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Lahat ng Kabanata ng Too late to want me back.: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

78 Kabanata

COFFEE FOR TWO

Ryan's POVThe memory came to me sometime after midnight.I couldn't sleep.That had become normal lately.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw something I wished I could change.An empty hospital chair. Amelia crying alone.The nurse's words."She always defended you... even when she cried."I turned onto my side and stared at the ceiling.That's when I remembered coffee.Not just any coffee.Saturday morning coffee.Back when we were newly married, neither of us had cared about sleeping in.We would wake up before sunrise, still wrapped in the excitement of building a life together.I'd sneak into the kitchen before Amelia woke up.She loved hazelnut coffee with just enough milk to soften the bitterness.Two spoonfuls of brown sugar.One tiny pinch of cinnamon.She claimed the cinnamon made it taste like home.I'd never understood how. But I always remembered. Then I'd make pancakes. Sometimes they'd burn. Sometimes they'd be too thick.Amelia never cared.She always smiled as though

THE RIVAL

Ryan's POVFor the first time in my life I was nervous to meet another man.Not because I thought Lucas Bennett was stronger than me.Not because I thought he was richer.Or more successful.I had already asked someone to investigate him weeks ago.His record was spotless.Successful architect.Respected businessman.He had no scandals, hidden relationships, or criminal history.He funded scholarships for underprivileged students.He donated anonymously to children's hospitals.He volunteered his time to restore old community centers.The report had ended with one sentence that refused to leave my mind."Mr. Bennett is known for helping others without expecting recognition."I folded the report and slipped it back into the drawer.There was nothing to expose. Nothing to use against him.Which made him an even more difficult rival.My phone buzzed.A message from Lucas.‘I'll be at Hawthorne Café at 3:00 p.m. If you still want to talk, I'll be there.’No hesitation.No games.He had ag

LETTERS SHE NEVER SENT

Ryan's POVRain tapped softly against the windows that Saturday morning.The kind of slow, steady rain that made the whole house feel quieter than usual.Amelia had left early for an art workshop.She'd kissed Martha on the cheek, grabbed an umbrella, and disappeared before I even came downstairs.The silence she left behind felt strangely heavy.I wandered through the house with a mug of coffee in my hand, unsure what to do with myself.For years, weekends had belonged to work.NowI was learning how empty they could feel.Martha found me standing in the hallway."Mr. Carter?"I looked up."Yes?""If you're looking for something to do..."She smiled."...Mrs. Carter asked if someone could organize the attic.""The attic?""There are old boxes everywhere.""I'll do it."She looked pleasantly surprised."Are you sure?"I nodded."I need something to keep my hands busy."She smiled knowingly."Sometimes keeping your hands busy lets your heart catch up."I wasn't sure what she meant.But

OUR SONG

Ryan's POVSome memories don't knock before they return.They simply find you.It happened on a Thursday afternoon.I had stepped into a small café near the office between meetings, hoping that a cup of coffee might clear my mind.The place wasn't crowded.Soft conversations drifted through the room.The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air.I stood in line, scrolling absentmindedly through emails, when the first notes of a familiar melody floated from the speakers.My fingers froze.I slowly looked up.No It couldn't be.Then the chorus began.Our song.The song Amelia and I had danced to on our wedding night.The one she'd insisted wasn't too slow or too fast."The perfect song," she'd called it.I closed my eyes.In an instant, I was no longer standing inside a café.I was twenty-seven again.Standing beneath thousands of tiny lights.Watching Amelia walk toward me in her wedding dress.She had looked nervous.Excited and beautiful.When the music started, she'd whisp

THE THINGS I NEVER SAW

Ryan's POVIt happened gradually.Not all at once.Not with one grand realization.Just, little things.Tiny moments I would have overlooked before.Except now, I noticed everything.Maybe because I was finally looking.Or maybe because I was terrified that every little change was another step taking Amelia farther away from me.---Monday morning.I came downstairs earlier than usual.Martha was humming softly while preparing breakfast.The house smelled of fresh coffee."Good morning, Mr. Carter.""Morning."I looked around."Where's Amelia?"Martha smiled without looking up."She's already left.""So early?""She had a sunrise painting session by the lake."I frowned."A sunrise painting session?""Every Monday."My stomach tightened."Every Monday?""For nearly three months."Three months.She had been leaving the house before sunrise every Monday.I had never noticed.Because I had never been awake to see her leave.---On Tuesday, I came home just after six.The house was quiet.

