Chapter 123: Exposing Amelia Face-to-Face
She gripped his arm with a pained expression and draped it over her shoulder.
James was already too weak from the pain, his consciousness fading.
The physical pain from the car accident, combined with the emotional pain from Mia, had completely broken him down.
"I'm taking you back to the hospital. Whatever it is can wait until you're better. Do you know how worried I've been?"
As Amelia spoke, her eyes reddened. She choked up as she held James.
With the private driver's help, they got him into the car, and she climbed in too.
After being sent away by James, the housekeeper had nowhere to go. Thinking of Mia's current condition, she drove to a nearby supermarket to buy groceries.
When she got back, she saw James and Amelia sitting close together in the back seat.
The housekeeper was stunned.
Protective of Mia, she had forgotten how scary James could be. She immediately opened her car door, ready to go confront them for Mia's sake.
How could James do this to Mia!
Still tangled up with Amelia—no wonder Mia was so determined to get divorced.
Amelia saw the housekeeper and shot her a "you just wait" look.
Before long, she would be James's wife.
Then she'd have plenty of time to deal with this housekeeper.
For now, she needed to seize this opportunity while James was sick, staying by his side during his most vulnerable moment, to completely pull his heart away from Mia and back to herself.
Wilhelmina watched helplessly as the car drove away, her face changing color with anger.
Knowing the "truth," she felt more and more sorry for Mia. She got in her car, drove it into the garage, and soon hurried back into the house carrying the groceries.
Knocking on the nursery door, she found Mia looking completely defeated.
Wilhelmina rushed over and saw the red marks on Mia's face where James had grabbed her, and her swollen, burned hand.
Thinking back to what she'd just seen, she assumed James had not only brought Amelia home but had also hurt Mia.
She should never have left, no matter how scared she was.
At least she could have protected Mia a little.
Wilhelmina helped her sit against a cushion, went to get the first aid kit, and looked at her burned hand with tears in her eyes.
While applying medicine, blowing on it gently, she said, "Mrs. Smith, Wilhelmina saw everything downstairs just now. Don't be sad, this will all pass. A man who can't let go of the other woman—we don't need him."
"Listen to me, don't think about anything else right now. Just focus on getting your body healthy again."
"Miscarriage is hard on the body. You need to take good care of yourself, or you'll have health problems later—and that would just make Amelia happy."
"Okay."
Mia responded almost inaudibly, her voice already choked with tears.
Wilhelmina finished applying the ointment, gave her a gentle hug, and patted her back softly. "There, there. Wilhelmina will go make you something good to eat."
"Okay."
Mia responded quietly again.
Watching Wilhelmina leave, Mia gently hugged herself.
She told herself silently: Mia, this will pass. It will all pass.
...
Hospital
James had been hospitalized for over a week, bedridden the whole time with a fever that wouldn't break.
When he woke up again, it was after 7 PM.
He slowly opened his eyes. Amelia, who had been keeping watch, immediately stood up, her eyes red-rimmed and full of concern. "James, you're finally awake."
"You've been unconscious for over a week. I've been so worried."
Her gentle voice carried concern and care for him.
As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, ready to fall.
A beautiful woman in tears—so pitiful.
Such a gentle version of herself would surely move James.
"It's late. Go home. I don't need you here."
James's expression was cold, his tone showing no sign of being touched.
Amelia had prepared a script where he would say something caring and she could throw herself into his arms.
Now, his cold and distant words left her hanging.
Her tears stayed in her eyes—she didn't know whether to cry or not.
"I'm not leaving. How can I go home when you're like this? James, don't send me away. Let me stay and take care of you."
Amelia's voice became even softer, pleading.
Surely James wouldn't refuse her like this.
"Amelia, I don't want to say the same thing a third time."
James's increasingly cold gaze made Amelia realize he was in a bad mood right now.
Well, that made sense.
James had just lost his child. It was normal for him to be upset.
"Okay, don't be angry. I'll leave, alright?"
Amelia swallowed her discomfort and agreed gently.
After giving him a few more careful reminders, she picked up her bag and walked out.
Standing at the hospital room door, Amelia looked back at it.
James still had a week before discharge. She wasn't in a hurry.
After all, things between Mia and James were already beyond repair.
She had time to make a good impression.
...
Luxe Haven
In the nursery, in the middle of the night, Mia, who had only fallen asleep a short while ago, once again sat up in a cold sweat from a nightmare.
Her eyes stared blankly at a fixed point.
Still immersed in the nightmare.
She could almost still hear a baby crying in her ears.
Asking over and over: Mommy, why don't you want me?
Even though she was awake, the voice kept echoing in her ears.
Mia hugged herself tightly, repeating in self-blame and despair, "No, no, Mommy doesn't not want you."
"Baby, I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
She kept apologizing to the child in the darkness.
Over and over again.
Tears dried and flowed, flowed and dried.
In the silent night, Mia let guilt and regret drown her.
She didn't dare fall asleep, afraid to face the child's accusing eyes in her dreams.
It was because of her that the baby died in the womb.
The more guilty and regretful she felt, the more she hated herself!
She couldn't forgive James, the one who started it all.
But the person she couldn't forgive most was always herself.
She couldn't let go of this sin!
Couldn't forgive herself!
...
Early in the morning, Amelia had the housekeeper at home prepare a breakfast suitable for a patient.
To make it look real, she even deliberately burned a few red marks on her own hand.
With everything ready, she carried the elegant meal box to the hospital.
In her world, there was no such thing as giving up. She'd been coming to the hospital every day for over a week—she didn't believe James wouldn't be moved.
"James." Amelia walked into the room with a bright smile.
"This is breakfast I made for you myself. Try it and see if you like it. If not, I'll make it again."
She never cooked for men.
This honor was his alone.
How could James not be moved?
"Take it away. I don't need it."
James's attitude was even colder than last night.
Amelia's eyes reddened, looking at James with a hurt expression. She deliberately used her swollen hand to hold the spoon and bring it to his lips. "James, just have a little. I learned from the chef for so long..."
James glanced at her hand. Forget feeling sorry for her—he looked right past it with a cold expression. "Amelia, is there a problem with how I express myself, or is there a problem with your hearing?"
Amelia was so hurt by his words that she stepped back, looking at him with an injured expression, biting her lip lightly, her eyes even redder.
"James, as your friend of many years, you're hospitalized and I come to care for you and look after you—why do you keep pushing me away? Is it because of that night? You still can't let go..."
The more he avoided it, the more he thought about that night.
Amelia looked more and more wronged.
Playing up her vulnerability to the maximum.
At the mention of that night, James's temple throbbed.
That was his first wrong step, leading step by step to today, to the point of no return with Chenxi.
In just over a month, his world had been turned upside down because of that night.
He had warned her.
And she still dared to bring it up!
"Amelia, I told you not to mention that night again."
James's gaze was like a blade, piercing toward Amelia, his voice growing colder. "Just because I don't say anything doesn't mean I don't know what happened."
"That night, even though I drank too much, I remember clearly that before I got drunk, I told the server in the private room to call a driver to take me back to Luxe Haven."
James was reminding Amelia where he should have woken up!
"Later, I also went to Luxe Hideaway and found the destroyed surveillance footage. You were the one who tipped the driver and the server to take me away."