Amelia's eyes widened at Perry's question, caught off guard by the unexpected inquiry. For a moment, she hesitated before answering, her thoughts racing.The silence stretched out for a beat too long as she bristled defensively. "No, of course not. Why would you even ask that?""I just know how you get when you're passionate about something," Perry replied calmly. "If you're not in love with Andrew, why does it bother you so much that Lila was kissing him?" she asked."I don't know," Amelia said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. "Maybe. But it doesn't matter now, not after what I just saw."Perry's voice held a note of curiosity as she asked, "Why haven't you told Andrew how you feel about him?"Amelia let out a bitter laugh in response to Perry's question. "Honestly, Perry, I don't even know what I feel for Andrew," she said, her voice tinged with frustration."He's always treating me so coldly, and he never misses an opportunity to throw it in my face that he saved my fat
Henry opened his boot and put Amelia's bag in as she entered his car and they drove to her house. There was a moment of silence in the car as Henry drove.Suddenly, Henry spoke up. "I heard Andrew's surgery was successful," he said, his voice gentle.Amelia nodded, feeling a pang of guilt for not reaching out to him and returning his calls. "Yes, and I'm sorry I haven't returned your calls or messages.He turned to face Amelia and smiled warmly. "No problem, Amelia. I'm just glad I could be here for you."Then he asked, "Andrew didn't let you pick my calls, did he?"Amelia felt a sudden sense of discomfort at Henry's question. While she knew that Henry meant no harm, his question hit a nerve that she didn't quite know how to articulate.She didn't want to dwell on her relationship with Andrew or what happened in Turkey."Can we please not go there, Henry?" she said, her voice soft. "I just want to focus on my mom and make sure she's okay."Henry nodded, seeming to understand. "Of cour
The voice was stern, and it made Amelia's blood boil as it descended down the stairs. She turned towards the stairs and saw her father, Mr. Tate. He stood there with a stern expression on his face, looking down at her with a disapproving glare.Amelia's anger towards her father began to boil inside of her. How could he be so insensitive and uncaring? All he ever cared about was business and money, never taking the time to understand her or her needs. "Amelia, I asked you a question. What are you doing here when your husband is recovering from surgery?"Amelia's anger flared up at her father's words. He had always been more concerned with business and money than with his own family, and she had grown tired of his constant meddling. "I came here to be with my mother, Dad. She had an asthma attack, and she needs me," she said, her voice laced with frustration.Mr. Tate didn't back down, though. "And what about your husband? Didn't he just have surgery? Shouldn't you be with him?"Amel
Amelia's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't expected her mom to see through her ruse so easily. She stammered, trying to come up with a plausible excuse."I... I came back because I was worried about you. You weren't feeling well, and I wanted to make sure you were okay." She said, her words barely audible.Mrs. Tate shook her head, not buying her story. "You know I always have my asthma attack once in a while, it's nothing new," she said, her voice firm.She noticed that Amelia seemed to be avoiding her gaze, and she knew that something was not right. She took a step closer to her daughter and placed a hand on her cheek, turning her face towards her."Amelia, look at me," Mrs. Tate said firmly. "I can tell that there is something you're not telling me. What happened in Turkey? Why did you really come back?"Amelia took a deep breath and looked into her mother's eyes, feeling a sense of comfort and security in their warmth. She knew that she could trust her mother with anything, and she
Amelia's anger boiled over at his question. "Why do you even care where I am?" she snapped. "What about Lila?"Andrew's voice was tight when he spoke. "Leave Lila out of this, Amelia. This is between you and me."She felt her blood pressure rise. "No, Andrew. This is about you kissing your ex-girlfriend in your hospital bed leaving me outside. And then not even having the decency to apologize for it.""You had no right to just barge into my room like that, Amelia, if you had knocked, you wouldn't have seen what you saw."His words echoed in Amelia's mind as she tried to make sense of what had just happened. How could he blame her for walking in on him and Lila kissing in his hospital room?Amelia's anger bubbled up again at his words. "Are you serious, Andrew? You're going to blame me for your mistake?"Andrew's voice was defensive. "You could have at least given me some privacy. Instead, you just walked in like you owned the place."She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You're
Perry stepped into her darkened bedroom, where Amelia laid, fast asleep. She approached the bed and gently tapped her shoulder. "Amelia," she whispered, "wake up."Amelia moaned in response, her voice muffled by the pillow she had buried her face in. Perry smiled to herself, knowing that she would have to be more persuasive.She pulled the covers off her body, exposing her to the cool air of the room. "Come on, Amelia," she said, a hint of laughter in her voice. "You've been sleeping too much lately. Are you pregnant?"Amelia groaned and turned over, facing Perry with bleary eyes. "You wish," she muttered, rubbing her eyes.Perry grinned and leaned down to tickle her sides. "Wake up, Ame," she said, still laughing.Finally, she gave in and sat up, pushing her hair out of her face. "Alright, alright," she said, yawning. "I'm up. You win."Perry's eyes searched her face as she sat up on the bed, taking in her expression before speaking. "Amelia," she said, her voice gentle. "It's been
Amelia's face fell as she slowly descended the stairs, her eyes glued to the pile of papers at her feet. Perry watched as she knelt down, picking up the scattered sheets and trying to make sense of the mess.It was clear that something serious was going on, but Perry couldn't quite understand the details. She watched as Mr. Tate paced back and forth, muttering to himself in frustration.She also watched as Amelia slowly unfolded them, her eyes scanning the contents.Mr. Tate's voice rose as he turned to face her, his anger palpable. "This is what you wanted, isn't it?" he yelled accusingly."No, Dad, that's not what I wanted," she said softly, trying to keep the tears from falling. "I didn't ask Andrew to pull out his funds, and I didn't ask to be used as a business transaction either."Mr. Tate's tone turned harsh as he spoke again. "Did Andrew tell you he's some kind of charity? The deal was to marry you and he'll save us from bankruptcy, but your pride ruined everything."Amelia d
Amelia smiled warmly at Tony as he stepped out of the car to greet her."It's nice to see you too, Tony," she said, her voice filled with genuine warmth. "Thank you for coming to pick me up."He nodded, his face serious. "Of course, ma'am," he said, opening the trunk of the car. "Mr. Reynolds wanted to make sure you got here safely."Amelia didn't say a word, she just gave him a gentle smile.Tony placed her bags in the trunk, then he turned to his seat. Amelia couldn't help but ask about Andrew, as she turned to Tony. "So how's Andrew been?" she asked, her voice filled with curiosity.He smiled. "Wait till you see him yourself ma'am Amelia."As the car drove away from Perry's house, Amelia watched out of the window, as she waved at Perry who was standing outside watching her leave.Amelia sat at the backseat, her hands clasped tightly together in her lap as she gazed out the window. The passing scenery was a blur of green trees and plush lawns as they made their way through the hea