Chapter 157 Chapter 157

Chapter 157 Chapter 157

Amelia’s POV

“Mom, you should eat first, okay?”

I carried a tray filled with a plate of rice complete with side dishes and vegetables, along with a glass of water for Mommy Julie, Ryan’s mother.

The moment I entered the room, the middle-aged woman immediately turned toward me. Her gloomy expression slowly brightened.

“Clara Amelia?” she called softly, her eyes sparkling. “You’ve come, sweetheart?”
I gave her a faint smile.

“Mom missed you so much, Amelia...” she continued emotionally. “Ryan said you would definitely come. Ryan never lies.”

Mommy Julie immediately hugged me tightly after I placed the tray on the small table beside her bed.

The embrace felt warm. But at the same time, painful.

I had been living in this house for two weeks now, yet every morning Mommy Julie always said the same thing whenever she saw me.
As if I truly were her daughter.

Mommy Julie had suffered from mental illness ever since her second daughter died six years ago.

Her daughter’s name was Clara, Ryan’s younger sister.

A seven-year-old little girl who died tragically... at the hands of the man who should have protected her.

That day, Ryan’s father came home heavily drunk. When he arrived, he went into a violent rage.
He beat Mommy Julie and Clara mercilessly.
Mommy Julie had tried to protect her daughter. She held Clara’s small body tightly while crying and begging her husband to stop.
But what could she do...

She was only a woman, unable to fight against the strength of a grown man who had lost his sanity because of alcohol.

That night became the most horrifying night for their family. Clara died.
Meanwhile, Mommy Julie suffered a broken leg and severe trauma that shattered her soul.
After his violent outburst at home, Ryan’s father left on his motorcycle to meet his friends.

But fate had other plans.
On the road, he got into an accident and died instantly.

Since that incident, Mama Julie’s mental condition gradually worsened. She always believed Clara was still alive.

And somehow, in her mind, Clara’s soul had merged with mine.
That was why Mama Julie always called me Clara Amelia.

She also treated me like her own daughter.
“You won’t leave Mom again, right, sweetheart?” she asked softly, full of hope.

My chest tightened hearing that question.

I felt deeply sorry for Mommy Julie.
She had always been kind to me since long ago. To Rania and Mike too.

Mommy Julie was a gentle woman.
A woman full of love.
But somehow, fate had given her such deep wounds.

Why did someone this kind have to suffer so much?
I knew what it felt like to lose someone.
I had lost someone too.

I lost my unborn baby... a baby who never even had the chance to see the world. My six-week-old baby.
And that pain...
Would never truly heal. Nor disappear.

“Yes, Mom. Amelia won’t leave you,” I answered softly while holding her hand gently.
“But Mom has to listen to Amelia, okay?”

Mommy Julie immediately nodded obediently like a child.

“Now eat first,” I said gently. “After that, you have to go to therapy. Okay?”

“I will...” she replied quietly. “As long as you stay with me.”

I smiled softly.
“I will stay with you.”

Mommy Julie immediately returned my smile with a happy expression.
•••

After accompanying Mommy Julie to therapy, I returned to my room to continue my work designing clothes.

Ryan had helped me get another job as a freelance designer at a boutique in this city.

I didn’t need to go to the office every day.
I could work from home and simply send the completed designs.

A few days ago, I had already submitted some of my first designs.
And apparently, Mrs. Carren, the boutique owner, was very satisfied with my work.

Now she had asked me to create new designs for the next fashion collection that would be launched four months from now.

I stared at the laptop screen in front of me for quite a while before finally letting out a soft sigh.

Ever since leaving Kai’s house, I had turned off my old phone.

For now, I was using a new phone Ryan had given me.

From what I heard a few days ago through Mike, Felix had briefly lost his job because of Kai.

But Ryan immediately helped him by giving Felix a position as director at one of his company’s branch offices.

Ryan’s company was indeed enormous and had many branches.

The headquarters were in this city. Two branches were in Green City. And another branch was located in our hometown.

Ryan had even said that if Kai truly carried out his threat against my father...

He would hand over one of his company branches in our hometown to my father.
At first, I immediately refused.

I felt like I was taking advantage of Ryan’s kindness too much.
But Ryan had only laughed casually at the time.

“This isn’t free,” he had said back then.

I still remembered clearly the serious look in his eyes as he leaned back against the sofa in his office.

“You can pay me back for everything.”
“With what?” I had asked in confusion.
Ryan smiled faintly.

“By becoming Mom’s daughter.”
At that moment, I fell silent.

“Just think of it as your salary for being Mom’s babysitter,” he continued casually. “In exchange, stay with us for the rest of your life.”

Those words still echoed in my mind even now.
Ryan was very kind.
He also never stopped me from continuing to work as a designer even though I had to take care of Mama Julie.

For now, I was simply going along with everything.

As for what would happen in the future...
I still didn’t know. I let out a long breath.

“I hope I didn’t make the wrong decision...” I murmured softly.

“Amelia.”

I immediately turned around.

Ryan stood in the doorway with a tense expression on his face.

From the very beginning, I hadn’t locked or closed my bedroom door completely, just in case Mommy Julie called for me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked in confusion.

But Ryan’s expression only grew more serious.
“Your father was hospitalized,” he said quickly.

I immediately stood up from my chair.
“What?”

“Felix called me,” Ryan continued, panic visible on his face. “Your father had a heart attack.”
My body instantly froze.

“A heart attack...?” I whispered weakly.
And suddenly, it felt as if my entire world had collapsed above my head.