I Love My Ex-Fiance's Uncle

Chapter 4

Amelia's pov

It felt even more the cold, icy cold, the kind of cold that ran deep into the bones. I sat near the window in my room and stared out at the bare branches dancing in the autumn breeze. My heart felt heavy, my chest tight. How fast did my life unravel? Ethan. Isabella. Eleanor. And last but not least, the man from last night.

A knock finally was what unsettled me. I sprang to my feet, my pulse racing. It wasn't the knock in particular; it was just something in the air as if something were going to break.

"Miss Amelia," one of the maids said, peering in nervously. "Mr. Ethan has come to see Miss Isabella."

My heart stopped. Ethan. Here. In this house. I fisted my hands at my sides and, not knowing what I was doing, stormed out of the room.

Coming down the big staircase, I saw him in the salon-straight and tall, his back to me. He was talking to Isabella in a low voice; she smiled to herself in that coy, self-satisfied way of hers. It was like a knife twisting in my chest to see them thus.

"Ethan," I called, my voice sharp and full of anguish.

He turned, his face faltering as he saw me. "Amelia," he said softly.

"Why are you here?" I asked, entering the room. Isabella leaned back in her chair, an undeniable smirk deepening in her face, obviously enjoying the scene.

"I am here to see Isabella," he said, defensiveness growing in his voice. "We need to finalize some arrangements for the engagement party."

My throat closed over. "The engagement party," I spat, the words bitter on my tongue as I took a few steps closer. "Our engagement was supposed to be next month. Did you forget so easily?"

He let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Amelia, you know things changed. This isn't easy on me, either."

"Not easy for you?" I repeated, bitterness dripping from my tone, my voice trembling. "You leave me for my cousin Ethan, break our engagement without so much as the decency to even face me properly. And now you stand here talking 'arrangements' like all that does not matter."

His eyes flashed dark and he moved further toward me. "You don't understand, Amelia. This isn't just about us. It's about what makes sense for everyone."

"Everyone except me, apparently," I snapped. My voice cracked and my eyes prickled with tears, but I would not let them fall.

"Amelia," he tried, but I chopped him off, my anger boiling over.

"Don't," I said, yanking the engagement ring off my finger. I was shaking as I held it out to him. "Take it, Ethan. Take your ring and leave. It means nothing more to me."

He seemed reluctant; a pained look crossed his features before, at last, his hand reached out to take the ring from mine. It was as if, when that weight fell off my finger, it had been that last, critical blow.

"You made your choice," I said, my voice quaking. "Now live with it."

Before he could reply, a voice I knew oh-so-well sliced through the tension in the room.

"Amelia?" My grandfather's voice was weak yet firm as it boomed from the hallway.

I turned to him being wheeled into the room by his caretaker, his once strong figure now frail, yet commanding respect. His sharp eyes moved from me to Ethan to Isabella, and it all sank in with quiet understanding.

"What is going on here?" he asked in that low, smooth tone, laced with undercurrents of concern.

"Nothing that concerns you, Grandfather," I replied, struggling hard not to let the quiver in my voice show.

"Everything that happens within these walls is my concern," he replied. He beckoned me closer with a wave of his inviting hand. "Amelia, come closer."

I moved closer to him, hunched over at the shoulders, my chest heaving with sobs I had been fighting to hold back. He reached for my hand and grasped it firmly.

"Ethan," he said coldly now, "you need to leave."

I could feel Ethan's indecision in his stature, his eyes darting to Isabella, who nodded slightly. Ethan said nothing more but turned and left the room, part of my heart going with him.

"Take Amelia to my room," my grandfather ordered his caretaker.

The walk to his room was done in silence; all that could be heard was the slight whine of the wheelchair and my exaggerated breathing. Once inside, he dismissed his caretaker, leaving us alone.

"Sit," he said, nodding toward the chair beside his bed.

I collapsed into that chair and instantly found myself back in my childhood, running for comfort to the one who never abandoned me.

"My dear," he said in a soft but firm tone of voice, "I know how much Ethan meant to you. And I also know how much it hurts to lose the person you love."

Tears welled in my eyes, and I couldn't hold them in any longer. "Why did he do this, Grandfather? Why did he leave me for her? What did I do wrong?"

He leaned over and laid his hand over mine, his touch soft. "You did nothing wrong, Amelia. Sometimes people make choices not about us, but about their weaknesses."

"But it feels like. Like I'm not enough," I whispered, my voice quivering.

"Hear me out," he said decisively, edging closer. "You are enough. Ethan's decisions only say something about his character, not your value. And regarding Isabella and Eleanor, they acted out of envy and greed. You, my love, are better than all of them put together."

I looked into wise eyes that shone with belief in me and that had never wavered. "I don't feel better," I said.

"You will," he said, a slight tug on his lips. "This pain you're feeling now-it shall pass. And in that passing, you'll come to understand losing Ethan was a blessing in disguise. It will have made room for something or someone better coming into your life.

I nodded, wiping away my tears with shaking hands. His words were the balm needed over my wounded heart, but the ache was raw and relentless.

"You have a strength in you, Amelia," he went on. "A strength that even you don't quite realize yet. Use it. Stand tall and show them they can't break you."

I had taken a deep breath, and his words began to sink in. Maybe he was right. Perhaps with time, this pain would make me stronger.

"Thank you, Grandfather," I said softly and squeezed his hand.

He smiled, his eyes sparkling with pride. "Anytime, my dear. Now rest. Tomorrow is a new day, and also my celebration and you don't want to have red eyes that day."

I nodded again, stood up, and pressed a kiss to his cheek before leaving the room.

As I walked back to my room, for the very first time, I felt the spark of determination light in my belly. Ethan, Isabella, Eleanor-they had tried to break me, but I just wouldn't let them.

The next day, I would start fresh. And then I would prove to myself and them that I was much stronger than what they had ever thought.