Chapter 13
Amelia’s POV
I had just gotten home from work when I found my mom sitting in the living room. The night shift was Bella stressful and my shoulders ached with exhaustion. With a tired simile, I greeted before lowering myself beside her.
“How was work?” she asked, studying me.
“It was… eventful,” I said, letting out a soft laugh as flashes of Edmund’s antics at the hospital came rushing back.
Her brows lifted. “Is that why you’re late?”
“Trust me, Mum, you don’t even know half of it,” I murmured, stretching my arms and letting out a yawn. “I’m exhausted. I need my beauty sleep before I collapse right here.”
Before she could respond, a voice chimed in from the doorway.
“Oh good, Amelia, you’re back.”
I groaned. “Yay, it’s the annoying lady who hates to stay in her own house.”
Leyla gasped, pretending to be offended as she adjusted the apron tied around her waist. “I do not hate staying in my house.”
I arched a brow at her. “Then why aren’t you there right now?”
She placed her hands on her hips and huff. “What do you mean? I am at my house.”
I gave her a look and snorted. “Of course.”
She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, your daughter locked herself in her room and hasn’t come out since morning.”
My brows knitted in confusion. “Scarlett?”
She snorted again. “Of course Scarlett. You only have one daughter, don’t you?”
“Isn’t she supposed to be at school?” I asked,my chest tightened with worry.
My mother sighed. “That girl hasn’t stepped foot outside her room today.”
Panic rose in me. “And no one bothered to check on her? What if something is wrong?”
“Relax,” my mom said calmly. “We left breakfast by her door, and when we checked back, the tray was empty.”
That eased my worry a little, but still, Scarlett never acted like this. “I’ll go check on her,” I said, pushing myself up. “Something must be bothering her.”
I reached for my shawl and almost picked up the rose again when Leyla’s eyes widened.
“What is that?” she gasped.
I smiled. “This, my dear, is a Juliet Rose.”
Her jaw dropped, and she practically rushed toward me. “Juliet Rose, as in the Juliet Rose?”
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3:54 pm
Chapter 13
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“Yup.” I said, chuckling at her reaction.
She squealed in delight. “Can I touch it? Please?”
I nodded and handed it over carefully.
Her eyes sparkled like a child’s. “And it’s preserved? Wow!”
My mother, however, just looked confused. “What’s so special about that flower?”
Leyla turned to her dramatically. “This flower is worth over ten million dollars”
“Ten million!?” she nearly choked, “Why on earth would you spend that kind of money on a tower? my ver demanded.
I took it back gently from Leyla and shook my head. “I didn’t buy it, Mum. Someone gave it to me?
“Who?” she pressed immediately.
My eyes flicked to Leyla. She caught on instantly, muttered a quick “oh,” and scurried off toward the kitchen, leaving me t face my mother alone.
I sighed, bracing myself. “Edmund gave it to me.”
Her eyes went wide. “Edmund? As in Mr. Montgomery? Your ex–husband?”
I nodded, already regretting saying it.
“You’re seeing Edmund again?” she asked, her lips curving into a knowing smile.
“No, no, Mum it’s not like that,” I said quickly. “It’s complicated, okay? Edmund is just my… patient.”
She gave me a look that said she didn’t believe a single word.
I rushed to cut her off before she could ask anything else. “Look, Mum, let me just find a vase for this beauty and then check on Scarlett. We’ll talk about this later, I promise.”
I leaned down, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and started toward my room.
“But Amelia-” she called after me.
“Later, Mum, I promise!” I yelled back, slipping into my room before she could trap me with more questions. I closed the door behind me with a sigh and leaned against it for a moment, my heart racing for reasons I couldn’t even begin to explain.
Or maybe I did know the reason and i just wasn’t ready to acknowledge it yet.
The first thing I did was look for something I could use as a vase. After rummaging around, I found one, filled it with cold water, and placed the Juliet Rose delicately inside. I set it on the windowsill where the sunlight could reach it, its soft petals glowing against the glass. I stood there, lost in its beauty.
My thoughts drifted back to Scarlett, and the knot in my chest tightened. There was no way I could rest without knowing what was wrong with my baby.
I headed straight for her room and knocked lightly. “Scarlett, honey, it’s Mummy,” I called softly. “Can you open the door for
me?”
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I had hardy raken this wept away when I heard the soft click of the lock. My beart mine. I pushed the done w gends and stepped inside,
The room was dark and the curtains drawn Searleit wat curled up on her bed, her email frame pressed into a pille
“God, it’s dark in here.” I muttered, walking over to fling the curtains wire open, letting the sunlight streamed in
I sighed and lowered myself onto the bed beside her, brushing my hand over her hair. “Scarlett, you haven’t een wand helle to Mummy”
A muffled voice came from the pillow. “Hey, Mummy.”
