After the Breakup, the CEO Begs for Forgiveness Daily

Chapter 5 Chapter Five

　　After a good cry, Amelia felt a little lighter. She quickly left the neighborhood and checked into a nearby hotel.

　　Fresh out of the shower, she grabbed her phone and shot a message to her best friend, Olivia Parker.

　　[You working tomorrow? I need you to help me schedule a check-up.]

　　Olivia replied almost instantly.

　　[You feeling sick?]

　　Amelia hesitated for a second.

　　[I think I'm pregnant.]

　　Her phone rang right away.

　　"Wait, what? Amelia! Since when? You dating someone?!"

　　Amelia stared at the ceiling, silent for a beat. "No."

　　"No?! Then how the hell—don't tell me you hooked up with some random guy and oops? Ugh, Amelia, you've changed. You're not my sweet little angel anymore."

　　Amelia gave a small laugh. "Alright, enough with the drama. I'm serious. Can you just help book the check-up?"

　　"I mean... seriously, though. What's going on with you?"

　　She paused before answering. "Just... someone I've been sleeping with for a while."

　　"Does he know?"

　　"I'm not planning to tell him."

　　"Amelia, don't be stupid, okay? Don't keep everything to yourself. Getting pregnant is no joke. Since it was that guy who knocked you up, he should be the one stepping up!"

　　Amelia paused for a couple seconds. "I've already decided to cut ties with him."

　　Olivia's breath caught in her chest. She held it there for a moment before finally letting out a curse.

　　"That jerk. I hope he ends up alone forever."

　　Letting that out made her feel a tiny bit better, and then she got back to the point.

　　"So you're getting rid of it, right? After your check-up tomorrow, should I go ahead and book the appointment?"

　　Amelia's hand drifted down to her stomach. She hesitated, then spoke, firm and clear, "I want to keep the baby."

　　Even if Simon would never give her a title, she couldn't bring herself to get rid of this little life.

　　It was their child.

　　The child of the man she had secretly loved for years.

　　...

　　The night was thick as ink, and Amelia tossed and turned in her sleep.

　　Somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, she dreamt.

　　In the dream, she was a kid again.

　　Back then, she had trailed behind her mom, drifting from place to place, and the longest she'd ever stayed in one spot was in a small fishing village—a quiet little town she'd almost come to think of as home.

　　That was where she'd first met Simon.

　　As a boy, he was nothing like the moody man he was now. Back then, he had the kind of delicate features that made him look like a doll.

　　Later on, Amelia found out he had been staying there to recover from an illness.

　　Apparently, it wasn't an easy process. She'd often see him sitting alone near the sea, wiping away silent tears.

　　Every time she saw him like that, she'd bring him a lollipop to try and cheer him up.

　　At first, he just ignored her.

　　But after a while, he'd sneak over to her house wall and quietly call out, "ViVi."

　　Then one day, he seemed better. A group of people came and took him away.

　　Before he left, he promised her, "I'll come back for you."

　　But she waited and waited, and he never did.

　　Ten years later, they ran into each other again — a total accident.

　　It was on her seventeenth birthday.

　　Her half-sister said she'd lost her bracelet on the beach and asked her to help find it.

　　At the beach, the moment Amelia saw Simon, she instantly recognized him.

　　He was nineteen then — no longer a kid, but still carrying a heavy, brooding air around him.

　　When she spotted him, he was walking straight into the cold, crashing waves.

　　Without thinking, she sprinted over and grabbed his arm.

　　He turned around.

　　His eyes held a sharpness and a kind of despair that felt way too much for someone his age.

　　Amelia froze. Fear crept up on her, and she instinctively stepped back a couple of paces.

　　Simon let out a bitter laugh and kept heading into the sea."

　　Death is probably the easiest way out in this world!"

　　Amelia shouted at him, her voice cracking from the emotion.

　　The boy froze mid-step.

　　And right then, a wave came crashing in, swallowing up her tiny frame in an instant.

　　She couldn't quite recall what it felt like—just that sheer panic of flailing and grabbing for anything but finding nothing.

　　In that dazed moment, a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her waist.

　　The waves kept crashing, tossing her around, flipping her world upside down.

　　She vaguely caught sight of the boy's pale, almost ghostly face.

　　How he managed to pull her out of that mess and onto the shore, she had no clue.

　　All she remembered was opening her eyes to his cold face and even colder words.

　　"You can't even keep yourself alive, and you think you're in a position to care about someone else?"

　　He turned and walked away without looking back.

　　"Simon!"

　　She called out his name in her sleep, voice trembling.

　　The dream broke apart. So did everything inside her.

　　When her eyes opened, her phone was buzzing.

　　Olivia was calling.

　　"Amelia, you said your stomach was hurting, so I booked you an appointment. Make sure you go to the hospital."

　　...

　　Amelia got dressed, tidied up, and left the hotel.

　　But right as she stepped outside the hotel, she spotted that all-too-familiar car.

　　Honestly, it didn't even surprise her that Simon found her.

　　In Velmira, if that man wanted to find someone, they'd have nowhere to hide.

　　What did throw her off, though, was why he'd even bother showing up again.

　　He'd made himself quite clear last night—so why come chasing today?

　　And right now? Seeing him was the last thing she wanted.

　　She'd finally built up the nerve; she was terrified she'd crumble if she saw him again.

　　Amelia backed up, hoping to dodge him.

　　But Simon had already swung the car door open and stepped out.

　　His steps were steady, unhurried. Only his voice carried a low, pissed-off edge.

　　"Had enough of your little tantrum?" Simon stopped in front of her, face stone-cold, looking down at her from above.

　　"I'm not throwing a tantrum," Amelia replied, keeping her eyes away from him.

　　His gaze sharpened. "So you're really planning to run off with Anselme? When did that start?"

　　Her lips twitched just a little. "You've got it wrong. I'm leaving, yeah, but it's not for anyone else. This is just me, making my own call."

　　"Why?"

　　Finally, she lifted her head and looked him straight in the eye. "Because I want to get married, Mr. Johnson."

　　Simon's expression tightened, eyes narrowing fast. "You serious?"

　　Amelia said, "Yeah, I'm serious. I'm already twenty-seven."

　　Simon brushed her cheek with his hand, his eyes dark with something unreadable.

　　"Found someone you like already?" he asked.

　　She paused before answering.

　　"Not yet. But whether I have or not, I want out."

　　He raised an eyebrow. "Made enough money then?"

　　Amelia gave a bitter chuckle.

　　Sticking around for the money had always been her dirty little secret, the part she hated most. And he never let her forget it.

　　She forced herself to stay calm and managed a small smile.

　　"No, not yet. But if I have to choose between making more money and settling down, I'll pick marriage."

　　Simon's expression dropped a few degrees.

　　"You'd really walk away from me?"

　　She met his eyes. "Even if I don't want to... would it matter? Would you ever marry me? Start a family? Would you, Mr. Johnson?"