Chapter 68
Amelia’s POV
The car slowed as we turned into my neighborhood, the glow of the streetlights spilling into the car like pale ghosts.
Neither of us said another word.
The driver’s voice came softly from the front seat.“Ma’am… sir… we’ve arrived.”
The moment shattered, fragile and final.
I exhaled shakily and reached for the door handle, but before I could step out, Edmund spoke again, barely above a whisper. “Please, Amelia… don’t shut me out completely.”
My hand stilled on the handle. I stared ahead for a moment before answering. “I’m not shutting you out, Edmund,” I said quietly. “I’m just… trying to breathe.”
He didn’t reply. I could feel his eyes on me, heavy with things unsaid. When he finally got out, I thought he’d just leave. But instead, he circled the car and opened my door, offering his hand.
I hesitated, then took it briefly before slipping free.
The night air hit me, cool and still. The kind that felt like I’d been holding my breath.
And then, just as I opened my mouth to say goodnight, a voice broke through the silence.
“Mommy!”
Scarlett’s little voice rang through the night like sunlight cutting through fog. She came running barefoot across the small paved path, her pink nightdress fluttering as she laughed. My heart softened instantly. I crouched down, opening my arms just in time to catch her mid–run.
Her laughter filled the quiet driveway, warm and bright, the kind of sound that mends things you didn’t even know were broken “I missed you, Mommy,” she whispered, hugging me tight.
“I missed you more, baby,” I said, kissing her forehead.
Then she turned, spotting Edmund, and her whole face lit up.“Daddy!” she squealed, running straight to him.
I froze for half a second, that word hitting me harder than I expected. Edmund’s face softened as he bent to scoop her up.
“I missed you so much,” she said, holding his cheeks between her tiny hands.
“I missed you too, pumpkin,” he said, his voice thick. He smiled, reaching into his jacket pocket. “Guess what? I brought you something.”
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
He pulled out a small velvet box and handed it to her. Scarlett gasped when she opened it, inside was a delicate silver charmi bracelet. Tiny stars and a small heart charm with an engraved S hung from it.
“It’s so pretty!” she whispered, hugging him so tightly I almost laughed. She giggled against his shoulder.
I watched them. The way his expression softened around her, the tenderness in his voice. It twisted something inside me I didn’t want to feel. The man who could make me furious one moment could melt completely at the sight of our daughter.
1/4
6:20 pm
Chapter 68
And despite everything, that sight made my heart ache in a way I couldn’t describe
Edmund helped Scarlett fasten the bracelet, then stood slowly. When his gaze moet wine, the warmth in biryes little. A quiet awkwardness crept between us again, that heavy, unspoken kind that feels too familiar
He cleared his throat. “I should probably get going. It’s late.”
Scarlett’s smile faltered. “Already?”
He crouched again, brushing a curl from her face. “Hey. I’ll come see you soon, okay?
She pouted, her voice barely a whisper. “Promise?”
He smiled faintly. “Promise.”
When he stood again, I looked away, pretending to adjust Scarlett’s bracelet. I didn’t trust my work right thes
He lingered a moment, then said softly, “Take care of yourself… both of you.”
I nodded. “Goodnight, Edmund,”
He hesitated, long enough that I almost looked up, then finally turned and walked toward the car. Scary waved usilie taillights disappeared into the night.
The quiet returned, heavier than before.
I carried Scarlett inside, her little head resting against my shoulder. She was asleep before I even reached her room 1 Saint her on her bed, pulling the blanket up to her chin, brushing the hair from her forehead. For a moment, I just stood forse watching her sleep, peaceful, with no idea of how cruel the word was towards people they didn’t know or coulder understand.
When I finally walked into my own room, the weight of everything came crashing down. My gown was still on, murup smudged, heels kicked off near the door. I sat at the edge of my bed and just stared. The silence was deafening de kind that forces you to hear your own thoughts.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand.
I hesitated, staring at it for a few seconds, already dreading what I might see. But curiosity, or maybe pain won.
I unlocked it.
And there it was. Headlines. Photos, Videos, Clips from the gala flashing across every page of my feed.
One video showed Edmund and me standing side by side. Another showed Vikki smirking as she whispered something day the reporters. And then came the comments – endless, cruel, merciless.
“Homewrecker.”
‘She looks proud of herself,”
‘Guess money really buys everything.”
‘Poor Edmund, stuck between two women,”
Each word was a stab to the chest. My throat tightened as I scrolled, my pulse thudding painfully in my cars. I didn’t even realize I was holding my breath until it came out in a shaky sigh.
2/4
*
egged due to do my hay and ways tag on in the
I’m worry Te
1 how you se
1
the by town Wovendo the westersex and less 1 d
when to say, as to be
* 10 Yr ek haky Hin, 1 kome the dysk Gauge could be autost, no ser seys suster wid
And the shane www bows on for fund
str wyrything the meter, wisspart way fox date
My spice cracked, bow the www.ow to wars
Hey back doby, ring they as the room faded in shade.
1 dende o Scarlet’s lower
catlike
me
the bracelet and her wrist Of Yund’s voice, the way he wid my name eater in the wanting to him
Yet the mwwing didn’t change mything
And exhaustion finally led me, one truth wayed dear in my mind. No matter how much I still cared for him, no maller how much I wanted to believe is prekes some things between us might never be the same again
3/4
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.