I tried to smile. “Well, it’s too late for that now. Mummy’s already mad.” I leaned closer, lowering my tone. “But you could make me happy if you stop suffocating yourself with that pillow and tell me what’s really wrong
“Scarlett,” I coaxed gently.
She groaned, but finally lifted her head. Her face was blotchy, and her cheeks were stained with tears. She sat up with a pous and my heart broke a little at the sight.
“Now,” I said softly, “why didn’t you go to school today?”
Her lips trembled. “You were supposed to drop me at school like you always do. But you were running late, and I didn’t want Grandma or Aunty Leyla to take me.”
I frowned. “But sweetheart, Grandma and Aunty Leyla drop you off all the time. I don’t see why that’s a problem.”
Her eyes glistened as she snapped, “But today is different!” Her voice cracked, and tears spilled down her cheeks. “I really wanted you to drop me today.”
And just like that, she burst into sobs, burying her face back into the pillow.
1 froze, staring at her in shock. This wasn’t like Scarlett at all. She was usually bright, resilient, and easy to cheer up. But this outburst told me something deeper was going on.
And I knew, without a doubt, this wasn’t really about me being late.
“Baby, it would do us both a whole lot of good if you just tell me what’s going on,” I said softly, brushing her hair away from her damp cheeks. “I know this isn’t about me coming home late, or Grandma and your aunt dropping you off. Just tell me what it really is-”
“Today was supposed to be bring your father to school day, okay!!” she suddenly yelled, her tears spilling freely. “And everyone keeps making fun of me for not having one. I tried to ignore them, Mummy, I really did, but it just got worse. And if Grandma dropped me off today, they would’ve laughed even harder.”
Her small shoulders shook as she cried, and in that moment, my heart shattered.
My little girl was carrying pain I had tried so hard to shield her from. And she was hurting not because of anything she’d done, but because of me, because I was too afraid to face the truth.Too afraid to tell her father she even existed.
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Chapter 13
MM
My first excuse was not being able to reach him. But now he was here, in London, what was my exxuse?
That would he even care?
The thought twisted in my chest like a knife. Edmund had been clear in that damn contract, no children. He never warded them. And yet here she was, this beautiful, bright, stubborn little girl who had his eyes, his smile, his everything. My bundle of joy. My secret.
And now she was paying the price for choices I made years ago.
A tear slipped down my check before I could stop it. I quickly wiped it away, not wanting her to see. “Why didn’t you tell me, honey?” I whispered.
She sniffled, rubbing her little nose with the back of her hand. “Because I didn’t want you to cry. You always do when I bring it up.”
Her words cut deeper than I expected.
I forced a shaky smile and opened my arms. “Come here, baby.”
She crawled toward me without hesitation and curled into my chest, her little arms clutching me tightly. I held her as though I could absorb her pain into myself, rocking her gently. “Listen to me, Scarlett. You should never, ever be scared to tell me anything, okay? No matter how hurt you think I might feel. You can tell me everything. Hold nothing back.”
She nodded against me, her voice small. “Okay, Mummy.”
“Good girl.” I kissed her hair softly. “But you also shouldn’t be missing school whenever you feel like it. Only God knows how many classes you’ve missed today.”
“I’m sorry, Mum.”
I sighed but softened. “It’s fine. I’ll call your teacher and say you were running a temperature, that’s why you couldn’t make it. I’ll save you from her punishment this time. But no more funny business, alright?”
“Never, ever again,” she said, her little voice carrying a hint of guilt.
“That’s better.” I gave her a small smile. “Now, go downstairs and say sorry to Grandma and Aunty Leyla. You got them worried sick.”
“Okay!” she chirped, already bouncing back to her usual self. She hopped off the bed and dashed toward the door, her ponytail swaying behind her.
I watched her go, my chest tightening. She was the female version of Edmund, down to the way her eyes lit up when she smiled. And every single day, that resemblance grew harder to ignore.
I exhaled, leaning back against the bedpost. The way she felt today, the way she cried in my arms… it broke me in ways I didn’t even know I could break. I never wanted her to feel that kind of hurt again.
But how could I stop it when the only solution was to tell Edmund the truth?
That he had a daughter.
The question clawed at me, how would I even go about it? And if I did… would I be shattering his marriage in the process?
The uncertainty gnawed at me, but one thing was clear, I couldn’t keep this secret forever.
Or could 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.
