Chapter5 Mental Shift

Life is unforeseeable, but Amanda never expects that the next time she bumps into Riley will be on the day she is discharged from the hospital.

Amanda hates hospitals; they always remind her of her parents’ passing. Everything here feels like a lingering nightmare, pressing down on her until she can barely breathe.

And just then, she sees the last two people she wants to see.

Riley is there, still attractive and sturdy, carrying a vulnerable but lovely woman bodily up the stairs. Together, they look perfect—a picture of elegance and charm. People will smile when they see it, except Amanda.

Because her husband, Riley, is here to accompany another woman as his own wife lies recovering in a hospital bed.

Amanda notices how Riley, usually all strides and long legs, slows down to match Faye’s dainty pace. His gaze softened in a way Amanda has never seen.

It hit Amanda that the first time she wore stiletto heels.

At that time, she followed Riley to attend a quarterly business review. She’d struggled to keep up, almost twisting her ankle, but he hadn’t even glanced back, only later coldly reprimanding her.

“Amanda, this is a workplace, not a charity. The corporate world is a battlefield. Never expect any special treatment from me; I'm always equal opportunity about everything. If you fall behind, no one will wait for you.”

So, he does know how to wait for someone—just not her.

In the past, Amanda would feel depressed. She doesn’t know what it is, but something feels off about her mood. She is calm, even a little irritated—she’d been blind to Riley’s double standard for far too long.

But Amanda doesn’t like do shoulda, coulda, woulda.

After marrying Riley, she’d given her all, dedicating herself entirely to being a good wife. And now, determined to burn bridge with him, she can say she is over it. Three years of marriage had drained her of any remaining affection for him.

She starts to turn away, intending to head down a different corridor, but Faye spots her. Confused, Faye asks, “Who are you? Why are you staring at us? Do you know us?”

As she speaks, Faye’s breathing grows unsteady. She wraps her arms around Riley and hugs him tightly. She looks as though butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth.

“Riley, that weird woman seems to be giving me the stink eye. Have I done something wrong?” 

Apparently, Faye Aiken is being endearing to win Riley over. 

The moment Riley sees Amanda, he gives her the deep freeze and there is a deep frown on his face. “It’s nothing—just someone unimportant,” he whispers, gently patting on her back.

Riley has always been wary of Amanda mingling with his friends, which hits the spot.

Other than the two of them, Riley’s father and a couple of her friends, no one knows about their marriage, making it easier for her to be through with Riley.

But Amanda feels like the universe is conspiring against her—physically drained and now forced to see flirt in front of her.

She rolls her eyes and is champing at the bit to leave here.

“Amanda! Amanda!” Riley, having settled Faye, quickly catches up with her. “Are you insane? You came all the way to the hospital just to make a scene? Can’t you be a little more considerate? Faye’s been seriously ill!”

Faye has taken a sharp turn for the worse, teetering between life and death more than once, and Riley has been running himself ragged caring for her.

He’s tried to reach out to Amanda, but she hasn’t answered his calls, nor has she shown up at work. His assistant says she’s been unreachable.

Riley assumes she is still sulking over him abandoning her at the villa on their anniversary.

He never imagines he will run into her here of all places. She is being ridiculous; he is dealing with a life-or-death situation, and she is only thinking about herself.

She’s always been understanding, never prying into his private life—so what has changed?

That's ridiculous! He would rather think I’m stalking him than believe I might actually be sick. And he blindly trusts Faye’s lies.

The thought stokes Amanda’s anger, but she forces herself to swallow it.

Until things are fully resolved, she cannot afford to provoke Riley, who might just feel insulted enough to interfere out of spite.

“I have a miscarriage,” Amanda says quietly. “It’s unlikely I’ll ever be able to have my own baby.”

Riley frowns at Amanda, clearly annoyed. “Don’t joke around. We’ve always taken precautions. Do you mean that no sooner had I left than you lost a child? Last time I saw you, you were fine. You’re not even trying to make this believable.”

Amanda doesn’t know why she even tries to talk to him—She might as well save her breath.

If Riley refuses to believe a word she says, why does he even bother to come after her in the first place? Maybe her unborn child understands that its father is a terrible man, one not worth being born to.

Amanda gently touches her lower abdomen and gives a false smile.

“Fine,” she says. “Maybe I’m just jealous of Faye getting all your attention, so I come to find you. I’m neither sick nor pregnant.”

She notes the look of irritation on Riley’s face and swallows what she’s intended to say. “Go on back to Aiken—she’s the patient, isn’t she?”

Riley hates his father.

His father’s betrayal had driven Riley’s mother into depression and made him wary of marriage altogether. His father had once hoped he would marry Faye, but Riley, determined to defy him, had readily agreed to Amanda’s proposal.

Now, though, Riley is in complete control of the company, earning the respect of both the board and the entire organization. He is no longer tethered to his father’s expectations or anyone else’s.

He is free to chase his so-called “true love”. Congratulations, Riley, Amanda thinks.

“Amanda—”

She doesn’t bother to listen closely to whatever he is saying. “Congratulations on getting what you want,” she says flatly, then turns and walks away without a second thought.

Amanda doesn’t notice that Riley seems to be seized with a wave of panic. But even if she has, she’d probably reckon something bizarre happened on him—after all, Riley is always so self-assured, so convinced he has everything under control.