Chapter 40
The morning light in the office was crisp and clean, reflecting off the polished glass of Amara’s desk.
Amara leaned back in her chair, the steam from her coffee rising in a gentle swirl. For the first time in weeks, her mind felt quiet. The memory of Julian’s laugh from the night before was a warm hum in the back of her head.
She took a slow, peaceful sip. Then, her phone buzzed.
The vibration was aggressive, skittering across the mahogany surface like a warning. Amara set her cup down, her brow furrowing. She picked up the device, the screen glowing with a string of notifications from Seb.
Seb: How could you do it, Amara?
Seb: I was ready to give up everything to earn your forgiveness. I thought you were better than this.
Seb: Seren is a child. How could you lay a finger on her?
Seb: Answer me! I saw the bruises. She told me everything.
Amara stared at the words, her blood turning to ice. The peace she had felt only seconds ago shattered like glass.
She told him everything? Amara thought, her grip tightening on the phone until her knuckles turned white. What lie did Elara feed that poor girl?
She stood up, pacing the length of her office. The audacity of it made her head spin. She had been the one to pick Seren up off the floor. She had been the one to drive her to the ER while Elara was nowhere to be found. And now, she was the villain again.
Another text popped up, the final blow.
Seb: If you don’t come to the hospital and apologize to Seren and Elara right now, I am done chasing you. I won’t let this slide, Amara. Not for anyone.
Amara stopped pacing. She looked out the window at the city below. A cold, bitter laugh escaped her throat.
Apologize? To whom, actually, to Elara or his daughter Seren?
She sat back down, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. She could feel the old Amara, the one who would have panicked and tried to explain, trying to surface.
She deleted the long, defensive paragraph she had started typing. She tossed the phone onto the desk and picked up her coffee again. It was cold now.
Amara had no intention of wasting another second thinking about Seb or his family. Not after the words he had sent her earlier.
The angry text still sat in her mind like a bruise she couldn’t quite press without feeling it ache. She had read it once. Then twice. Then forced herself to lock her phone and bury the irritation beneath work.
Emails. Meetings. Deadlines. Anything to quiet the noise. But just as she was beginning to regain control, her phone rang again.
Her jaw tightened. “You’ve got to be kidding me she muttered under her breath, already prepared to silence it.
Then she glanced at the screen. Julian. The tension in her shoulders melted instantly. “What a time,” she whispered to herself before answering.
“Hello p>
“Hello there,” his voice came warm and playful through the speaker. “To the most beautiful woman in the world.” Amara couldn’t stop the soft smile that touched her lips.
“I was thinking about you,” he continued. “Actually… all night. And this morning. Is it weird to say I already miss you and want to see you p>
Her smile deepened despite herself. The heaviness Seb’s message had left behind began to dissolve, piece by piece.
“Well,” Julian added gently, “how’s your morning p>
“Nothing much,” Amara admitted, leaning back in her chair. “I’m glad you called p>
And she meant it.
That call was exactly what she needed, a breath of fresh air in the middle of emotional suffocation. “Good,” Julian said, pleased. “Because I was planning to pick you up after work p>
Her brows lifted slightly. “Oh? And where are we going p>
“To the movies.” She opened her mouth, ready to protest lightly that she wasn’t really in the mood for crowds or predictable plots.
“See you soon,” he cut in quickly, laughing. “I’m sending you kisses.” Before she could object, the line went dead. Amara stared at her phone for a second.
Then she realized she was still smiling. The anger from earlier no longer felt sharp. It felt distant. Manageable. Seb’s text had tried to pull her back into something toxic.
Julian’s voice had gently pulled her forward instead. And as she set her phone down, she caught her reflection in the dark screen. Still smiling.
Not long after, the heavy oak door to Amara’s office didn’t just open; it slammed against the wall with a deafening crack.
“Don’t stop me!” Seb’s voice echoed through the suite, jagged and raw.
Amara’s new secretary, a young woman looking pale and shaken, hovered at the door. “Miss Piers, I… I’m sorry, I couldn’t hold him back. He just p>
“That’s fine,” Amara interrupted, her voice eerily calm compared to the storm that had just walked in. She didn’t even look up from the document she was reading. “You can go out. Close the door behind you p>
The click of the latch was the only sound for a heartbeat. Seb was standing in the center of the room, his chest heaving. He looked like a man possessed, his hair was a mess, and his eyes were wild with a mixture of betrayal and agony.
“I can’t give you anything else, Amara!” Seb yelled, his voice cracking. “I’ve given you my dignity, my apologies, and the company… but why hurt Seren? Why her p>
Amara finally looked up. For a second, her mask slipped. She felt a sharp, stinging surprise in her chest. She knew Seb was weak, and she knew he was easily led, but to think she was capable of physically harming a child? The child she was forced to raise with so much love.
“Excuse me?” she said, her voice dropping to a dangerous, low level.
“Did you not, Amara?” Seb stepped closer, slamming his palms down on her mahogany desk. The pens in the holder rattled. “I know you hate me. I know you hate Elara for what she took from you. But Seren is just a child! How could you hurt her just to get back at us p>
Amara stood up slowly. She didn’t retreat; she leaned forward until she was inches from his face. She could smell the stale coffee and the desperation on him. It was pathetic.
“You and Elara are scumbags,” she said, each word dripping with icy disdain. “The two of you aren’t even worth my hate anymore. You’re just… noise p>
“Then why is she in a hospital bed?” Seb screamed.
“I didn’t hurt Seren,” Amara hissed, her eyes boring into his. “I was the one who saved her. Keep making these baseless accusations, Seb, and I promise you you’ll regret it more than anything else you’ve done p>
Seb flinched as if she had struck him. He looked at her, searching for the soft, forgiving Amara he used to know, but all he found was a wall of cold granite.