Chapter 50
Amelia’s POV
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“What!” Leyla’s voice almost burst my eardrum through the phone. “He just told you yesterday?”
“Yup,” I muttered, trying to tug my second shoe on while balancing the phone between my ear and shoulder. “Told me like it was a casual update, you know, no big deal that he’s throwing me into a last–minute medical outreach three hours away from London.”
“God, Amelia,” she groaned. “That man is- I don’t even have the words. Why would he wait until the night before to tell you?”
I yanked my hair into a messy bun and sighed. “Trust me, I asked myself the same question.”
I glanced at the clock, 5:30 a.m.. My heart sank. Great. Half an hour before the bus left and I wasn’t even out the door yet.
Leyla’s voice came again, all disbelief and chaos. “So wait, you’re actually going?”
I snorted, reaching for my bag. “What do you think? I’m already packed. About to leave the house.”
“Isn’t it a bit too early?” she asked. “Like, are you going to go clean the office first or something?”
I laughed, even as I rushed around. “As if. The bus leaves by six, and I’m already late.”
“You better hurry then!”
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“Yeah, I’m on it,” I said, grabbing my keys. I glanced at my phone again. “Shit, it’s almost six. I have to go, Leyla, talk to you later, okay?”
“Okay! Call me when you get there!”
“Will do. Love you, bye!”
I ended the call, pulled the door shut behind me, and half–jogged down the steps. My suitcase wheels thumped noisily against each one.
When the ride arrived, I practically threw myself into the backseat. “Please drive a bit faster,” I said breathlessly. “I’m running late.”
The driver only gave a silent nod, but thankfully, the car sped up. My heart wouldn’t stop racing. I could already imagine the entire team glaring at me for being the reason the bus left late.
By the time we pulled up to the hospital compound, it was 6:20 a.m.. Twenty minutes late.
“Thanks,” I muttered, handing the driver some cash before grabbing my suitcase and hurrying toward the
gate.
The security guard looked half asleep as he scanned my work badge. “You’re here early today, Dr. Garcia,” he
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Chapter 50
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mumbled before letting me through.
Early? I frowned but brushed it off and hurried inside. The courtyard was strangely quiet.
Too quiet.
I checked the time again, 6:40.
Where was everyone?
The place was supposed to be busy by now. At least the outreach coordinator, the nurses, someone. But all I could hear was the wind rustling through the trees and my own footsteps echoing across the pavement.
A weird unease prickled the back of my neck.
Maybe they left from another gate? No, impossible. This was the main departure point.
I tried calling Steven. No answer.
I sighed, muttering under my breath. “Great. Just great.”
Setting my suitcase down, I started back toward the gate to ask if maybe the driver had seen a bus leave earlier.
I hadn’t even gone three steps when I heard the gate open behind me.
Finally.
୫
Relief flooded me. Thank God, I thought, turning around, expecting to see a big white bus full of staff.
But instead, a sleek black Ford rolled in, tinted windows gleaming under the early sunlight.
I blinked, confused.
The car rolled to a slow stop right in front of me, and then the driver’s window came down.
“Dr. Garcia,” Edmund said with a faint smile. His voice was too smooth for this hour of the morning. “Why are you here?”
I blinked, genuinely baffled. “I thought you said I was traveling with the others by six.”
“Well, yes, I did,” he said, tilting his head slightly. “But… what are you doing here now?”
“What do you mean?” I frowned.
“It’s a few minutes after seven, you know that, right?”
My jaw dropped. “What?” I glanced at my phone, 7:06 a.m.
I groaned inwardly. “I’ve been here since six–thirty, and I haven’t seen the bus or anyone for that matter.”
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Chapter 50
He stared at me for a second, then started laughing.
Laughing.
I blinked at him, annoyed. “What’s so funny?”
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“I told you the bus was leaving at six a.m. sharp, Amelia,” he said between chuckles. “I didn’t say you should be here by six a.m.”
I narrowed my eyes. “So what exactly are you trying to say?”
He stopped laughing, smirk tugging at his lips. “I’m afraid you’ve missed the bus, Dr. Garcia.”
My heart sank, but at the same time, a strange wave of relief washed over me.
“Well, that’s just perfect,” I muttered. “Guess I’ll just grab my bag and head home then.”
I turned to pull my suitcase.
“Wait, wait,” he called, but I didn’t stop.
Next thing I knew, the car door opened, and his footsteps followed behind me.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
I turned a little too sharply. “Back home, sir.”
“Back home?” He raised an eyebrow. “Why are you going back home?”
