Amelia

Chapter 7 Fractures

(Amelia’s POV)

The rejection email came at 9:42 a.m. sharp.

Amelia stared at her laptop screen as the words blurred together. We regret to inform you that we have chosen to move forward with another candidate. Thank you for your interest in Hérmes Tech.

Hérmes Tech. Again, it seems like it’s a normal thing, It wasn’t the first rejection. It wouldn’t be the last. Still, this one cut deeper. Maybe because she’d spent weeks perfecting her application, tailoring her code samples, rehearsing her answers in front of the mirror until her throat went dry. She wanted this job more than anything, more than her degree, more than her engagement ring, more than the hollow “future” her mother always dangled in front of her.

Her chest tightened. She wanted to cry, but tears felt pointless. Crying wouldn’t get her hired. Crying wouldn’t stop Ruby from comparing her to Pearl, or Levi from looking right through her like she was a shadow in his bright, promising world.

Amelia slammed the laptop shut, shoved it aside, and dragged a blanket over her head. Maybe if she disappeared beneath it long enough, the world would forget she existed.

By noon, her phone buzzed.

Levi: Dinner tonight?

The words glowed on her screen, simple and cold. No heart emoji. No I miss you. Just a summons. Amelia chewed on her lip, staring at his name. Her fiancé. The man who was supposed to be her safe place. Lately, he felt more like an obligation, like a promise she’d made too young and didn’t know how to break.

Still, she typed back: Okay.

Walking into her closet, she decided she needs to look good, maybe he’ll smile at her the way he smiles at Pearl. She picks a brown chiffon dress, it hugs her curves in the right places and it stops just about her knees. Twirling a bit since the down part of the dress is flare, she couldn’t help but admire it. Applying a little gloss to her lips, a little bit of mascara, and the perfect amount of powder, she felt satisfied with it. She put her hair in a high ponytail and let some of her baby hair frame her face. Quickly she put on her sandals and picked her purse, spritzed her favourite perfume and soon she was on her way.

Dinner was at Levi’s apartment, not a restaurant. That should’ve been her first clue. He answered the door still in his work shirt, sleeves rolled up, the faint scent of cologne clinging to him. He looked sharp. Handsome. The kind of man who always seemed too perfect standing next to her.

Inside, there was no food waiting. Just takeout containers on the counter and his laptop open, spreadsheets glowing.

“You could’ve told me to come later,” Amelia said softly, setting her bag down.

Levi glanced up. “It’s fine. I like when you’re here, you look good and smell nice though.”

His words should have warmed her. Instead, they felt like crumbs tossed her way. She tried to smile, slipping into a chair, watching him type.

They ate in silence, the only sound the scrape of chopsticks against plastic. Amelia picked at her noodles, appetite gone.

Finally, she asked, “How was work?”

Levi didn’t look up. “Busy. The new campaign’s coming up. Pearl’s killing it, by the way.”

The name hit her like a slap. “Pearl?”

“Yeah.” His lips curved slightly. “She’s a natural. The team loves her. Honestly, I think she’s going to take the brand to another level.”

Amelia’s chopsticks stilled. She wanted to ask why he sounded so proud, why his eyes softened when he said her sister’s name. But the words lodged in her throat. If she asked, if she really asked, she might hear an answer she couldn’t bear.

Instead, she forced a laugh. “Of course. Pearl’s… Pearl.”

Levi finally looked at her then, his gaze flicking over her face. Not soft, not adoring, just assessing, like she was an equation he couldn’t solve.

“You’re quiet, and it’s weird” he said.

Amelia swallowed. “I’m just tired. Another rejection today.”

His brow furrowed. “Hérmes Tech again?”

She nodded.

Levi sighed, setting his chopsticks down. “Amelia, maybe you should try somewhere smaller. A startup. Something less competitive. You’ve been chasing this Hérmes dream for months, and it’s just… not happening.”

Her stomach dropped. “So I should give up?”

“I’m saying be realistic,” he replied evenly. “Not everyone gets their dream job. Besides, you don’t need to work at Hérmes. I’m already there. Why go through all the stress, only to get rejected at the end? Just think about it, We’ll be fine, I work there already remember?.”

We.

The word rang hollow, was he talking about us, or he and Pearl?

Amelia bit down on her tongue so hard it almost bled. Because what she heard wasn’t concern. It was dismissal. He didn’t believe in her. He didn’t even want her to believe in herself.

And maybe, just maybe he wanted to keep Hérmes Tech as his world. A world she didn’t belong in.

She left an hour later, his kiss on her cheek And Forehead, grazing her skin.

The drive home felt endless. Streetlights blurred past her window, each one catching the reflection of her face tired eyes, messy brown hair, a girl who was always second-best. Second to Pearl. Second to Levi’s ambition. Second to everyone.

At home, Ruby’s laughter echoed from the living room, where Pearl lounged with her legs draped over the couch like she owned the place. Their mother poured wine, clapping at something Pearl said, her blue eyes glittering with pride.

Neither of them looked up when Amelia walked in.

“Don’t forget,” Ruby called over her shoulder, “you have that charity gala next week. Wear something flattering for once”,

Pearl smirked. “Borrow something of mine, Amelia. It might actually make you look like you belong.” Ruby burst into what sounded like a mocking laughter, “ Only if it’ll fit”. They both burst out laughing.

Amelia’s fists clenched around her bag strap. She wanted to scream. Instead, she climbed the stairs in silence, locking herself in her room before the tears finally came. That’s all she does these days, crying.

She fell asleep at her desk, cheek pressed against her keyboard.

And when she woke at dawn, bleary eyed and heavy, she whispered to herself:

I will get that job. I don’t care what it takes. I’ll prove them wrong.

She didn’t know that someone else someone who rarely smiled, who saw the world as numbers and contracts was about to notice her persistence.

And once he did, nothing in her life would stay the same.