LOGINAmelia drew a slow breath and forced down the emotions rising in her chest. Then she lifted her head and looked at Samantha with a sharp, steady gaze. "Ms. Bloom, my marriage to Christopher isn't yours to judge. Instead of picking apart someone else's past, you should worry about your own present. After all, not everyone can secure their place the way you have."Samantha's smile froze. Her expression turned ugly. "What's that supposed to mean?""Nothing." Amelia set down her fork and stood, her voice cool. "I have work to do. Enjoy your lunch, Ms. Bloom."With that, she turned and walked back to her desk, leaving Samantha's face dark with anger and the surrounding coworkers trapped in awkward silence.Back at her workstation, Amelia stared at her computer screen for a long time without moving.Samantha's words had been cruel, but they had also made one thing painfully clear: whatever she and Christopher had once had was nothing more than a mistake she no longer wanted to remembe
Amelia slipped quietly into Evelyn's room and looked at the little girl's soft sleeping face. The ache in her chest only deepened.She didn't want Evelyn growing up in a complicated mess, and she didn't want this unexpected child to become another burden her daughter had to live around.That night, Amelia barely slept.She sat on the living room couch, staring at the moonlight beyond the window, turning Jasper's words over and over in her mind. No matter how many times she thought it through, her first decision didn't change.Near dawn, she finally got up, washed her face, changed clothes, and got ready to go to the Academy of Aerospace to finish her final handoff.When Jasper woke and saw the red veins in her eyes, his chest tightened with concern."Why don't you skip it today? I'll call the Academy for you.""No. It's just the last bit of paperwork. Once I finish it, I'll be completely done." Amelia forced a small smile and picked up her bag. "Stay home with Evie. I'll be back
"The way he treats Samantha feels off," Jasper said. "She's supposedly carrying his child, but he doesn't act like it."Amelia was quiet for a few seconds before she looked up at him, her voice calm. "If the baby weren't his, Samantha wouldn't be trying this hard, and she wouldn't be throwing a huge engagement party. She wants the position of Mrs. Zephyr. She always has. The baby is just her way of locking it down."Jasper gave a humorless laugh. "True. He cared about Nathan, too, didn't he? He did the paternity test, the public defense, all of it. The second he found out the boy wasn't his, he went cold. At the end of the day, he doesn't care about people. He cares about what belongs to him."Jasper's words hit Amelia like cold water, clearing the last of the fog from her mind.He was right. Christopher's concern had always come with conditions.Maybe his concern for Samantha's baby now had nothing to do with Samantha at all. Maybe it was only because he believed the child ca
After the blood draw, Amelia waited for the results in the hospital lobby.The waiting area was packed. She leaned back in her chair, her eyes fixed on the lab order in her hand as her fingertips worried the edge of the paper again and again.Jasper came back from outside with a cup of warm milk. "Drink a little. You need some strength."Amelia took it without arguing and sipped a few mouthfuls, letting the warmth slide down her throat.The blood test results wouldn't be ready for another ten minutes or so, but every second dragged.She was afraid the result would come back positive and throw every plan she had into chaos.At the same time, a strange, uneasy dread pressed at her chest, the fear of stepping into a change she couldn't see yet."Don't tense up so much." Jasper noticed how rigid she was and gently covered the back of her hand with his. His warmth seeped through her skin. "Whatever the result is, we'll handle it."Amelia nodded and was about to speak when a familiar
"I...can't rule it out."Amelia's voice trembled, and her fingers tightened around the paper until her knuckles went white.The doctor saw the panic on her face and softened her tone. "It's all right. Try not to worry yet. If we need to do a CT scan later, we have to rule out pregnancy first. Go get a blood draw for an HCG test. Once the results come back, we'll know for sure."Amelia took the lab order from the doctor and walked out of the exam room on unsteady legs.The hallway lights felt too bright. She stood there for a long moment, unable to pull herself together."What happened? Did you get the results?"Jasper hurried over. The moment he saw her pale face and unfocused eyes, his chest tightened. He reached out and gently steadied her by the arm."Are you feeling worse?"Amelia looked up at the worry in his eyes, and the panic she had been holding back rose through her like a tide.She drew in a breath and tried to steady herself, but her voice still shook. "Jasper, t
Amelia nodded. She was about to get out when she spotted two familiar figures not far away.Christopher was carefully supporting Samantha as they walked down the hospital corridor together. Samantha's lower belly had begun to show, and pregnancy had softened her expression. Side by side, the two of them looked almost painfully intimate.Samantha noticed Amelia first. She immediately tugged Christopher to a stop, her voice carrying a deliberate note of concern. "Ms. Sinclair? What brings you to the hospital? Are you not feeling well?"Her gaze flicked between Amelia and Jasper, sharp with curiosity she didn't bother hiding well.Amelia's fingers tightened slightly. Her voice stayed calm. "It's nothing serious. Just a routine checkup."Christopher's eyes settled on her face, dark and unreadable, like a black sea with something heavy moving beneath the surface. He said nothing. He only watched her in silence, as if trying to find an answer there.Jasper glanced at the time on
Amelia was sure Nicole had Christopher's approval before calling her.Amelia didn't want to argue with them about this. Since it was unimportant, she was fine with it.Just then, she received a piece of good news. Her newly published thesis was accepted by SCI. Upon finding out, Mr. Guthrie and
Luke was stunned.Given Christopher's status and identity, Nicole was certainly not on equal footing with him. Yet, she was asking him to help her and work for her."What are you talking about? Chris, working for you?" Luke said with amusement."Can't he?" Nicole chuckled as she looked at Christo
Nicole was glad to hear Amelia knew her place well, unlike the way she was in the past. Back then, she was always overestimating herself.Nicole surmised that Amelia had finally realized her place in Christopher's heart.Christopher looked at Amelia in silence.Nicole glanced at Christopher and s
At Lucia's words, Christopher halted in his footsteps."That's a doctor from the hospital. Amelia's uncle is sick, and they're discussing his treatment plan." He looked calmly at Lucia and asked, "Do you have some sort of prejudice against her?"Lucia was stunned by his question.She mumbled unde







