Lachlan either didn't hear me or he just chose to ignore it to save me from embarrassment. Lachlan's strong fingers kneaded my tense muscles, his touch gentle yet firm. He made me lay on my side, a pillow supporting my growing belly, my eyes closed in bliss."Right there?" he whispered, applying pressure to a particularly knotted spot.I humm
Amelia's POVI breathed softly to make him believe I was asleep, and he did. The only problem was he wasn't going to sleep.We stayed like that. Minutes turned to probably an hour or more, and I was getting tired.The rain had stopped falling, and I was glad. I reached for my phone on the bedside table to check the time. It was nearly 5 am.“What?” Those words left my lips before I could stop myself. I had to leave. I pushed back the bedcovers and turned my leg on the left side. Just as my feet hit the floor, I heard Lachlan stir. “Hey, Amelia,” he said in a low voice. “You okay?”Shit. I turned to face him. “Yes. Just about to head to the bathroom.”I noticed him pinching his eyes. Did he see through the lie? “Are you sure you're okay?” he repeated. “Beaveu you look like you're about to run away.” “I'm fine.” I nearly snapped. Then I immediately rubbed my temples. “Sorry, it's just…”“It's alright.” Lachlan said, looking disappointed. “If you want to get better reception, try d
Lachlan's POVAmelia's fingers brushed mine as she took the cup, and I sucked in a breath. Suddenly, I was yearning for her touch.Awkward silence stretched between us, and I cleared my throat and gestured to the duffle bag near the couch. “Your things are right here.” I said. Amelia glanced at the box and pressed her lips in a thin line. “Thank you.”“You don't have to.” I muttered. “It's the least I could do.”And just like that, we relapsed into silence. I turned to bring out the bag and drop it next to her. “Thanks,” Amelia said, dropping the coffee mug on the tray. “I should go.”“Sure.” I rose to my feet, and so did she. Amelia clutched the duffle bag, looking at me softly. “You look… tired. tTake care of yourself.”Before I could respond, drops of rain tapped against the window. Within minutes, the soft drizzle turned into a full downpour. I looked at the window; the sky had darkened as though it was night. “Damn it. I'm so sorry this happened.”“You're sorry for the rai
Lachlan's POV It wasn't luck that kept me standing.It was Amelia.And now, she is gone.I took the car back to the hospital, hoping I'd bump into Bailey or Amelia. I didn't know what I was thinking driving back, but I knew I had to do it. I had to see Amelia even if it was just a glimpse of her. The car parked in the driveway, and I climbed out of the driver's seat. The smartwatch around my wrist beeped quietly. I had set an alarm for 1 pm for a meeting I had with some investors. Now, that would have to wait. I needed to have a word with Amelia. I walked to the front desk as if on autopilot. There, I met two nurses who recognized me from the night Amelia gave birth. Each of them beamed me a lovely smile and asked why I was back there.“Amelia Mallory? Is she here?” I inquired, looking over my shoulder.“Oh, your wife?”Wife. That's a word I don't think I’d hear in the next decade or years to come.I hesitated for a moment before answering. “Y—yes.”The ginger-haired nurse pushed
Lachlan's POV“I'm not talking about golfing together, dude.” Matthew scoffed. “It's your brother.”“Chris…”“You need to go down to the station. Chris wants to talk to you. Says it's urgent.”“Did he say exactly why?” “No, but he did say it had to be you and was for your ears only.”I thought hard about it. What did Chris want to tell me that he couldn't tell the cops? I didn't have the answers to them; only he could provide answers to that. “Fine. I'll be at the station soon.” I replied. The call ended, and I slipped my phone back into my pocket, hoping I wouldn't regret visiting.I arrived at jail and regretted it immediately.As I stepped through the heavy metallic doors, the stench of steel, sweat, and faint smell of bleach poured out. I nearly pinched my nose, but I had to stop myself. The officer escorting me didn't budge and led me down the corridor in small, graceful steps. “Here.” The officer said, stopping in front of the thick pane of glass divided by a pair of telepho
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
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
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
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
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