Chapter 36: Chapter 36

“What do you mean by she is with you? Your wife is here, she should be with you, not her!” Helen uttered.

James smirked and looked at Amelia who had tears gathered in her eyes already.

Before he could say anything, Amelia turned to leave and ran out of the house.

“Amelia, wait!” Helen called behind her and began to run too. Charles hurried down the stairs after hearing the loud voice of his wife.

He got to the living room and saw James in the living room, holding a stranger. He couldn’t find Helen anywhere.

“Hey, when did you get here? Why didn’t you call me? And where is your mother? I just heard her voice.”

“I don’t know what happened, Dad. She just ran out with Amelia. She will be back soon, don’t worry.”

He let go of the woman’s hand and headed back to the couch.

“Why is Madison here?” Charles asked, looking at the woman who looked extremely confused with everyone’s reaction, including James.

“Her car developed some faults after I left the company, it refused to start. It’s under repairs at the automobile shop close to our house as we speak. I offered to help her by letting her stay here until the car is ready.”

After James explained, Madison bounced her head and smiled brightly.

“I’m sorry if I have caused any inconvenience, Mr. Charles. I think I should take my leave now.”

“Inconvenience? Of course not. You don’t have to take your leave. Wait until your car is ready.”

“Really? Thank you so much, Mr. Charles,” She responded, and he nodded.

He looked at James and saw he was busy on his phone again. His smile faded away slowly, and he also headed out of the house to look for Helen.

“Amelia, where are you going?!” Helen asked when Amelia got to her car and opened the door.

“Away from here, Ma’am Helen! I feel so stupid right now. After trying all my best to please him, he is here with another woman! Why does he have to hurt me all the time?! Why can’t he just care about me a little?!” Amelia cried out.

Helen gulped hard and slowly moved closer to her. She understood how Amelia was feeling, and she couldn’t wait to scold James for acting like a d**khead.”

“I’m sorry, Amelia. Honestly, I never saw it coming either. I’m so sorry you have to go through all these because of my son. Please forgive him.”

“You shouldn’t apologize. You have done nothing wrong. He should be the one to apologize, because he is the one that keeps hurting me and is never remorseful about it! Is it a crime to want him to love me back, to have a happy home?”

“What is going on here?” Charles asked as he walked to where they both were.

Helen looked back and when she saw it was Charles, she heaved a loud sigh.

“Our son has hurt her again.”

Amelia reached for the heels she wore and pulled them off. She threw them in the car and took one last look at them.

“I need to leave now. I can’t stay here anymore.”

“But… where are you going? Can you even drive?” Charles asked worriedly.

He was yet to know what James did this time, but looking at Amelia’s face and reaction, he could tell she was very hurt and needed space.

“I can drive, Mr. Charles. Please, don’t worry about me.”

Amelia hopped into the car and ignited the engine. Helen and Charles hurriedly stepped out of the way and watched her drive out of the compound.

“Gosh!… I’m so pissed at James right now!”

“What did he do to her this time?” Charles asked.

“Didn’t you see the lady in the living room? Why would he bring home a girl when he has a wife, and he is very aware that we are supposed to have a family dinner.”

“A girl? You mean Madison?” Charles knitted his brows.

“You know the lady in the living room?”

“Of course, I do. She is Madison, Mr. Matt’s daughter. She attended the meeting we had today because her father wasn’t available, she had to fill in for him. Is that what he did wrong?”

Helen bounced her head slowly.

“It’s all a misunderstanding, Helen. He isn’t with her, Madison is married.”

“What?!” Helen’s eyes widened.

***

Amelia drove at full speed down the highway, tears kept streaming down her eyes endlessly. She wiped her tears with her hand and didn’t stop driving.

Her phone kept ringing but she didn’t pay attention to it. She pulled up in front of a bar and picked up her bag.

She picked slippers from the ones she and Helen got earlier and wore them. She picked up her bag and alighted.

She walked into the bar with her teary eyes, and headed straight to the bartender. She sat on the stool in front of the cabinet and placed her bag on it.

“What would you like to have today, Ma’am?” The bartender asked, and Amelia looked at him.

He furrowed his brows when he saw tears in her eyes.

“I haven’t done this before, so I don’t know what to have. Please, give me something very strong.”

