Daniel

I stared at the city passing by through the window feeling nothing but numb. I was dressed in a tux to attend the annual charity ball that my family has decided to organize this year. The bow that was around my neck felt more like a noose. It was suffocating me and I couldn't stop my fingers from pulling on it.

"You are going to mess it up like that," Sophia's hand reached for mine pulling it away from the bow. She corrected it before holding onto my hand. Turning my head towards her I looked at her feeling nothing. All the love and joy I had been feeling for the last few years had been robbed of my life. All the emotions whether it be hatred, happiness, or anything I couldn't feel anything at all. Heath and my mom had robbed me of everything. I haven't confronted my mother yet, I couldn't because I knew she would tell me nothing but lies. She would give me lies to save her face. Unlike Heath, she would never admit her mistake. She would rather die than ever tell me the truth.

"Are you all right?" Sophia squeezed my hand and all I could give her was a fake smile with a nod. I knew she could sense the distance I had been putting between us for the last week. I couldn't look at her the same way I did before because all I could see was nothing but Amelia. She was in my mind and I felt like shit every day. I had ignored Adrian because his eyes only reminded me of her. It made me think of my own child that my mother had left out to die. I was slowly going crazy thinking about her. I couldn't sleep or function properly.

Ever since Heath had told me the truth he had disappeared. He had dropped the truths over me and I haven't heard from him or from anyone. I had no idea what he was doing right now but I knew he would come today. His attendance was mandatory and as much as I wanted to destroy this whole event I knew I couldn't, especially when Aunt Beth was going to be there. Here I was feeling so helpless because my own blood had betrayed me while I had hurt the only woman who had loved me.

"You know we should all go on a vacation next week," Sophia suggested from beside me with a warm smile gracing her lips. Her smile reached her eyes and I envied her. The was green jealousy inside of me seeing her happy because how could anyone be happy when I was so miserable on the inside?

"What do you think?" She asked me and all I could think was how could I go on a vacation when I had to find Amelia. How could I leave the city without seeing her? The knowledge that she was alive was the only thing that made me feel. It gave me hope that I could correct my mistakes, that I could at least do something.

"We will see to it," the same fake smile plastered my face before I turned my head towards the window. I knew she could feel the distance but right now I couldn't be anything but distant. Heath had told me that he had met Amelia, that he had seen her but unlike us, she had no idea about who she was. Heath had dropped the last words before making a swift exit. By the time I had overcome the shock it was already too late. He had left and had turned off his phone. I didn't know what to do and where to start. I was waking up every morning but with each ticking second I was losing myself as if I was dying on the inside.

"We are here," Sophia's happiness could be heard in her voice while I was drowning in a pool of numbness. It was better to be numb than crying and sobbing my heart out for the past that I couldn't change. The truth only killed me inside that I couldn't change anything because I wanted to be the fucking Superman and turn back time.

"Daniel," Sophia called my name drawing me out of the thoughts that did nothing but consume me more and more. I was going to go crazy. Getting out of the car I stood there breathing in the fresh air as much as I could. Being in that car felt suffocating but even out of the car it didn't feel any better. Turning my head I looked at the glamorous stage set behind me for the event. It was perfect in the eyes of many people but it seemed nothing but fake to me. It was all a lie just like I was.

"Daniel," Sophia called me out once again. She was standing there on the other side of the car in a beautiful silver-blue gown looking all beautiful with a smile on her lips but to me, it seemed nothing but a burden. I didn't deserve her or anyone. Forcing my feet to move I walked towards her feeling nothing but miserable from the inside while pushing a smile over my face.

"You seem lost," she added as I wrapped my hand around her waist.

"Just a little worried about work," I lied looking forward at the people in front of me. People were moving in front of us at a snail's pace getting their pictures clicked and it irked me. All I wanted was to be inside show my face and then be back home.

As it was our turn to face the cameras I put on a fake smile as flashes blinded me taking pictures one after another. I didn't wait for much and fastened my steps almost dragging Sophia with me. I knew she could sense something was wrong but there was nothing she could do about it.

"Daniel," I heard my name being called from behind just as I was about to enter the hall. Turning around I looked for the face calling my name only for my eyes to capture the face I really didn't want to see at all. It was Sasha who had called out my name and just beside him was Heath whom I didn't want to see at all.

"There is the happy couple," Sophia smiled looking at Sasha and Heath. I looked at Heath and diverted my gaze towards Sasha. Neither Heath nor I could look at each other. He had betrayed me and I had let myself be betrayed by him.

"Hello," Sasha greeted us cheerfully wrapping Sophie in a hug. Heath stood beside her just as I did beside Sophia. I wanted to hurl him into the nearest wall and punch him until he was nothing but a crying mess. He deserved it but who was going to do that to me for hurting Amelia? Heath had betrayed me but I had betrayed and broken a woman who had nothing but love for me. In a matter of days, I had to mourn my wife and even my child. They both were gone from my life. Heath and my mother were to be blamed for it but I was to be blamed for the same. I had seen her, I had heard her beg and yet I believed others than her. It was my mistake. I was blamed to be blamed for all the misery brought upon her because in the end, I was the one who had broken the vows by not trusting in her.

"God, Daniel I had called you a few many times but god knows where you were lost," Sasha said before engulfing you in a hug.

"He has something on his mind that he isn't willing to share at all," Sophia piped in giving me I told you so look.

"Sorry office matters are taking precedence over everything in my mind," I told both of them.

