Chapter 6. Her feelings

Four years and six months had passed.

Time had slipped by quietly, reshaping Amelia’s life in ways she never imagined on the day she signed that contract.

She had grown—not just older, but stronger. The timid girl who once walked carefully around Ricardo, afraid of saying the wrong thing, no longer existed. In her place stood a woman of quiet confidence, her beauty refined by maturity rather than youth alone. Her eyes carried determination now, and her smile held a calm assurance she had earned through years of endurance.

Amelia had completed her education with excellent results.

True to his word, Ricardo had supported her throughout—paying her tuition, ensuring she lacked nothing financially, and opening doors she never would have reached on her own. With his influence, she secured a respectable position at a reputable company, where her diligence and intelligence quickly set her apart.

Yet, despite all of this, their relationship remained distant.

They lived under the same roof, shared the same last name, and were bound by a legal contract—but emotionally, they were strangers. Their conversations were brief and formal, limited to necessities. A nod in the hallway. A polite exchange at the dining table. Long days without seeing each other at all.

Still… Amelia found herself watching him.

She noticed the way Ricardo loosened his tie after a long day, the tired crease between his brows when work weighed heavily on him, the rare moments when his voice softened during late-night phone calls. Without realizing it, admiration had taken root in her heart—slow, quiet, and dangerous.

At first, she denied it.

Then she resisted it.

But love had a way of growing even when it wasn’t invited.

She knew it was foolish. Bianca had said it countless times—though Amelia had never confessed until now. Falling in love with a man who treated marriage like a business deal was bound to end in heartbreak. And yet, every time Ricardo stood silently beside her at public events, every time he defended her reputation with a few cold words, her heart betrayed her reason.

Tonight, she was meeting Bianca after work.

The café was warm and softly lit, filled with the low murmur of conversations and the clinking of cups. Amelia sat across from her friend, stirring her drink absentmindedly as Bianca chatted about office gossip. Her mind, however, was elsewhere.

“Amelia?” Bianca paused, narrowing her eyes. “You’ve been quiet all evening. What’s wrong?”

Amelia hesitated.

Then, as if something inside her finally broke, she spoke. “I think… I’m in love with my husband.”

The words fell between them like shattered glass.

Bianca froze mid-sip.

The next second, she spat her drink right back into the cup, coughing violently. “What?!”

Amelia flinched, then laughed softly, grabbing a napkin and handing it to her. “I knew you’d react like that.”

Bianca wiped her mouth, staring at her in pure disbelief. “Amelia, tell me you’re joking. Please.”

“I’m not,” Amelia said quietly, her smile faint but sincere. “I’ve thought about it for a long time.”

Bianca leaned back, running a hand through her hair. “You’re naïve,” she said bluntly. “Do you even hear yourself? That man married you because of a contract. He barely looks at you!”

“I know,” Amelia replied calmly. “But he’s never been cruel. He supported me. He respected me.”

“That doesn’t mean he loves you!”

Amelia’s gaze softened. “I don’t expect him to. I just… can’t keep pretending I feel nothing.”

Bianca shook her head, frustration evident in her eyes. “And what do you plan to do? Keep loving him quietly until the contract ends and he walks away?”

Amelia took a deep breath.

“I’m going to tell him.”

Bianca nearly choked again. “Tonight?”

“Yes.”

Her voice was steady, but her hands trembled beneath the table. “I don’t want to live with regrets. Even if he rejects me—even if nothing changes—I need to be honest at least once in my life.”

Bianca stared at her, searching for doubt. Finding none, she sighed heavily. “You’re brave… or completely reckless.”

“Maybe both,” Amelia said with a small smile.

As she stood to leave, her heart pounded painfully in her chest. Fear and hope tangled together, refusing to separate.

Tonight, she would finally step out of the shadows of a contract.

Tonight, Amelia Hart would confess her feelings to Ricardo.

And whatever happened next would change everything.