“I don’t think that is a good idea, Ma’am.”

“I asked for it. Whether it’s a good idea or not, it’s none of your business, okay?” She muttered, and he bounced his head.

He reached for the Hennessy bottle and poured some into a glass cup. He picked some ice cubes and put them in the drink.

He passed the cup to Amelia, and she picked it up. She took a sip from the cup and tightened her eyes when it touched her tongue.

She blinked and took a look at the cup again. In the twinkle of an eye, she gulped all of it down.

She dropped the cup on the cabinet and pushed it to the bartender.

“I want more.”

The bartender reluctantly poured more Hennessy into the glass, and she picked it and gulped it again.

‘I hate you, James. For making me suffer this much. I hate you so much.’

She placed the cup on the cabinet and asked for another round.

“Amelia?” She heard someone call her name. She looked up and saw Fred standing in front of her.

“Fred?” She called, and he chuckled and pulled a stool closer. He sat on it and looked at the Bartender.

“Caribou Lou, Please.”

“What are you doing here and why are you drinking?” He asked, and Amelia sighed.

“I should ask you that question. Why are you in Alabama? You live in Florida, right?”

“No, I don’t. I was there for vacation. I live and work here in Alabama.”

“Really? Wow. I never knew that. Why didn’t you tell me?” She asked, gulping her drink again.

“Hey… slow down. Is this your first shot?” He asked and looked at the bartender.

“No, it’s my third, and I’m not done.”

She pushed the glass to the bartender again, and as he was about to fill it again, Fred stopped him.

“That would be enough for now.”

“No, let him give me more.”

“No, Amelia. What’s wrong with you? You look so hot tonight but you are drowning in sadness. Talk to me.”

He touched her hand, and she closed her eyes. Her face wrinkled up slowly, and she began to weep again.

Fred felt so bad to see her like that. He wished he could make all her pains disappear. ‘Why would a girl with such a beautiful heart keep hurting?’

“Amelia, you can tell me anything. Trust me, I have known you so well, and I’m willing to listen to you.”

“You know me so well? We met two days ago, Fred. You don’t know me,” She mumbled, cleaning her face.

“You think we met two days ago, but I’ve known you before then.”

“Really? From where?”

“I’ll tell you if you tell me why you are in a bar, drinking yourself to stupor.”

She puffed and lowered her head sadly. “It’s my husband. He brought home another lady.”

Fred exhaled and bounced his head. ‘I should have known it is because of that a*shole.’ He thought in annoyance.

“Why are you with him if he hurts you so much, Amelia?” He asked angrily.

She shook her head and looked at him with her teary eyes.

“He is my husband, Fred. We both said our vows on our wedding day. Not only that, I love him too.”

“But he doesn’t love you, Amelia. You deserve so much better. Why are you letting him do this to you?”

She gulped hard and shook her head again.

“You would never understand, Fred. You are not married.”

She looked at the bartender and pushed her cup closer to him again.

“Give me more. I can still feel the hurt. I want to forget it all.” She cried.

***

Fred held Amelia as they both trudged out of the bar. Amelia was very drunk and couldn’t walk properly.

Her eyes couldn’t stay open, and her bag couldn’t stay on her shoulder.

Fred took her bag from her and hung it on his shoulder. He took her to his car and helped her sit in it.

“Hey, Amelia. Can you hear me?”

“Hmm.” She moaned, opening and closing her eyes. Fred sighed as he put her bag at the back seat. He moved closer to her and helped her fix the seat belt.

His face was so close to hers, he could perceive the scent from her hair. He stared at her face for minutes, feeding his eyes with the perfection of her face.

“Why would someone ever want to hurt someone like you?” He muttered sadly.

He shut the door and hurried to the other side of his car. He pulled out his phone and sent a message to his PA.

“Please, I need you to pick up a black Mercedes’ Benz from my favorite bar as soon as possible. Her plate number is 2C74V10. Drive it to my house. You should meet me at home when you arrive.”

After he sent the message, he hopped into his car and drove away from the bar. He kept stealing glances of Amelia’s sleepy face as he drove.

As she slept, she pouted unconsciously, making Fred chuckle. He smiled widely and looked away.

‘I promise to make you feel better, Amelia.’