"I understand that but still a big thanks to you for giving Heath some time off to spend with me," I looked at Heath almost wanting to laugh at the lie he had dished out to his wife-to-be.

"Planning the wedding is really hectic you know but having Heath beside me helps a lot," I raised a brow looking towards Heath but decided not to say anything. I didn't want to pull Sasha down the la la land she was living in right now.

"How are the preparations going?" Sophia asked Sasha as she moved towards her. With arm in arm, they walked inside talking about a wedding that was about to happen the next month. Heath walked beside me quietly following them into the hall where there was a sea of people covered in jewels, gowns, and tuxes. The place was buzzing with people.

"What are you going to do about the work?" I asked Heath as we moved forward. My eyes tracked briefly where Sophia and Sasha were going.

He let out a tired sigh, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know. I haven't spoken to anyone yet, and to be honest, I have no desire to talk to Aunt Josephine about it either. I've been thinking about looking for something new, maybe a fresh start, but..." He trailed off, his shoulders sagging. "Truth is, I don't even know where to begin."

"

"You can come back to the firm if you want," I said, stopping in my tracks. Heath paused, turning to face me with wide eyes, clearly caught off guard. "It won't be easy. Things will be hard, maybe harder than before. But if you feel like you can handle the pressure, the door's open." I wasn't offering this for his sake. It was for mine. Keeping him close would give me control over what happened next.

Heath hesitated, searching my expression as if trying to read between the lines. "I... I don't know what to say. Thank you, I guess. I didn't expect—"

"But there's a condition," I interrupted, fixing him with a hard stare. "Make sure I never cross paths with my mother. Not today, not next week, not for months. I don't care how you do it, just make sure she stays away from me until I'm ready to face her. Because right now..." I clenched my fists to control the rage beneath my voice. "Right now, all I want to do is strangle her for what she's done."

"She's your mother, Daniel," Heath said quietly, shifting uncomfortably. "I can't just—"

"You were her accomplice," I cut him off sharply, my tone colder than before. "You both robbed me of my love and of my child. So distract her, keep her busy, push her down a flight of stairs if you have to—I don't care how you do it." I breathed out.

"Just don't let her near me at any cost. I need time, Heath. Time to get a grip on everything because I'm this close to breaking into pieces and shattering. Until then, keep her and even her shadow away from me." My voice trembled slightly, but I forced myself to stay in control, speaking low enough so only the two of us could hear.

Heath exhaled deeply, closing his eyes for a brief moment as if weighing the weight of my demand.

"I will try my best to do what you say. Hell even I will try to stay clear from your path too and I will join the office after a few weeks. I can't tell you how much I'm thankful to you," he added but I felt nothing. I didn't respond to him. His gratitude meant nothing to me. The hatred I felt for him still burned brightly, but if keeping him close meant keeping my mother farther away, it was a risk I was willing to take.

Turning around I looked at Sophia talking to aunt Beth. She and Beth were close, so I knew that she wasn't plotting my demise standing there with her. Sophia turned her head as if knowing I was watching and smiled at me. Beth too for a change smiled at me which she never did. Sasha stood beside them laughing and giggling. Somehow I felt at ease right in the moment as if I could breathe.

"Just keep her away from me," I told turning towards him as I looked in the crowd for her. I needed to steer away from her as much as I could. She was nowhere to be seen but she would be somewhere around.

"Sure," Heath replied.

I nodded absently, my mind elsewhere, already turning toward Sophia. But then I stopped mid-step. Something—no, someone—caught my attention, halting me as though the air had thickened around me. I spun back toward Heath, my gaze locking on something beyond him.

No. This couldn't be real.

Time slowed. My pulse stuttered, then thundered in my ears. My breath hit painfully in my chest. Everything around me blurred into nothing, fading into a dull, soundless haze. All I could focus on was her.

Her.

She stood there, breathing, smiling—a vision so familiar, so impossible, that my mind struggled to keep pace with what my eyes were telling me. My heart clenched painfully in my chest as if it couldn't decide whether to leap or shatter.

"Daniel!" Heath's voice cut through the haze, his figure suddenly blocking my view. He stepped in front of me, his brow furrowed with concern. "Are you alright?"

I barely heard him. My hand found his shoulder, gripping it harder than I intended as if grounding myself in the present. "Move," I rasped, my voice raw and strained. Without waiting for a response, I shifted him aside, desperate for another glimpse.

And there she was again.

It was her. No hallucination. No cruel trick of my mind. She was real—breathing, alive, standing just a few feet away. The way her lips curved into a gentle smile... the way the light caught in her eyes... it was exactly as I remembered, yet so distant from the reality I had lived with.

A flood of emotions crashed over me—hope, disbelief, longing, and something darker, fear. Fear that if I blinked, she might vanish, as if she had never been there at all.

All I could do was stare, frozen in place, every breath shallow and uneven. After everything—after all the loss, the lies, the pain—how was she standing here now, as though nothing had changed?

It didn't make sense. None of this made sense. But right now, none of that mattered.

All I could see was her.

...........................................................................................................

Hello everyone!

I have rewritten this chapter a few times because god I couldn't make up my mind. The next update is going to be in Karl's pov.

At last, our deary Daniel has seen Amelia.

Who else do you think will see Amelia and who will approach her?

Oh and let's not forget Sasha and Karl.

See you in the next update on Tuesday !!i.e 07/01/2025