THE TRUTH WE BURIED

Ryan's POVThere comes a point when excuses lose their meaning.When explanations sound like lies.When the truth you've buried for years becomes heavier than your pride.I reached that point on a quiet Sunday evening.The house was unusually still.Martha had gone to visit her sister.The staff had the evening off.Outside, rain tapped softly against the windows.Inside...It was just Amelia and me.She sat in the art studio, adding gentle strokes of white paint to a canvas. She didn't notice me standing at the doorway.Or maybe, she did.Maybe she had simply grown used to my silence.I watched her for several moments.She looked peaceful. Focused. Confident.There had been a time when every expression on her face depended on me.Whether I smiled.Whether I came home early.Whether I remembered to ask about her day.Now, she had learned to find peace without waiting for me to provide it.The realization hurt.But she deserved that peace.I knocked softly against the wooden frame."Ca

A DIFFERENT MAN

Ryan's POVPeople always talk about changing.Very few people actually do it.For years, I had believed love was something I felt.Now I understood that love was something you did. Not once. Not when it was convenient.Every single day.Even if no one noticed.Especially if no one noticed.That was the lesson Amelia had unknowingly taught me.And this time I wasn't going to fail it.---Monday morning began the same way it always had.My assistant walked into my office carrying a stack of files."Good morning, Mr. Carter.""Morning.""You have three meetings before lunch, a conference call at two, and—""Move the last meeting."She blinked."The one with the investors?""Yes.""It can wait until tomorrow."She frowned slightly."You've been leaving early a lot lately.""I know.""The board is starting to ask questions."I smiled faintly."Let them."She looked genuinely confused.A few months ago, I would've chosen work without hesitation.Now...There were things more important than

THE SAFE PLACE

Amelia's POVThere was a time when weekends made me anxious.Weekends meant long hours inside a quiet house.Ryan was usually working.I was usually waiting.Waiting for him to come home.Waiting for him to answer my messages.Waiting for him to remember the promises he'd made.Eventually, I stopped waiting.I started filling my weekends with painting classes, charity events, morning walks, and friends who reminded me that life hadn't ended just because my marriage was falling apart.This weekend was different.Lucas had invited me to visit a small lakeside town about an hour outside the city."It's beautiful this time of year," he'd said with that easy smile of his."You need fresh air.""You sound like my doctor.""I'll take that as a compliment."I laughed.It wasn't meant to be romantic.Just a quiet day away from the noise.After everything that had happened over the past few months, I realized something surprising.I trusted Lucas completely.That realization frightened me more

THE HEADLINES

Ryan's POVThe first headline appeared at 6:17 a.m.I wasn't even awake yet.By the time I reached my office at eight, the story had spread across every major entertainment website, business blog, and social media platform.My assistant walked into my office carrying a tablet.She looked uncomfortable."Mr. Carter...""I think you should see this."She placed the tablet in front of me.The screen was filled with photographs of Amelia and Lucas. Walking beside the lake. Laughing together.Lucas catching her when she stumbled.The moment on the dock where they had been sitting side by side.The sunset behind them made every picture look more intimate than it really was.Below the photographs; the headline screamed in bold letters.IS RYAN CARTER'S MARRIAGE FINALLY OVER?Another article read:BILLIONAIRE'S WIFE FINDS LOVE WITH CHILDHOOD FRIEND.Another.AMELIA CARTER MOVES ON AFTER YEARS OF HEARTBREAK.I scrolled through dozens of comments.‘She deserves someone better.’‘Look how happy

THE FAMILY DIVIDES

Amelia's POVI used to think losing babies was the hardest thing I would ever experience.Then I thought living in a lonely marriage was.Now I had discovered something even more exhausting.Everyone had an opinion about my life.People who had never spent a single night crying themselves to sleep suddenly knew what I should do.People who had never sat alone in a hospital room believed they understood my marriage.Strangers judged me.Friends worried about me.And now, our families had decided they had a say too.I should have seen it coming.The gossip had spread too far.The photographs. The headlines. The rumors.It was only a matter of time before both families became involved.I just wasn't ready for how ugly it would become.---My phone rang just after breakfast. My Mom.I smiled as I answered."Hi, Mom."Her voice was gentle."Honey... have you eaten?""I have.""Are you sleeping?""A little better."There was a pause."I've been seeing the news."Of course she had."It isn'

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