Chapter 2

That afternoon, I had just finished tending to my mother.

Serena and Natalie cornered me in the hospital corridor, blocking my path.

Natalie marched up and slapped a photograph across my face.

The sharp edge of the photo scraped my cheek, leaving an instant red mark.

I bent down and picked it up. It was a picture from yesterday: Damian resting his forehead on my shoulder.

Natalie's voice was shrill.

"Amelia, Serena and Damian's wedding is days away. Do you still not know your place?"

"You're in a hospital and you're still trying to seduce someone else's husband. Have you no shame?"

The commotion drew stares from passing visitors and family members.

I tried to explain.

"He came to me that day. I've never pursued him."

Serena stepped forward, looking down at me.

Without Damian around, she didn't bother with her innocent act.

"If this were the Victorian era, I might have let you play the mistress."

"But times have changed. Not just anyone gets to climb the Ashford family tree."

I held the thin photograph, my voice steady.

"What you choose to think is your business."

"Whatever you believe, I stopped wanting to marry Damian a long time ago."

Serena's lips curved upward, and she raised her voice.

"Do you really think I'd believe that?"

She took a few more steps closer, leaning in until she was almost at my ear.

"Amelia, deep down, aren't you glad your mother is stuck in that hospital bed?"

"As long as she's clinging to life, you'll always have an excuse to stay at Damian's side."

People could say whatever they wanted about me. I could grit my teeth and take it.

But I would never let anyone curse my mother like that.

Her words ignited all the rage I'd been holding back for days.

My whole body trembled, my fingertips white from clenching.

"Shut up!"

"You can say whatever you want about me, but you do not get to curse my mother!"

The moment the words left my mouth, Damian's footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway.

The first thing he saw was my flushed face and my sharp voice lashing out at Serena.

The instant Serena spotted Damian, she pulled back all her aggression.

Her eyes glistened with tears, her voice laced with hurt.

"Amelia, I didn't come here to bother you."

"I just wanted to visit your mother and talk with you."

"If you don't want me here, I'll go. Please don't be upset."

Damian strode over and pulled Serena into his arms.

Watching him do it sent a stabbing pain through my chest.

His gaze settled on me, his brow furrowed.

There was a hint of caution in his voice.

"Mia, was there a misunderstanding?"

"Serena just came to check on your mother. She's sensitive, so if she did something wrong, just tell her gently. Don't scare her."

Before I could say a word, Serena jumped in.

"Damian, don't blame Amelia."

"I'm the one who got between you two. She has every right to be angry at me."

Natalie immediately backed her up.

"Damian, I can vouch that this had nothing to do with Serena!"

"We just came to see how her mother was doing, and the second we got here, she threw us out."

Looking at the two of them putting on their perfectly coordinated act, all I felt was bitter amusement.

I lifted my gaze and looked straight at Damian.

"Do you believe me, or do you believe her?"

His expression darkened.

People nearby were already holding up their phones to record.

My question had backed him into a corner.

Choose me, or choose the golden marriage that had just fallen into his lap?

Damian said nothing. And my heart went cold.

"You know my mother means everything to me. But you won't even give me a fair chance."

"You keep calling it a misunderstanding, but let's be honest. All you've ever cared about is yourself."

Damian valued his authority and his image above everything.

My words wiped away the last trace of hesitation in his eyes.

"Amelia! You're being completely unreasonable!"

"I've put up with your moods and accommodated your temper time and again, and all it's done is make you push for more!"

"Maybe I've been too lenient with you, and now you can't even see where you stand."

I stood perfectly still, looking at his face.

Cold. Unrecognizable.

"Oh, and Serena, you really don't need to target me like this."

"Because by the time your wedding happens tomorrow, I'll have already left this city. You'll never see me again."

Damian let out a sharp laugh.

He sauntered toward me, his eyes lazy with amusement.

"Leaving tomorrow?"

"Then tell me, what exactly do you have to leave with?"

Years of dependency had made him certain I could never break free.

I looked up and met his contemptuous gaze.

"My application to the overseas medical research team has been approved."

"They have a full set of top-tier medical resources, more than enough to support my mother's ongoing treatment."

"All the paperwork for leaving the country is done. Tomorrow, I'm taking my mother overseas. I'm never coming back."

The moment those words landed, Damian's body went rigid, the tremor so faint it was almost invisible.

He lunged forward and clamped his hand around my throat, his grip tightening savagely.

"How dare you?"

Beneath the rage, there was a note of panic he hadn't even noticed himself.

For all these years, he'd grown used to my dependence and obedience.

But now I was actually about to break free of his control.

The sudden loss of power terrified him.

That panic vanished in a flash.

The next second, he let go abruptly, his tone turning light.

"Leaving tomorrow? Go ahead and try, Amelia."

"But if you take one step out of this city..."

"I guarantee your mother won't make it through the day."

My heart plummeted.

He knew my mother was my only weakness.

And he was still ruthless enough to hold her life over my head.

Nearby, Serena had been standing quietly the entire time.

She caught that fleeting flash of panic and concern in Damian's eyes.

Her fingers clenched at her side, and a cold, vicious glint crossed her gaze.