Chapter 3
1030 Words
Amelia's pov
The brilliant sun rays slipping through the curtains caused my head to throb even more. I raised my body to a sitting position in the bed, my heart feeling like it was dropping as I scanned the strange room.
My outfits were all over a nearby chair, and the memories of the last night came back to me like an uninvited flood. I echoed the sound, pushing my palms to the sides of my head. What had I done? The sound of a shuffle caught my interest. I looked over at “him” who was positioned near the window, his long figure shadowed by the bright morning light.
Though he was not facing me, the tranquility in his position made me feel uncomfortable. “Good morning,” he uttered, his voice steady, yet there was something ambiguous in his tone.
I held my breath, attempting to calm down. “Morning.” For a brief second, none of us uttered a word.
The stillness lingered, heavy and uncomfortable, until I could no longer bear it. Gently, I got off the bed and picked up my purse, sorting through it until I grabbed my wallet.
“I—” I stammered. My throat is clear and I tried again. “I want to thank you.” He grasped what I was saying. He pivoted, his black pupils seizing to mine. “Pay me?” he doubled, his voice cutting. “Yes.” I was playing with the notes in my palms, my ears lighting.
“For… what happened last night. I just... I want to forget it.” His face tightened, but still, he remained silent. The tension of the silence was denser than his unspoken words.
I placed the money on the bedside table, trying to avoid looking at him. "Thank you for helping me. And for... everything else. But I do not want to meet you again."
I threw my things into the bag and, quick as a flash, fled the room while my heart was about to explode. I opened the door and stilled for the moment I felt him, like a spear, behind me.
“I don’t even know your name,” he said quietly yet firmly.
I shifted a little, my eyes cast downward. “you don’t have to know that. Farewell.”
The wind that struck me as I stepped out was as refreshing as it was brisk. I called for a cab, my hands trembling as I told the driver where to go.
The journey back to the mansion was unimaginably ruthless. My head was a tornado, going through everything that had happened in days. Ethan. Isabella. Him.
Eventually, even this type of relief came, and I got out of the cab, feeling like a prey stepping inside the lion's cage.
The Carter Mansion stood in front of me, with its beautiful façade concealing the darkness in it. I walked through the door, where my steps were amplified by the silence and high ceiling of the empty hall.
“Amelia?” A sound came from the salon, wielding Eleanor’s voice.
Obeying the command, I rushed. Eleanor and Isabella were occupying the fluffy velvet chairs, contented and arrogant-looking. Isabella was enjoying a cup of tea, looking graceful, while Eleanor was scanning me with hawk-like eyes.
“Well, well,” Eleanor uttered after putting down the cup she had held but a minute before. “At last, our movement has born her fruit.”
I clenched my fists, stepping further into the room. “Don’t act so surprised. You knew I’d come back eventually.”
Isabella grinned in answer, her red lips twisting. “True, we were just looking to find out the lengths of time between the two events we were present at.”
All the anger that I had kept inside reached its peak. “How dare you!” I yelled, shaking with anger. “You stole my fiance, Isabella! How could you! And you—” I gestured more dramatically toward Eleanor, lifting my voice. “This was all you're doing, wasn’t it? You have been in charge of everything since the beginning.”
Eleanor didn't flinch. She merely leaned back, crossing her legs over each other with an air of superiority. "Don't be so melodramatic, Amelia. Ethan made his choice, and so did Isabella. You're just upset because you weren't the one chosen.
Her words cut deep, but I wouldn't show it. "This isn't about being chosen," I snapped. "This is about betrayal. You've both been scheming behind my back and for what? For what? Power? Money? Destroying me part of the plan, too? "
Isabella laughed coldly and mirthlessly. "Oh, Amelia. You've always been so naïve. This is business. You were just collateral damage.
The room spun around me. I couldn't fathom the callousness of her words, so flippantly disposed of.
"You'll regret this," I said low and steady. "Both of you."
Eleanor raised an eyebrow in mock query. "And what exactly are you going to do, Amelia? Cry about it? Run off to another bar and drown your sorrows?
My cheeks were on fire with humiliation, but I didn't back off. "You think you won, but this isn't over. Not by a long shot."
I turned around in an instant and out of the room, my body boiling with blood. Up the stairs to my bedroom, the weight of their laughter followed me.
---
I stepped inside, slammed the door shut behind me, and leaned against it, my breaths coming in short gasps. My hands shook as I pulled my necklace from beneath my shirt—a small, delicate pendant my father had given me years ago.
Except it wasn't there.
Panic swelled through me as I must have left it back. My mind raced back to the room from last night, the man whose name I didn't even know.
Had he found it? Would he keep it?
Cold dread settled over me at the realization that I had left behind more than just a piece of jewelry.
I didn't know who this man was, but somehow, I knew that our paths crossing in this life weren't done.
- Writer
