Amelia 

For a moment, all I could see was him.

The world around me blurred, the air suffocating me. The music, the chatter, the clinking of glasses all faded into a distant hum, drowned beneath the pounding of my heart.

Daniel.

His name in my mind felt like a curse, like a wound that had never healed and would never heal, like the whisper of a ghost I had spent years trying to forget. Yet nothing had prepared me for this. I saw him. My eyes met his and all I could think about was him and everything I had tried so hard to forget.

The past hit me like a wave, the memories crashing down, suffocating me, dragging me under, drowning me to end all of me.

The first time I saw him. The way his gaze had locked onto mine made me feel as if the world had tilted, as if I had been meant to find him all along. The first time he reached for me, his fingers tracing patterns on my skin, his lips brushing mine with the kind of tenderness that had made me believe in forever.

The first time he told me he loved me.

And then the first time he turned away from me.

The first time he turned his back on me.

The first time I screamed his name through the pouring rain, my voice hoarse and broken, the first time my hands shook as I clung to his sleeve,  the first time I was begging and pleading for him to just listen, to look at me, to see me and to believe me.  All the first were crashing down on me, assaulting me. The pain was spreading through my veins with every breath I took. It was as if agony was running through my veins rather than my own blood. My skin has been set on fire. 

All I wanted from him was to just hear me once.

But he never did. All he did was turn his back on me.

I had been discarded, tossed aside like I was nothing like all the time I had spent with was just a second of insanity.

All that pain, the humiliation, the soul-crushing despair of knowing I had meant nothing to the man I had once given my everything to, came rushing back with a force so violent it felt like I was being torn apart from the inside.

I couldn't breathe.

I wanted to run, to disappear, to fold into myself until I was nothing more than dust in the wind. The longer I stood there, frozen beneath the weight of his stare, the more the past clawed its way into my present, poisoning everything.

I felt sick.

It was like my body remembered everything before my mind could catch up, the way his hands used to feel against my skin, the way his lips used to linger on mine, the way he had whispered my name like a prayer.

But I also remembered the pain.

The betrayal. The moment he and his family had ripped my life apart, leaving me with nothing but shattered pieces of a love I had once thought was unbreakable.

And now, here he was.

Standing across the room, looking at me as if I was a ghost and the one who had betrayed him.

A sharp squeeze around my waist yanked me back before I could drown in the storm of my thoughts.

"Amelia."

Karl's voice was soft, steady, so different from the strome inside me. His warmth seeped into my skin as his arm tightened around my waist, grounding me, and bringing me back to reality. The contact of eyes I shared with Daniel broke down immediately. Suddenly I felt like I could breathe.

I turned my head slowly, my eyes locking onto his, and for the first time since I saw Daniel, I felt something other than the agony that I burned in. Relief washed over me like a warm spray of water.

Karl.

My anchor. My safe place. My future. If it weren't for Karl, I was sure I would have collapsed.

His brows furrowed, concern written all over his face. "Are you okay?" He asked and I could hear the worry in his voice and I ached in relief to have him. I tried to smile, but my lips trembled.

"I am," I lied. My voice sounded foreign, detached as if I wasn't even in my own body anymore.

Karl didn't believe me. I could see it in the way his fingers curled slightly against my waist, the way his gaze searched mine as if trying to find the truth I was too afraid to voice. The way his fingers caressed my cheeks.

I swallowed hard, forcing the lump in my throat down. "I just need to use the restroom," I said, barely recognizing the shakiness in my voice. "I'll be back in a minute or so."

His grip on me lingered and I knew that he knew. It was the deep gut feeling that I had inside of me that told me that this man knew all of me.

"Are you sure? We can leave now." The way he said those words so easily for me made my heart pound against my chest badly. I could feel the love he had for me and it made my heart swell.

Leave. Yes, that's what I needed to get out, to get away as far as I could from here but I couldn't, not yet. Not until I could breathe again. Not until I could compose myself to the woman I was now. All I needed was a moment to bury the past where it was.

"I just need a minute," I whispered. "In the meantime, can you find Lucien and say goodbye? Then we can leave."

Karl hesitated. His eyes were full of uncertainty, his fingers twitching against my skin as if he didn't want to let me go and god I didn't want him ever let go of me.

He exhaled as if understanding that I needed a moment to myself. He understood me so well when even I couldn't. His hand around my cheek withdrew but the lingering touch kept me warm and grounded.

"Okay," he murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to my cheek where his fingers had caressed me. "I'll wait for you outside and don't be late because I will be looking for you like crazy." A small smile graced my lips hearing those words. The way he spoke those words made me feel things I had never felt.

