Chapter 181 050
TIANA let out a long, exasperated sigh, stepping away from the desk as Shantel advanced toward her, the air between them thick with tension.
“Shantel,” Tiana began again, her voice steady but tinged with frustration, “what is this? I thought we had passed this. I thought you had moved on.”
Shantel frowned, tilting her head slightly.
“What are you doing in my room again?” she asked, crossing her arms.
“That is not the question, sis,” Tiana said firmly, shaking her head. “You really shouldn’t be doing this. Not now. Not ever.”
“Doing what?” Shantel asked innocently, though the sharpness in her tone betrayed her.
“This,” Tiana said, gesturing to the desk, the laptop, the magazines, the scraps of paper plastered with Amelia’s face. “Are you… stalking her now? Studying her every move?”
Shantel’s lips pressed into a thin line.
“Stalking? Tiana, you are exaggerating. I’m… I’m just looking. Researching. That is all.”
“Researching what?” Tiana countered, stepping closer. “Amelia’s life? Her habits? Her pictures everywhere? Shantel, this isn’t research, it is obsession. You can’t hide it behind words!”
Shantel shook her head, her eyes narrowing.
“This has nothing to do with the past. I told you, I’m not thinking about that anymore. I’m not trying to bring it back.”
Tiana’s gaze sharpened, her voice gaining strength despite her younger age.
“No, Shantel. That past is still alive, whether you admit it or not. You can pretend it’s buried, long forgotten, but I see it in the way you are going about this, the way you have surrounded yourself with her image. Charles has moved on. Amelia is happy. You are digging up something that doesn’t belong to you anymore.”
Shantel’s jaw clenched, but she didn’t back down.
“I’m not interfering. I’m not trying to… any of that. This won’t affect him, and it won’t affect me. Stop overreacting.”
“I’m not overreacting,” Tiana said, her voice rising slightly. “I’m worried about you! That past, you can’t bury it, Shantel. It will seep through, it always does. And Charles has made his choice. He is with her now. You should just… let sleeping dogs lie. Stop chasing ghosts that aren’t yours to chase anymore!”
Shantel stared at her for a long moment, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.
“You don’t understand,” she said finally, her voice low and dangerous. “You don’t know why I’m doing this.”
“I do understand enough to know this isn’t healthy,” Tiana said quietly, taking a step closer. “And I don’t want to watch you destroy yourself over something from the past. Please, Shantel… just let it go. Stop before it gets worse.”
Shantel’s face twisted with frustration.
“And why exactly are you here, Tiana? Why have you barged into my room, telling me what I can and cannot do?”
Tiana paused, suddenly remembering the reason she had come in the first place. Her eyes flicked toward the closet.
“I came for my hairpins,” she admitted softly, gesturing vaguely toward it.
Shantel let out a short, sharp laugh, rolling her eyes.
“It’s in my closet. Take it and leave,” she said, pointing toward the small wardrobe.
Tiana walked over quickly, retrieved her pack of hairpins, and turned to leave. She felt the weight of the conversation lingering in her chest, but she knew she had said what she needed to say.
As soon as she stepped out of the room, she heard the soft click of the door behind her. Shantel had locked it.
“If you hadn’t entered, you wouldn’t have been advising me,” Shantel’s voice called from behind the door, calm but edged with irritation.
Tiana paused, her hand still on the doorknob, and gave a small nod in acknowledgment, though she didn’t respond. Shantel walked back to the desk, the quiet of the room settling in around her once more.
Tiana walked down the hallway, the pack of hairpins in her hand, her mind still replaying the tense conversation. She knew her words had made a mark, even if Shantel didn’t admit it. Sometimes, even a younger sister could see what the older one refused to face.
And sometimes, a past thought buried could still reach out, and it was better to stand against it before it consumed everything.
Adrian was still at his office, papers stacked haphazardly on his desk as he typed out emails and tried to finish up a few lingering reports. The faint hum of the air conditioning and the occasional clatter of a keyboard were the only sounds that filled the large office. He rubbed his eyes, leaning back in his chair, and reached for his phone.
It rang immediately. Seeing Amelia’s name flash across the screen, he groaned softly and swiped to answer.
“Hello?”
“Adrian!” Amelia’s voice came through, sharp and tense. “Are you serious right now?”
He frowned.
“Amelia, slow down. What is going on?”
“You really don’t get it, do you?” she snapped. “I have told you so many times to let me know when you plan to have the kids over! Why do you always go behind my back?”
Adrian pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stay calm.
“Let’s be honest here. You fought for custody and got it. You have the kids the majority of the time. I get scraps, Amelia. Hours here and there. And now you are complaining that I actually want to spend some of those hours with them?”
“Scraps? Hours?” Amelia’s voice rose. “The last time I checked, Adrian, you weren’t exactly jumping at the chance to spend time with children you call yours! That is why it’s frustrating now! Why all of a sudden does it matter?”
There was silence on the line. The question hit Adrian harder than he expected. He didn’t answer immediately, instead letting the quiet stretch between them.
“I thought as much,” Amelia continued, her tone quieter now but still firm. “Whenever you want the kids to come over, just let me know. Don’t go making plans with Hazel, keeping me in the dark, and then surprising me with what you think are cute little gestures. I’m not some bystander to your schedule, Adrian. I’m their mother, and I deserve to know what’s going on.”
Adrian leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. He hadn’t expected her to phrase it that way, hadn’t expected her words to sting as much as they did.
“Amelia,” he started slowly, “I just… I didn’t think it was that big a deal. Hazel always wanted to go, they were excited—”
“Excited? Adrian, that is not the point!” she interrupted sharply. “The point is you didn’t tell me. You didn’t consider how it might feel to be left out of something so important. You can’t just assume that because it is a few hours with the kids, I wouldn’t care.”
He ran a hand through his hair.
“I’m not trying to upset you. I’m trying to be with my kids. That’s all.”
“And I’m not saying you shouldn’t, Adrian!” she shot back. “But you need to communicate. You need to respect that I’m their mother, not just an observer. If we can’t even talk about this like adults, then what hope do we have of co-parenting properly?”
“I get it,” he said quietly, his tone softer now. “I will… I will try to do better. But you have to understand, I feel like I only get these tiny windows, and I don’t want to waste them.”
Amelia exhaled sharply.
“And that is fine, Adrian. That is completely fine. But the next time, just let me know. Don’t plan things behind my back and expect me to be okay with surprises that could have been avoided with a simple conversation.”
There was a pause before she ended the call.
“Alright. I think that’s all I needed to say. Goodbye, Adrian.”
The line went dead. Adrian sat there for a long moment, staring at the phone in his hand, feeling the weight of her words settle into his chest. He knew she was right. Communication was key. And for the sake of his children, he couldn’t keep letting the little things create such unnecessary friction.