I wouldn’t have thought she could, given her stricken face when she answered the phone and how her heart was racing on the health monitor.
Oliver, Grey, and I are glued to the real-time window into her life, a privilege we probably abuse more than we should.
We shouldn’t watch her at all, but, yeah, well…
Her conversation with her mother leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, and from the looks on Oliver and Grey’s faces, they feel the same.
Grey nods, his eyes not leaving the screen. “Good for her. She shouldn’t have to deal with that kind of crap, not today, not ever. None of us wants kids. Have any of you had to explain this to anyone, defend yourself?”
Oliver and I shake our heads.
No, we didn’t.
It’s infuriating to hear someone speak to her that way, to demand so much while understanding so little. But Amelia juststood up for herself, her words fierce and filled with a conviction that I envy.
I’ve always avoided confrontations, preferring to keep the peace, even if it means silencing my own thoughts. But not Amelia.
She’s strong in ways I wish I could be.
Oliver adds, “It explains a lot. She’s been off all day. Quiet. Probably dreading that call.”
“Yeah,” I agree, thinking back on the day. Her silence at lunch now makes more sense.
After yesterday’s lightness, her sudden withdrawal today had been puzzling. She’d been so alive, so vibrant, as she played the piano in the park. We all saw how the music transformed her, how it seemed to lift her spirits.
We followed her after she left the park, watching as she entered a shelter—though she came out empty-handed, not with new fish as I half-expected—and then got herself some food. Back home, we watched as she looked content, almost happy, munching on that awful egg-topped pizza and settling down to watch a movie.
I wanted so badly to text her or maybe even just drop by. Hang out with her, watch the movie by her side with her feet in my lap. Have some time alone with her, especially after seeing how she opened up with Grey when they were alone,I need it.
And it was her fucking birthday yesterday.
Which she spent alone.
That realization tightened something in my chest when her mother announced it. I guess we all would’ve wanted to be there with her, and in a way, we were.
But she didn’t know that.
Amelia takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. She looks like she’s bracing herself for an inevitable storm.
This isn’t over,it seems.
Her mother’s voice cuts through the silence with vicious precision. “So, tell me, Amelia Charlotte, what exactlyareyour achievements? You work as a minor cog in a company where no one knows your name. I haven’t heard of a single thing you’ve accomplished. But do you know what Ididhear about? Your brother was just nominated for a prestigious award in the London law community. He’s successful and making us proud, all while managing a beautiful family.”
I can see how the words sting Amelia as she bites her lips. Each word is a pointed barb aimed to wound.
Her mother’s tone grows even colder, more disdainful. “I dreamed of having a daughter who would shine, Amelia Charlotte, not… this. You’re a disappointment. When I think of a daughter, I imagine grace, someone who enhances our family’s name, not tarnishes it.”
“Fucking bitch,” Grey growls out, standing from his chair, his palms on his desk.
“Agreed,” Oliver pushes out through clenched teeth.
My nails dig into the palms of my hands as I clench my fists to keep myself from reaching out and grabbing the microphone, telling her mother off.
But her tirade already continues. “It won’t be long before you realize how mediocre your efforts are, and when you do, you’ll come crawling back. When that day comes, don’t be surprised if the only suitors interested in you are old bachelors desperate for an heir. And don’t expect me to help you then. I’d rather marry you off to any of them just to soften the disgrace you’ve become.”
We watch, horrified, as Amelia’s face contorts in pain. Her hurt, so raw and exposed, feels like a punch to my gut. We’d already suspected she had a tough time with her family, but witnessing it firsthand is unbearable.
“I… I have to go,” Amelia manages to choke out before ending the call.