I nodded with a small smile. He returned my smile with another kiss over my temple and I could feel the lingering touch of his lips. Turning around he left to look for Lucien. The moment Karl stepped away, his warmth left me, and I felt cold. Hollow.

I turned on my heels, forcing myself forward. One foot in front of the other.

I could feel him. Even as I walked away, even as I disappeared into the dimly lit hallway, I could feel the weight of his stare.

Daniel.

Watching me.

And the worst part?

A part of me wanted to look back but the woman I was now stopped me from doing so. 

I walked faster, taking one step after another until I was in the restroom. Even then my movements were quick to turn on the tap. All I wanted was to put my hands under running water. Hearing the hum of the running water and the feel of cold water touching my hands I closed my eyes shut.

I was no longer the Amelia who was hurt. 

I was no longer her. 

I could never be her. 

Never again in this lifetime.

 I reminded myself. The sweet memories of Daniel touching me assaulted my mind but I knew I had to fight. All I felt was the crippling anxiety even with those memories. 

I had seen the best and worst of him.

 Taking in a deep breath I relished in the present. Suddenly the memories of the past were replaced with the sweet ones I had made with Karl. I saw Daniel's face disappear and all I could see was Karl.

Gentleness and calmness rose within me vanishing the crippling anxiety that was suffocating me. His touch, his kiss, and his scent invaded my memories and I felt at ease. Somehow I started to feel composed.

Opening my eyes I looked at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes moved from my face to the dazzling diamonds that Karl had given me. 

A small smile tugged at my lips. He had given to them me. 

He loved me.

He loved the Amelia Watson I was now. 

The past was the past and even at the worst, it could never hurt me. I didn't remember the woman I was and there was no need for me to remember it. My past didn't matter to Karl and neither it should matter to me. 

The door shut behind me with a soft click, cutting me off from my own thoughts. I let out a slow breath, trying to steady myself. My nerves were calm now but my mind was still rattled from everything that had happened tonight.

I turned off the faucet and grabbed a few paper towels, pressing them against my damp hands, I dried them with Karl on my mind. Karl was waiting for me. I needed to get back to him before he started looking for me like a madman. The thought made me smile.

I found myself focusing on him, on his voice, on the warmth of his hand around mine, on the way he had looked at me as if I was the most precious thing in the world. His presence grounded me, his kisses, his words, and the way he always made me feel safe. I had come so far from the broken woman I once was, the one who had been cast out and left for dead.

I threw the paper towels away and lifted my gaze to the mirror.

But instead of my reflection, my eyes met another pair of dark eyes burning with anger

My breath caught in my throat.

My heart stilled.

There, behind me, reflected in the glass, stood her.

Her eyes were sharp, dark with fury. Hatred poured off her in thick, suffocating waves, filling the room. I turned slowly with dread curling in my stomach.

Josephine.

For a split second, I felt like I had stepped back in time. Back to when those same furious eyes had looked at me as though I was a cockroach beneath her feet. Back to the days when her every word was laced with venom when she had made sure I knew just how little I mattered, just how much she despised my very existence.

But I wasn't that woman anymore.  I moved and broke away from her stare.

Josephine no longer deserved space in my mind. She no longer had the power to make my stomach churn with anxiety. I had fought my way out of the ruins she and her son had left me in. I had rebuilt myself from the ashes they had burned me to.

And I refused to let her ruin me again.

"You have some nerve showing your face here." Her voice was filled with venom. It dripped out of her voice.

I forced my breath to steady, my face to remain blank. My hands clenched into fists at my sides, but I didn't let my thoughts waver. I was not the same naive weakling I once was.  Lifting my chin and met her gaze head-on. There was no need for me to shy away. She is nothing. She cannot hurt me. She is just a shadow of a past I no longer belong to. I didn't know her. I had no idea about her and that was what I was going to follow with.

"Are you talking to me?" I asked, my voice calm.

Josephine's lips curled into a sneer, "Don't play stupid with me."

I tilted my head faking confusion at her words. "I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

I saw rage cross her face. She took a sharp step forward and for a moment I was scared but she was nothing to me now. "You remember me, you little bitch. Don't you dare pretend otherwise?"

I blinked at her, looking around and moving my head as though I were trying to place her. "I really don't." I gave a small shrug. "I must have forgotten you."

Her nostrils flared. "You think you're clever?" she seethed out in anger.

 "You think you can lie to me?" Her words almost made me want to rush out of there as soon as possible. I didn't want to be near her.