I gave a small, disbelieving laugh. “Uh, because I missed the bus?”
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He nodded slowly, clearly amused. “And what on earth makes you think you aren’t going anymore?”
“Because…” I gestured helplessly. “There’s no bus.”
“Well, that won’t be an issue, Dr. Garcia,” he said, his tone too calm for my liking. “Because you’ll be driving with me to Brixton.”
My eyes widened. “What?”
He smiled faintly, the kind of smile that said I already planned this.
“Four hours, Dr. Garcia,” he said. “Plenty of time to talk about the outreach… and other things.”
“Four hours?” I repeated, horrified. “In the same car? With you?”
“Is there a problem?”
Yes. The problem was him.
Four hours trapped in a confined space with my boss–slash–ex–husband, whose very existence still managed
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Chapter 50
to irritate and confuse me definitely qualified as a problem.
I exhaled sharply. “Sir, with all due respect, that doesn’t seem… appropriate.”
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He smiled again, eyes glinting. “Appropriate?” he echoed. “It’s a work trip, Amelia. Unless you have a personal reason why it would be inappropriate?”
I opened my mouth to argue but shut it again. Damn him. He always knew how to twist words just enough to make me look ridiculous.
“No personal reason,” I said tightly. “I just didn’t expect—”
“Good,” he cut in smoothly. “Because I’d hate for my best project lead to miss the outreach because of poor time management.”
I shot him a look. “You changed the time, didn’t you?”
He didn’t answer, which was, of course, an answer in itself.
I groaned. “You actually did.”
He smirked, walking ahead to open the car door for me. “Get in, Dr. Garcia.”
“Unbelievable,” I muttered under my breath, dragging my suitcase behind me.
«
When I slid into the passenger seat, the faint scent of his cologne hit me, subtle, expensive, maddeningly familiar. I straightened, trying to put as much distance as the car would allow between us.
He climbed in next, fastened his seatbelt, and glanced at me sideways. “Comfortable?”
“Barely.”
He chuckled, and instructed the driver to start the engine.
The drive started in silence, except for the low screech of the tires against the road. My mind was still spinning, part of me irritated, part of me nervous, and another part of me… confused.
Why did he do this? Why not just let me miss it?
After a few minutes, he broke the silence. “You seem unusually quiet.”
“I’m trying not to say something that’ll get me fired.”
His lips twitched. “You’re not getting fired.”
“Then why the sudden decision to have me join this trip?”
“Because you’re needed.”
“Right,” I muttered. “And you couldn’t possibly tell me that before 10 p.m. last night?”
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Chapter 50
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He didn’t answer at first. His gaze stayed on the road, jaw tightening slightly. “You would’ve found an excuse not to come.”
I turned toward him, eyebrows furrowed. “Excuse me?”
“Don’t look so surprised,” he said calmly. “You’ve been avoiding me since the last board meeting. I figured this would… fix that.”
“Fix it?” I repeated, almost laughing. “Edmund, this isn’t therapy.”
He glanced at me, eyes sharp. “No. But it’s time we stopped pretending we don’t have history.”
I blinked, taken aback by his bluntness. My heart thudded uncomfortably.
“History doesn’t mean anything now,” I said quietly. “That was a long time ago.”
“Was it?” he murmured, almost to himself.
I swallowed hard and looked away, my reflection flickering faintly in the window.
Outside, the sun was rising, soft orange spilling across the sky. For a moment, it felt like the world was holding its breath.
I hated how easily he could still throw me off balance. The same man who once knew exactly how I liked my coffee, who could read me better than anyone, now sitting just inches away, talking like we hadn’t spent years building walls between us.
“Stop overthinking,” he said suddenly.
I snapped my gaze toward him. “Excuse me?”
“You’re doing that thing again,” he said without looking at me. “Where you stare out the window and bite lip like you’re debating whether to jump out of the moving car.”
I glared at him. “You’re imagining things.”
He smiled. “Maybe.”
“Or maybe you just enjoy annoying me.”
“Guilty,” he said easily, a hint of amusement in his tone.
I turned away again, muttering under my breath. “You’re unbelievable.”
“I’ve been told,” he replied.
Despite myself, a reluctant smile tugged at my lips, one I quickly tried to hide.
your
The road stretched endlessly ahead, quiet except for the hum of the car and the unspoken tension filling the air between us.
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Chapter 50
Four hours.
Four whole hours with Edmund Montgomery.
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And somehow, I had a feeling it was going to feel a lot longer than that.
I
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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.
