Chapter 7
At night, people tended to overthink. Amelia lay on her dorm bed, listening to her roommate's steady breathing. She felt wide awake.
Trying to fall asleep by counting sheep, Alexander's face popped into her mind.
Back in their freshman year, Alexander got hooked on rock climbing, thanks to his roommate's suggestion. It was a thrilling sport.
Even though Amelia warned him countless times about the dangers, he stayed stubborn. Eventually, the inevitable happened.
One day, while Amelia was in class, she got a call from the hospital. Alexander had fallen while rock climbing. Luckily, the fall wasn't too high, so his life wasn't in danger, but he was badly hurt and in a coma, rushed to the ER.
Amelia was so scared she burst into tears right there. She didn't care about the class and bolted out of school, grabbing a cab to the hospital.
During those agonizing minutes waiting at the entrance, she prayed to God countless times. At that moment, she thought, as long as Alexander came out okay, she'd do anything.
A nurse tried to comfort her and then asked, "Are you Amelia?"
Amelia was surprised the nurse knew her name. She didn't remember meeting her before.
But she nodded. "Yeah, I am."
The nurse smiled. "Your boyfriend really likes you. Even when he was unconscious in the ambulance, he kept saying he couldn't die because he was worried about you. He mentioned your name so much, we all remembered it!"
In a moment of impulse, Amelia didn't correct the nurse about being his girlfriend. Her face turned red under the nurse's teasing gaze. 'If he was thinking of me even while unconscious, he must like me, right?' Amelia thought.
Thankfully, Alexander only had multiple fractures and, after some recovery time, was back to normal. But neither of them ever talked about him calling her name while in a coma. Amelia just treated him a bit better. But who could've guessed? Men were so unpredictable.
He was almost dying and still calling out her name—such a story could make the Eight O'Clock News for being so affectionate. Who knew Alexander didn't actually like her? Was his brain just malfunctioning at the time? Did he only know her name?
Amelia felt helpless. She couldn't figure out what Alexander was thinking. If he didn't like her, their interactions was really couple-like. If he did like her, why did he have a girlfriend just sitting there? What a mess!
In the dark, Amelia heard herself sigh heavily, then turned over and forced herself to sleep. These memories were useless, only making her sad. Tears quickly soaked her pillow, and she sobbed quietly.
'It's okay. Everything will get better,' Amelia told herself.
The next morning after class, she still couldn't focus on what the teacher was saying. It was scary how often she checked her phone for messages.
But aside from some casual chats from friends, Alexander seemed to have vanished, not sending a single word. Amelia bit her lip. In the past, even if they had disagreements, they'd resolve them quickly. They never let problems linger overnight. Alexander always said he was a guy and couldn't hold grudges like a little girl, so he often apologized first.
But this time, even after lunch, there was still no message. It seemed he was determined to make her take the blame. Amelia felt a bit sad. He was upset with her because of Mia. It seemed there was a difference between a girlfriend and herself.
Just as she was about to put on her sleep mask, her phone rang unexpectedly. At this time, it was probably Alexander calling. Although she was still angry, Amelia happily sat up to answer the phone.
The call wasn't from Alexander; it was from her mom, Grace Moore. Amelia quickly sat up straight, like a student caught daydreaming. "Mom, what's up? Why are you calling?"
Grace's voice, full of helplessness and anger, immediately came through. "Alexander got into a fight at a bar with someone! His dad was so angry and beat him until he ended up in the hospital. Did you know about this?"
Amelia's heart sank. Although the Anderson Family had two sons, everyone knew Henry's status in the family. Strictly speaking, Alexander was the one everyone in the Anderson Family cherished like a treasure.
From a young age, he was always accompanied by a driver and a nanny when he went out. His family members were afraid of any mishap.
But this time, he was so severely injured. It seemed they were really angry. But still, the Anderson Family members either inherited the family business or entered politics. Having such a blemish on his record wouldn't look good. But they didn't have to beat him so badly. Alexander was pampered and couldn't take a beating like that.
Amelia didn't know what to say. After all, she was involved in this matter too. She could only reply softly, "I heard a bit about it, but why is it so serious this time?"
Grace immediately lowered her voice, "Well, you know their family's situation. They originally planned for Alexander to graduate and come back to take over the family business. Who knew he would be so disappointing, causing trouble every few days? But his brother Henry, despite having an unseemly mother, is quite capable. I heard he graduated from Lindwood University and successfully started a business abroad. He's quite wealthy now!"
Amelia didn't say anything. No wonder Henry seemed different when she saw him the other day. He actually had returned after successfully starting a business abroad.
Her mind was in a mess, and she didn't really listen to the family gossip Grace continued to share. After a few perfunctory responses, she hurriedly got out of bed.
The midday cold wind was still a bit chilly. After some hesitation, she put on the coat Henry had given her.
The hospital entrance was grand and visible from a distance. When Amelia reached the door of the private ward, the nanny who had come to deliver food with a worried face immediately put on a smile. "Ms. Wilson, please come in. Mr. Anderson is in a bad mood and refuses to eat. He'll be happy to see you."
After a polite smile, Amelia walked to the outer side of the ward. Scarlett was standing outside on the phone, clearly distracted. She took forever to finish a sentence and kept sighing. She didn't even notice Amelia's arrival.
After standing still, Amelia mustered up the courage to speak. "Aunt Scarlett."