Chapter 154 023
SATURDAY came quietly, wrapped in the pale hush of dawn, in the wee hours of the morning.
Amelia was still deep in sleep when her phone began to ring, the vibration buzzing insistently against the bedside table. She groaned softly, turning on her side and blindly reaching out. Her fingers brushed the phone, and with a sleepy frown, she brought it closer, squinting at the screen.
She intended to silence it.
Instead, her thumb slid the wrong way.
“Hey, baby.”
The voice slipped into her ear like a whisper she had imagined too many times over the past three days.
Amelia froze.
Her eyes flew open, sleep vanishing instantly as her heart slammed hard against her ribs. She pushed herself upright, the duvet falling loosely around her waist as she stared at the glowing screen in disbelief.
Charles.
Her fiancé.
Her boyfriend of three years.
Her fiancé of less than two weeks.
“Hey baby,” the voice came again, warmer now. “Are you there?”
She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry.
“Ch… Charles?” she whispered, her gaze fixed on his contact name, still decorated with the love emojis she hadn’t had the heart to remove.
“Yes. Yes, it’s me,” he said lightly. “Come on, why do you sound shocked? You surprised?”
Her brows knitted together sharply. She adjusted the phone properly against her ear, anger bubbling up faster than she could suppress it.
“Seriously?” she asked quietly. “Is that really what you are going with? That I’m surprised?”
There was a pause. A sigh drifted through the line.
“I—”
“I’m not just surprised,” Amelia cut in, lowering her voice instinctively. “I’m angry. I am so angry at you, Charles. What the hell? You abandoned my son at school.”
“I didn’t abandon him, babe,” he said quickly. “I didn’t.”
She let out a bitter breath.
“Then what did you do? Because last I checked, he was left there for over there hours.”
“Come on, baby,” he chuckled softly, as if trying to smooth things over. “It is not that deep—”
Her hand clenched into a fist. She raised her left index finger, biting her lower lip to keep her voice down.
“Can you stop that?” she snapped in a harsh whisper. “Can you just cut that crap off? That’s what you always say. ‘It’s not that deep.’ You mess up, and instead of owning it, you dismiss it. Is that fair, Charles? Is it?”
Silence stretched between them.
Then he sighed again, longer this time.
“Okay,” he said slowly. “Okay, I admit it. I was wrong. I should have called. I should have told you I couldn’t make it. I messed up… again.”
“Yes,” Amelia said firmly. “You did. Again.” She dragged a hand through her hair. “But how could you? I called you. I told you I was stuck in a meeting, that I couldn’t leave. I pleaded with you. I made you promise me. And what did you do in the end? You ignored me. You abandoned my child.”
“I’m really sorry, baby.”
“These are children you are trying to step into their lives,” she continued, her voice trembling despite her efforts. “Kids who will eventually see you as a father figure whether you like it or not. Do you know what they must think now? Especially Gabriel?”
“Oh my,” Charles said quickly. “My boys will be fine. I can handle them. I know how to. My main concern is you, babe. You. Please forgive me.”
His voice cracked slightly at the end, just enough to make her pause.
Silence settled again.
Amelia closed her eyes, inhaling slowly.
“Why didn’t you call?” she asked at last. “Since Monday, Charles. Today is Saturday.”
“You won’t believe it,” he said immediately. “I got really busy. Like… extremely busy. Things just kept coming up. Meetings, issues, stress. I even forgot important things about my own life.” He laughed weakly. “Whenever I remembered to call, something else distracted me. I literally just remembered a few minutes ago and decided to call immediately. Please believe me.”
She opened her eyes and stared at the wall ahead of her, her jaw tightening.
“I waited,” she said softly. “I waited every single day.”
“I know,” he replied quickly. “And I hate that I made you wait. Baby, please. I’m sorry.”
“You always say that after,” she murmured.
“But I mean it,” he insisted. “I really do.”
They talked on, his voice steady, pleading, circling apologies that came late and explanations that felt thin. Amelia listened, her heart torn between familiarity and hurt. She pointed out things he brushed past. He minimized, then apologized again when she pressed harder. It was a rhythm she knew too well.
“Okay,” she finally said after a while. “Enough.”
“Enough…?” he echoed anxiously.
“I hear you,” she said. “But I’m not just going to pretend everything is fine.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to,” he said quickly. “Let me make it up to you.”
“How?” she asked.
“I will take you out tonight,” he said. “A proper date. I will apologize properly. No excuses. Just me and you.”
She hesitated.
“Please, Amelia.”
She exhaled slowly.
“Fine,” she said at last. “Tonight.”
His relief was almost audible.
“Thank you, baby. Thank you.”
“And Charles,” she added, “this doesn’t erase anything.”
“I know,” he said softly.
There was a brief pause before he spoke again.
“How are the kids by the way?”
“They are very much okay,” she replied. “Gabriel’s hand is healing.”
“Thank goodness! I will handle him,” Charles said confidently. “Don’t worry about that.”
She didn’t respond immediately.
“We will talk more tonight,” he added. “I promise.”
“Alright,” she said quietly.
They ended the call shortly after.
Amelia lowered the phone slowly, staring at the dark screen long after it went blank, her heart still unsure whether to brace itself or hope.