Letting out an exaggerated sigh I crossed my arms slightly. "Listen, I don't know what your problem is, but I have somewhere to be. So if you'll excuse me." I stepped forward, only for her to shift, blocking my way. A wave of uneasiness washed over me.

I tried to push it down, to keep my face controlled, but my pulse had picked up, a cold feeling creeping down my spine.

She wasn't just angry. She was crazy and fuming.

"You think you can walk back into this world like you belong?" she spat at me in such a rage that I had to take a step back.  No, I halted in my steps. I couldn't let her do this to me.

"I don't know what delusions you're having, but I don't belong to anything or anyone. Now, please move." I tried to be calm but on the inside, I was full of fear. I saw her lips curl into a smirk, her eyes gleaming with something cruel. "You're nothing, Amelia. Nothing. You should have stayed buried in the dirt where you belonged. God, I made a mistake, I should have buried you myself."

My stomach twisted at her revolting hateful words but I forced my voice to remain even. "You need help."

She laughed a low chilling sound that sent a chill through me. "You ruined everything," she hissed stepping closer.

I stepped back instinctively, but my spine hit the cool marble of the sink. A jolt of fear shot through me. I tried to mask it, but I wasn't sure if it was that convincing.

"Move," I ordered, my voice firm despite the tremor I felt inside. She didn't. Instead, she lifted her hand, slowly, before striking, her fingers tangling in my hair and yanking.

The moment her fingers yanked through my hair, a sharp, searing pain spread across my scalp. A strangled cry escaped my lips as my body lurched forward. Josephine's grip was harsh, filled with raw hatred, her nails digging into my skin like claws. My heart pounded, panic rising like a tidal wave inside me.

"Let go of me!" I gasped, struggling against her grip, my fingers clawing at her wrist.

"You think you can just walk away?" she hissed, her voice thick with venom. "You ruined everything! You destroyed my son's life!"

I shoved her with all the strength I could muster, desperate to get away, my pulse hammering in my ears. She stumbled back slightly, but not before something in her grip snapped. A sickening pop, a break.

I froze. For a moment, time seemed to stop, the world around me dulling as my eyes widened in horror.

The delicate chain slipped through Josephine's fingers, the silver glinting under the restroom lights, catching the reflection of my shock-stricken gaze as it tumbled through the air.

Then, it hit the floor. The sounds soft and barely audible hit my ears as if it was deafening to me.

My breath caught. No.

The necklace, the one Karl had given to me, lay there, severed from its chain the few diamonds had detached. A part of the necklace had broken and now lay lifeless on the cold tile.

My knees nearly buckled.

It wasn't just a necklace. It wasn't just jewelry. It was Karl's. It was something that had belonged to his family, something precious, something meaningful he had saved for so long and had given me. It was a piece of the life he had built and now it was broken.

It felt like something was clawing its way out of the ruins of my past. As if my past was reaching out, grasping at me, trying to rip away everything I had rebuilt for myself.

I swallowed hard, my throat thick with emotion, my hands trembling as I stared at the shattered remains of something I cherished, even if it was for a few hours. The world around me faded, my pulse deafening in my ears.

Josephine exhaled sharply, her breath filled with cruel satisfaction. "Pathetic," she spat, watching me with cold amusement. Hot fury burned inside me, but it was filled with devastation, with the sick, sinking feeling that something bad had just happened.

I finally forced my eyes away from the diamonds and glared at Josephine.

"You're crazy," I whispered, my voice shaking not with fear anymore but with raw, unfiltered rage.

She smirked, stepping closer, her presence suffocating. "And you," she murmured, "are nothing more than a mistake that should have stayed gone."

I clenched my jaw, swallowing the lump of pain that threatened to rise. I wouldn't let her see me break. I wouldn't let her win.

With every ounce of strength left in me. "You're are fucking pathetic and need some serious help you old bitch." I was angry. She had no idea what she had done.

"You fucking bitch. I will just give you a taste of something that I should have done a long time back." My words were fire to her anger. She raised her hand with a vicious gleam in her eyes. She was going to attack me. She was going to do something worse than I had ever expected. I shielded myself away with closed eyes from her attack while waiting for the harsh pain that I would feel from the contact of her hand.

I heard the crackling sound of the door bursting open.

I sucked in a sharp breath, my entire body stiffening. The pain I was waiting for never hit me.

"Stop this!" Someone shouted and suddenly I felt relief but then the sudden realization of whose voice it was had me filled with nothing but pure panic. 

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Hello everyone. Fingers crossed and like really hoping you like this. 

I have taken time to come up with something worthy enough for you to read. 

Love you all. Please do tell me how you feel about it. fingers crossed and praying.