Chapter 8
When Amelia walked in, Scarlett's tired eyes finally brightened up. She flashed a big smile and grabbed Amelia's hand. "Amelia, where have you been? It's been ages! Swamped with school stuff?"
Amelia's words got stuck in her throat. Despite everything, Scarlett loved her like a daughter. If she spilled the beans, Scarlett would be crushed. How could she face that?
As Amelia hesitated, Scarlett sighed, "If only Alexander were as well-behaved as you. I've been worried sick about him. He's grown up but still ends up in the police station. So irresponsible."
Even though Scarlett's words seemed harsh, her eyes showed nothing but love for her son. She turned away, not wanting Amelia to see her teary eyes.
Amelia felt lost and tried to comfort Scarlett, "Aunt Garcia, don't stress too much. Maybe he'll grow up in a couple of years."
Scarlett shook her head with a bitter smile. "Is there time? You know his brother Henry just came back with a bunch of business hotshots to start a company. James hasn't said anything, but I know he admires them. I'm really worried."
Realizing she had said too much, Scarlett forced a smile. "Let's not dwell on this. By the way, Amelia, I heard Alexander ended up in the police station because of a woman. Do you know anything about that?"
Amelia froze, still holding Scarlett's hand. Finally, she made a tough call, stood up, and with guilt in her eyes, said, "I'm sorry, Aunt Garcia. Actually, he got into that fight because of me." The room went dead silent, and Amelia could hear her own nervous heartbeat.
Scarlett was stunned, then laughed, "What are you talking about? The fight happened in a bar. I know you. When have you ever been to such a place?" Each word felt like a punch to Amelia.
She clutched the edge of her dress, her face pale. "It was my friend's birthday, and they invited us to a bar. I didn't want to go alone, so I asked Alexander to come with me. Some guy insisted on drinking with me, and when I refused, he insulted me. Alexander fought for me..." Amelia couldn't go on, feeling Scarlett's shocked and disappointed gaze.
Scarlett had watched her grow up. Amelia felt deeply guilty but had no choice.
The silence dragged on. Just as Amelia was about to break, Scarlett sighed. She walked over and gently patted Amelia's shoulder. "You didn't mean to. Just stay away from such places. It's good you're safe."
Even though Scarlett said this, Amelia still couldn't look her in the eye. In Scarlett's eyes, this mess was because of Amelia. Alexander ended up in the hospital because of her.
She lowered her voice, "I'm sorry, Aunt Garcia. It's all my fault. Please don't punish him anymore. It's all my fault." Tears welled up in her eyes. It wasn't her fault. But she was paying the price for another woman's mistake and her own years of foolish hope.
Scarlett tried to comfort her, but there was a noticeable distance in her tone. After all, Alexander was more important. Amelia got that. But she wasn't lying; it really did happen that way.
She still remembered how terrifying Alexander looked when he fought that guy, like he had crawled out of hell.
Back then, Amelia really thought Alexander liked her. Turns out, he just saw her as family. She found her wishful thinking pretty amusing now.
She knocked on Alexander's hospital room door, lost in thought, until a voice came from inside. "Come in." Only then did she push the door open.
Seeing her, Alexander got a bit excited but then awkwardly turned his head away, as if remembering something. Amelia's smile froze on her face.
"Here to gloat?" Whenever Alexander was angry, his tone was harsh. Amelia never argued with him.
But this time, having just been wronged by Scarlett, Amelia choked up, "When I came over, I told Aunt Garcia that I insisted on taking you to the bar and that you fought for me. She's not mad at you anymore."
Alexander's cold face suddenly lit up upon hearing this. He struggled to get out of bed and crouched in front of her. "Really? Did you really tell my mom that? Thank you, Amelia. I knew you would help me!"
Alexander's face suddenly got close to Amelia's, his eyes sparkling. But his happiness was for another girl who wouldn't get into trouble.
'What about me? Doesn't Scarlett's opinion of me matter? Well, it doesn't, since I won't marry him in the future. How they see me doesn't matter.' Amelia comforted herself this way. But she saw the obvious slap mark on Alexander's face. How could a pampered rich boy like him endure such a slap?
She wanted to reach out and touch it, but as her hand rose, she realized it was inappropriate. She slowly lowered her hand. "Does it hurt?"
Alexander casually touched his wound. "It's nothing. My mom did it. You know how she gets when she's angry. It's just a slap. It doesn't hurt anymore."
Amelia had many things she wanted to ask him, like why he hadn't messaged her for so long, why he didn't tell her about his relationship with Mia, and why he treated her so gently all these years. Did he never have feelings for her? Not even for a second?
But all her words turned into an awkward sentence. "Rest well in the hospital. I have things to do at school, so I'll go back first."
But before she could stand up, Alexander grabbed her wrist tightly. "Wait. What's wrong? Did my mom say something to you? Tell me."
All the grievances Amelia had swallowed suddenly erupted with his concern. How could she not care? That was Aunt Garcia, who had watched her grow up and loved her like a daughter for over ten years. For a long time, Amelia had even respected her like a mother. Moreover, Amelia had never been scolded harshly by anyone, not even by her own parents.
She had endured countless grievances for Alexander. Her eyes reddened, but she still shook her head. "It's nothing."
Seeing her about to cry, Alexander hurriedly tried to comfort her, "I'm sorry, Amelia. I promise, I'll make it up to you. Whatever you need, just say the word."
She didn't need anything from him. What she'd wanted most was already out of reach. Taking a deep breath, Amelia looked at his face. "This is the last time I'll help you. From now on, I won't cover for you anymore."
Alexander was stunned.