Chapter 174 Chapter 174
Chapter 174 Chapter 174
Amelia’s POV
We left my father’s house on a motorcycle. Ezra’s old motorcycle.
I still remembered it well, the same bike he used to ride almost every day whenever he came to Uncle Jordan’s house, always carrying one excuse or another, most of which never made much sense.
“This is your old motorcycle, right?” I asked as I looked at the bike we were riding.
“Yeah,” he replied briefly without taking his eyes off the road.
“Are you sure it won’t run out of gas later?” I teased.
I would never forget how often he used to run out of fuel right in front of the house.
“Hah...” Ezra chuckled softly. “Relax. I filled the tank up. It’s not going to run out of gas today.”
He glanced at me for a moment before focusing on the road again.
A small smile appeared on my lips.
Some things about Ezra really never changed.
We had been riding for almost thirty minutes.
The longer we traveled, the more familiar the roads became. I recognized every turn, every row of food stalls we passed.
The trees lining the roadside, and when Ezra finally stopped the motorcycle, warmth instantly spread through my chest.
That house.
The house I had missed for months. Uncle Jordan and Aunt Maura’s house.
Before the motorcycle had even come to a complete stop, I jumped off first, hurriedly removed my helmet, and ran toward the front door.
“Hello... Auntie, Uncle...” I called as I knocked on the door.
“Amelia?” Aunt Maura gasped the moment the door opened. She stood there with wide eyes.
For a few seconds, she simply stared at me as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Then, without warning, she pulled me into a tight embrace.
“My God... Amelia... I’ve missed you so much, sweetheart...” Her voice trembled as tears streamed down her face.
“I missed you too, Auntie,” I replied, hugging her tightly. “Come on, don’t cry. If you cry, I’ll cry too.”
I tried to smile even though my eyes were already burning.
I wanted to cry too. But I held it back with all my strength. Today, I wanted to enjoy this reunion with happiness, not tears.
“Who did you come with?” Aunt Maura asked after finally releasing me.
“With Ezra.”
“Good afternoon, Auntie.” Ezra walked over and politely shook her hand.
“Yes, good afternoon. Come inside.” She led us into the house.
The simple house that always made me long to come home. We sat together in the living room, chatting casually.
“Where’s Uncle Jordan?” I asked. Since arriving, I hadn’t seen him. The man I had long considered my own father.
“He went out with Felix for a while.” She gently patted the back of my hand. “Your uncle will be very happy when he sees you later.”
I nodded with a faint smile.
“Oh, right. Felix works at one of Ryan’s company branches here now. He’s become one of Ryan’s trusted people.” Aunt Maura’s face brightened as she talked about it.
“I regret not liking Ryan back then. Thanks to him, Felix doesn’t have to work far away anymore.” She smiled again while wiping away her tears.
“At least I can still see one of my children every day. Even if I can’t see you.”
My chest tightened at her words.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” I said, squeezing her hand gently.
“No.” She shook her head. “I’m the one who should apologize. If only I hadn’t asked you to----”
“It wasn’t your fault.” I quickly cut her off.
“Even if you had forbidden me back then, would it have changed Dad’s decision?”
She fell silent for a moment before slowly nodding.
She understood what I meant.
What happened wasn’t her fault.
Or anyone else’s.
“You’re having lunch here, right? I’ll cook for you. You will, won’t you?” she asked hopefully.
I turned toward Ezra. He immediately nodded.
I responded with a small smile and a grateful look.
Aunt Maura’s face brightened. She told us to rest while waiting for lunch to be ready.
I decided to go to my room. I wanted to change out of my shirt and into something more comfortable.
My steps felt light as I climbed the stairs. And when I opened the bedroom door, warmth immediately filled my eyes.
My room was still the same. Nothing had changed.
Clean and neat.
Even some of the items were still exactly where they had been when I left.
It seemed Aunt Maura cleaned it regularly.
As if she always hoped I would come home someday.
I opened the wardrobe and took out a T-shirt.
Then I went into the bathroom.
When I came downstairs again, Uncle Jordan and Felix had already returned.
I immediately ran over to them. I hugged Uncle Jordan first, then Felix. I was happy, truly happy.
Because I could finally be together again with the family that had always been my real home.
Uncle Jordan, Aunt Maura and Mya brother Felix. They were the home I had always missed.
We ate lunch together. It had been such a long time since I last tasted Mom’s cooking.
I ate enthusiastically, which made Mom cry again.
Meanwhile, Dad and Felix simply laughed as they watched us.
After lunch, Felix and I sat together on a long bench beneath the mango tree behind the house.
The afternoon breeze drifted softly around us.
Carrying the scent of soil and leaves I had missed so much.
“So?” Felix finally asked while looking toward Mom and Dad, who were picking vegetables with Ezra.
“I’m just waiting four more months.” I stared straight ahead. "After that, we’ll officially become ex-husband and ex-wife.”
“Have you two talked?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
Then I told him everything that had happened over the past few months.
About my argument with Kai. About his anger. About how he had practically stopped coming home afterward.
Felix listened without interrupting. When I finished, he let out a long sigh.
"Maybe you two simply aren’t meant to be.”
His hand gently stroked my head.
“You have to accept reality.”
I smiled faintly.
“I accepted it a long time ago, Felix.”
My gaze drifted into the distance.
“Since the day I decided to leave, I already let him go.”
At three in the afternoon, we finally headed home.
Throughout the trip, my phone kept ringing. Mommy Miranda had called countless times.
She wanted to know where we were. She also kept telling us to come home immediately because Kai was furious when he couldn’t find me at the house.
When we finally arrived, I told Ezra to go home. I didn’t want him arguing with Kai.
But Ezra was still Ezra.
Stubborn. He insisted on escorting me all the way inside. He said he wouldn’t leave until he was sure Kai wouldn’t hurt me.
The moment we entered the house, Kai’s voice rang out. “Where have you been?”
His voice was cold. His gaze sharp. His face flushed red, his jaw clenched tightly with anger.
“At Uncle Jatmiko’s house,” Ezra answered casually.
“I wasn’t asking you.” Kai’s eyes sharpened further.
“You should leave.”
The sharpness of his words instantly created tension.
I instinctively grabbed Ezra’s hand when he stepped forward. But Kai’s voice immediately echoed again.
“Let go of him, Amelia!”
The shout startled me. Without realizing it, I released Ezra’s hand.
“Don’t be rough with Keysa.” This time, Ezra’s voice was cold. Extremely cold.
I quickly stepped between them. “I went to Dad’s house.”
I tried to explain.
“I won’t break my promise. If that’s what you’re worried about. I won’t leave before the one year we agreed on is over.”
I didn’t want them to fight. Not again.
“Go home, Ezra.” I looked at Ezra.
“I’m going upstairs.” He stared at me for a few moments.
Then finally nodded.
I immediately hurried toward the stairs.
But before I disappeared from sight, I heard Ezra’s voice.
A voice that sounded like a warning.
“I’m going to make you lose her.”
The entire house fell silent.
I quickened my pace. My heart beat uneasily.
I had just reached my bedroom door when a hand suddenly grabbed my arm.
“Stop. I’m not finished.”
Kai. He was standing right behind me.
His grip was firm. His gaze even sharper than before.
“I told you not to get too close to Ezra.” His voice was low but filled with pressure. "You don’t know him very well.”
I stared at him for a few seconds. Then I smiled faintly.
A smile that didn’t even feel like a smile. "Yes.”
I nodded slowly. "You’re right.”
My eyes met his directly. "I don’t know you very well either.” My chest tightened as I said the words. "We should never have gotten this far.”