Chapter 6
Nathan’s phone had been ringing nonstop during his drive home. When he saw “Grandma” flashing on the screen again, he seriously considered throwing the phone out the window. On the final ring, he pulled over and answered.[]
“Hi, Grandma.”
“Don’t you ‘Hi Grandma‘ me!” The old woman’s voice could probably be heard three cars away. “What the hell is going on with this Vivian person?“[]
Nathan pinched the bridge of his nose. “She’s sick, Grandma. She doesn’t mean any harm.“[]
“Are you out of your goddamn mind?” His grandmother was really warming up now. “She doesn’t mean harm? She knows you’re married and she’s still all over you like cheap perfume! The audacity! You need to cut her off right now and go apologize to Amelia!“[]
Nathan’s jaw tightened as Amelia’s face flashed through his mind–that cool, indifferent expression. His irritation spiked.[]
“Did Amelia come crying to you guys?“]
“She didn’t need to tell us anything!” His grandmother’s voice cracked with fury. “It’s all over the damn internet! How could you just stand there while your wife fell down and then comfort some other woman? With cameras everywhere!“]]
“What are people supposed to think about Amelia now? You humiliated her!“[]
Nathan felt a flicker of… something. Guilt? But he quickly pushed it down.[]
“That’s not what happened, Grandma. She saw the news and went to the hospital specifically to confront Vivian.“[]
“Let me talk to him.” His grandfather’s voice came through the phone, calm but steely.[]
“Nathan.” The old man’s tone brooked no argument. “You’re the one who brought Amelia to us and said you wanted to marry her. If you married her, you damn well better take care of her.“]
“Grandpa-“]
“Dinner. Tonight. The main house.” His grandfather didn’t give him a chance to argue. “Bring Amelia.“[]
The line went dead, leaving Nathan sitting in his car feeling like he’d been hit by a truck.
He drummed his fingers against the steering wheel and pulled up Amelia’s, contact. She still hadn’t responded to any of his earlier messages.
Annoyed, he hit call. It rang and rang before she finally picked up.[]
“What do you want?” Her voice was flat, businesslike.
“What were you doing at the hospital today?“]
“I already told you. I was visiting Harper.“]
“Don’t fucking lie to me, Amelia!” His patience snapped. “You went there to cause drama with Vivian!“[]
7
A soft laugh came through the phone–careless, almost mocking. It made his blood boil, but he forced himself to remember his grandfather’s command.[]
“We’re having dinner at the main house tonight,” he said through gritted teeth.]
“I’m busy.”
The response was immediate, without a trace of hesitation.
“It’s not a request. Grandpa ordered it.“]]
Click
5.0
Chapter 6
She’d hung up on him. Nathan stared at the phone in disbelief, then tried calling back. Straight to voicemail.[]
Traffic flowed around him as he sat there, trying to process what had just happened. Finally, he started the car and drove toward their penthouse, his mood growing darker by the minute.[]
When he reached the building, Nathan took the elevator up, his face like a thundercloud. He unlocked the door and stepped into the foyer.
“Amelia.” Her name came out sharp, commanding. But there was no answer. That’s when he noticed–no lights were on. The whole place was dark.]
Nathan froze. Every other time he’d come home, there had been at least one lamp left on for him. Usually, Amelia would be curled up on the couch with a book, having fallen asleep waiting for him.]
Click
He flipped on the lights and looked toward the living room. The couch was empty.]
If he’d been irritated before, now something else was creeping in–something that felt uncomfortably like panic.[]
Click click click click-
He flipped on every light in the apartment, checking room by room. Living room: empty. Kitchen: empty. Bathrooms, bedrooms, study: all empty.[]
She wasn’t home. She wasn’t answering her phone. Where the hell was she?
This divorce thing had clearly upset her more than usual. She was throwing a bigger tantrum than normal, but she’d come around. Vivian only had six months. After that, Amelia would still be Mrs. Nathan Harrison.
But right now, she was being stubborn about dinner, and he couldn’t afford to piss off his grandfather any more than he already had. Nathan went to the storage closet and grabbed some expensive supplements to bring as gifts.
On his way out, he stopped by their bedroom to grab a few shirts. The room still smelled like Chanel No. 5–the perfume he’d bought her.[]
Nathan’s expression softened slightly as he gathered his clothes. He didn’t notice that the walk–in closet now only held his things. He didn’t notice that all the duplicate toiletries in the bathroom–the his–and–hers toothbrushes, the matching skincare sets–had been reduced to lonely singles.
The warmth was gone, leaving only stark, hotel–like emptiness.]
Meanwhile, across town at a nail salon, Amelia and Harper were getting manicures. Harper watched Amelia specifically request pregnancy–safe polish and shook her head.
“I thought you were getting rid of it. Why bother with the special stuff?“]
Amelia smiled softly. “While it’s still there, might as well take care of it.“]
Harper shrugged and went back to admiring her sparkly pink nails.[]
Amelia looked down at her hands. Nathan had stomach issues, so after they got married, she’d given up manicures to cook for him every day. It had been over a year since she’d done anything like this for herself.[]
“This is just the beginning,” Harper announced. “We’re doing a full makeover. Hair, clothes, everything.“]
“I remember when we were like eight, you stole your mom’s stilettos and clicked around the house pretending to be a businesswoman.“[]
“No reason to go backwards now.“[]
Harper examined her fresh manicure with satisfaction. “Too bad being a doctor means I can’t go totally crazy with the nail art anymore.”
Amelia laughed. Harper was right–she’d always been bold, dramatic, confident. It was only after falling for Nathan that she’d started shrinking herself to fit what he wanted.]
For years, she’d thought the ultimate happiness was being with the person you loved–cooking for them, raising their children, growing old together.[]
What a joke.
Chapter 6
But it wasn’t too late to change. She was going to get her life back on track, starting now.
