Chapter 37
Amelia’s POV
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The door shut behind him with a light click, but it seemed to echo through the walls of my house. My body sagged instantly, as if the strength holding me upright had been tied to his presence, and now that he was gone, I could finally crumble.
I stood there for a long moment, staring at the door, fighting the trembling in my hands. My chest rose and fell too fast, each breath scraping against the tightness in my lungs.
He knew. Or at least… he suspected.
The way Edmund’s eyes had lingered, the way his questions pierced so carefully, so deliberately, it wasn’t just curiosity anymore. He was circling the truth like a predator that had already scented blood.
I pressed a palm against my stomach, feeling nauseous. My mind was spinning with too many what–ifs: what if he forced the truth out of me, what if he took Scarlett, what if he dragged us both into a courtroom where I’d be picked apart piece by piece until I was no longer mother but simply unfit guardian.
“Stop,” I whispered to myself, clutching my head. “Stop it.”
But the thoughts wouldn’t stop. They grew, fed by the image of Edmund storming in one day with papers in his hands and lawyers flanking him on both sides. I could already hear the words custody hearing, parental rights, visitation schedules.
I couldn’t breathe.
I stumbled toward the staircase, my legs weak, my throat tight. My mother’s voice drifted from upstairs, and when I reached the landing, I saw her sitting on the edge of Scarlett’s bed, stroking her hair while she slept.
Scarlett’s little chest rose and fell in perfect rhythm, her face still pale from the earlier scare. My heart clenched. She looked so small. So fragile. And so completely mine.
“Mom,” I whispered, my voice hoarse.
She glanced up at me, and instantly her face shifted from calm to concerned. “Amelia?”
I nodded toward the hallway, signaling her to come out. I couldn’t let Scarlett hear even a whisper of this.
We moved into the guest room down the hall. The moment the door closed, I sank onto the bed, burying my face in my hands.
“Amelia, what is it?” she asked, her tone firm but gentle, the way it always was when I was about to fall apart.
I lifted my head slowly, tears already burning the corners of my eyes. “He knows, Mom. Or–he doesn’t know yet, but he’s close. Too close.”
She sat beside me, her hand covering mine. “Who?”
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Chapter 37
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“Edmund.” Just saying his name out loud sent another wave of panic rolling through me. “He came here. He was asking questions. He… he noticed things. The way Scarlett looks, the mark on her skin, the way I live. He’s piecing it together, Mom, and I–I don’t know what to do.”
Her grip on my hand tightened. She didn’t look shocked. If anything, she looked like she’d been waiting for
this moment.
“Then you have to tell him, Amelia,” she said quietly.
My head snapped up. “What? No. No, I can’t. If I tell him, it’s over. He’ll take her from me. You know what kind of man he is, he has resources, power, money. He could bury me in court before I even get to defend myself.”
Her eyes softened with sadness, but her voice stayed steady. “And if you don’t tell him, do you think he won’t find out? Men like Edmund don’t stop until they get answers. He’ll dig, and when he uncovers the truth himself, it will be worse. You’ll lose not just Scarlett, but his trust too.”
Tears spilled down my cheeks. “I don’t care about his trust. I only care about her.”
“And that’s why you need to do this,” she said, brushing my hair from my damp face. “You’ve been carrying this secret for too long. It’s eating you alive. Tell him yourself, before he takes it from you.”
The words struck deep, sharper than I wanted to admit. I shook my head, clutching my knees like a child. “You don’t understand. The moment I tell him, everything changes. Right now, at least, she’s still mine. All mine. But if I confess, if I open that door, I might lose her. I can’t lose her, Mom. She’s my whole life.”
Her expression broke, and she pulled me into her arms. “Oh, my baby,” she whispered, her voice trembling for the first time. “I know you’re scared. Of course you’re scared. You’ve fought so hard to protect her. But love isn’t protection if it’s built on lies. One way or another, the truth always finds its way out.”
I shook against her, sobbing into her shoulder. My mind kept flickering with images I couldn’t escape: Scarlett sitting between lawyers in some sterile office, Edmund holding her hand while I sat across the room helpless, a judge calling his name instead of mine.
“What if I lose her?” I choked out, the question tearing from me like a wound splitting open.
“You won’t,” she whispered fiercely, cupping my face so I was forced to meet her eyes. “Because you’re her mother. And no matter what happens, nothing in this world can take that bond from you.”
But I didn’t believe her. Not fully. Not when I knew what Edmund was capable of.
The fear clawed at me, relentless, a living thing pressing against my ribs until I could hardly breathe. I collapsed against her again, my body shaking as the words tumbled out in broken fragments.
“I can’t do it. I can’t watch him look at her and realize she’s his. I can’t stand there while he takes everything I’ve fought for. I don’t know how to survive that.”
She held me tighter, rocking me like she used to when nightmares woke me as a child. “Then you start by surviving this moment,” she murmured. “One moment at a time. And when the time comes, you’ll be stronger than you think.”
Her certainty wrapped around me like a fragile shield but inside my heart was still breaking. Because deep.
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Chapter 37
:
down, I knew the breaking point was already here.
And I wasn’t ready.
Not for the truth.
Not for the fight.
Not for the risk of losing the only person who made my world worth living.
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The sobs came harder, rawer, until finally I collapsed fully into her arms, my voice breaking in the quiet
room.
“What if I lose her?”
“But again, what if it works?” She asked me calmly
The words echoed, fragile and desperate, clinging to the only hope I had left.
AD
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
