Chapter 189 058
AMELIA walked over to the vanity and picked up the phone, her fingers steady even though her heart was anything but. One glance at the screen confirmed what she already knew.
Adrian.
She rolled her eyes slightly, a tired breath escaping her lips. Of course. Hazel must have called him the very second she stepped out of that room. Amelia swiped to answer and brought the phone to her ear, her tone neutral, almost bored.
“Hello, Adrian.”
“What exactly do you think you are doing?” His voice came sharp and hot through the line, barely restrained. “Weekly boarding school? Are you serious right now, Amelia?”
She leaned back against the vanity, crossing one leg over the other.
“Good afternoon to you too.”
“Don’t do that,” he snapped. “Don’t try to sound calm like this is nothing. You made a major decision concerning my daughter without even informing me.”
“Our daughter,” Amelia corrected coolly. “And yes, I did.”
Adrian scoffed.
“You had no right. Hazel just called me in tears. Do you have any idea what you are putting that girl through?”
Amelia smiled faintly, though there was no humor in it.
“Funny. The last time I checked, you weren’t exactly concerned about what Hazel was being put through. Or the boys. Or me.”
“That is not fair—”
“No, Adrian,” she cut in smoothly. “What is not fair is you suddenly remembering you are a hands-on father only when it suits you.”
Silence crackled briefly on the line before he spoke again, slower now, angrier.
“This isn’t about convenience. This is about you punishing Hazel because of your issues with Charles.”
“There it is,” Amelia said softly. “I was wondering how long it would take you to bring his name into this.”
“Because that is exactly what this is!” he barked. “Hazel doesn’t like him and instead of dealing with that like a reasonable mother, you are sending her away.”
“She is not being sent away,” Amelia replied evenly. “She is moving to the boarding section of her school. Same environment. Same education. She comes home every weekend.”
“That is not the point and you know it.”
“The point,” Amelia said, her voice sharpening just a notch, “is that Hazel needs structure. She needs space. And frankly, she needs to stop thinking she can run this house because you encourage her defiance.”
“I do not—”
“You do,” she interrupted again. “Every time you undermine me, every time you play the hero on the phone, every time you promise her things you don’t follow through with.”
Adrian inhaled sharply.
“You didn’t even talk to me about this.”
Amelia chuckled softly.
“Talk to you? Adrian, when was the last time you talked to me before making decisions? When you introduced Hazel to Hazel—” she paused deliberately, then corrected herself, “—to your lifestyle, did you call me? When you planned outings with her without telling me? When you let her disrespect my home and my fiancé, did you call me?”
“That is different. And I didn't let her do all that.”
“How?” she asked calmly.
He opened his mouth to speak, then stopped.
Amelia knew that pause. She had seen it a thousand times. It was the sound of truth sinking its teeth into him.
She pressed on, her tone deceptively gentle.
“The last time I checked again, Adrian, you weren’t interested in my affairs. I made sure to make it very clear when we separated. So tell me, why are you suddenly bothered now?”
There it was.
The question hung between them like a loaded weapon.
Adrian was quiet for several seconds, and Amelia could almost picture him rubbing his face, jaw tight, pride bruised. She waited, unbothered.
“I’m her father,” he finally said, but the fire was gone from his voice.
“And I am her mother,” Amelia replied. “The one who stayed. The one who deals with her moods, her rebellion, her manipulation, her pain, every single day.”
“You are pushing her away, Amelia.”
“No,” Amelia said firmly. “I’m protecting my household. Including her.”
“She will hate you for this, don't you think?”
Amelia sighed.
“She might. For a while.”
“And you are okay with that?”
“I have learned,” Amelia said quietly, “that being a good mother doesn’t always mean being liked.”
Another silence followed, heavier this time.
“I will call you later,” Adrian muttered. “We will talk about this properly.”
“There is nothing more to talk about,” Amelia said calmly. “The decision has been made.”
“Amelia—”
“I have a FaceTime meeting,” she cut in. “Take care, Adrian.”
Before he could respond, she ended the call.
The room fell silent again as Amelia lowered the phone, her expression unreadable. She placed it gently back on the vanity, exhaled once, and straightened her shoulders.
She had won this round.