Chapter 2

On the other end of the line was a man, dressed in black, carrying himself with an effortless elegance, his sharp features nothing short of captivating.

There was a flicker of surprise inhis eyes now.

Silence dragged on until Amelia found herself unable to wait any longer. She said, "Sorry, I was being impulsive. Just ignore what I said-"

"Yes."

Her words were cut short by the man's low voice.

She was shocked by his response.

Truth be told, she had regretted her words almost immediately after saying them.

Letting go of her engagement to Jaxton was one thing, but agreeing to marry Wyatt Stewart felt like playing a dangerous game.

In the darkness, Amelia's mind wandered back to a year ago.

It was late at night, just like now, when she had left the hospital as usual, only to encounter the barely conscious Wyatt in an alley on the west side of Kretol.

At the time, Amelia didn't know his identity, so when he offered to repay her after she'd saved him, she jokingly asked if he meant he would do anything for her.

He answered with a nod, and she couldn't help but tease that she might want himn to marry her.

Her proposal had just been a joke, an impulsive bit of fun. Never once had she expected Wyatt to agree.

But she already had an engagement with Jaxton, arranged before her mother's death, so she quickly explained she was only joking.

Knowing about her engagement, Wyatt made no argument. Instead, he quietly said that if she ever chose to end things with Jaxton, he would marry her. He promised to keep this offer valid for two years.

That offer hadn't expired yet.

How the call ended, Amelia couldn't recall.

All that remained clear was Wyatt's words on the phone, telling her to get ready for a wedding in thirty days.

She was really going to get married to someone, and that someone was not Jaxton.

Amelia lay in bed in the dark, feeling exhausted but unable to fall asleep.

Just as her thoughts began to fade, an onslaught of notifications rattled her phone.

Since her grandmother was in the hospital, she never turned off or silenced her phone.

She checked her phone and saw a photo of shredded pieces of clothing.

Recognition settled in after a moment-this was the pieces of the suit Jaxton had chosen that day, the very one crafted by her hands.

Accompanying the photo was a message from Dayna. "Sorry, Amelia. I had no idea you made this suit for Jaxton. I honestly thought it was just a regular suit, so when I saw it was dirty, I cut it into pieces to get rid of it. Hope you're not mad at me."

There was a smugness to Dayna's words that was impossible to miss.

When Amelia didn't reply right away, another message from Dayna appeared. "Jaxton says it's no big deal.Just a piece of clothing, not worth much."

Amelia knew that ignoring Dayna wouldn't help her sleep. If she left things hanging, the messages would just keep coming.

With a few quick taps, Amelia replied, "Jaxton's right; it's only a piece of clothing.I am not mad."

She then made sure to block Dayna's number before setting her phone aside. No part of her reply was a lie-she truly felt no anger.

After all, things like this had happened so often over the past two years that she'd lost count.

If she let herself get upset each time, she would have lost her mind long ago.

Lying back down, Amelia found she couldn't fall asleep.

A thought crept in-would her mother feel regret seeing her daughter's life turn out this way?

Dayna, the illegitimate child of Amelia's father, was a few months younger than Amelia.

When Amelia's mother, Katrina Davis, discovered Dayna's existence, she sent her abroad.

Yet, the endless burden of work soon caught up to Katrina, and her health began tofail.

That same year Katrina's health failed, Ricky Flynn-Amelia's father-brought both Janessa Patel and Dayna back to the country and into their home.

Nothing about this arrangement escaped Katrina's notice. She understood perfectly well that life with a stepmother would not be easy for Amelia, especially since Ricky had neve been a man of kindness.

To protect her daughter, Katrina made plans for Amelia to marry Jaxton.

This decision came easily, since Katrina and Laura Morrison, Jaxton's mother, had been close friends for decades.

Amelia and Jaxton had grown up together, and with her and Laura's connection, Katrina believed Amelia would have a good life after marrying Jaxton.

However, Katrina had no way of knowing how much people could change.

Just before her death, Katrina called Jaxton over and pressed him for a promise to take good care of Amelia.With both Katrina and Laura present, Jaxton's answer rang with conviction.

His assurance was so convincing that even Amelia believed him. But now...

At dawn, Amelia was pulled awake by a force. As she opened her eyes, she saw Jaxton's face,full of anger.

He was gripping her wrist tightly, the pain forcing her to pull away. "What's your problem? Why are you acting like this first thing in the morning?" she asked.

"You think you're clever, Amelia? Besides complaining to my mother, what else can you do?" Jaxton said.

That accusation made Amelia furrow her brows.

The video had spread online, and there was no chance Laura missed it.

But as soon as Jaxton heard from his mother, he jumped to the conclusion that Amelia must have tattled.

Amelia didn't even have the energy to waste explaining things to him.

The matter just strengthened her resolve to break off the engagement.

To Jaxton, Amelia's silence was an admission. He continued his harsh remarks throughout the journey to his family home.

Yet,as soon as they entered the Morrison family's residence, Jaxton changed his attitude completely.

Watching him change his demeanor so quickly, Amelia rolled her eyes. She had been so blind before, unable to realize that he was just a hypocrite.