Chapter 20: Chapter 20

There is no one alive without the ability to change; either for good or for the worst.

- Grace Chanbee

[Amber's POV]

"Here, these are the last set of pills you're to take this morning," I said to Ms Charlotte, Justin's grandmother.

I hadn't known her name and always having to refer to her as Justin's grandmother in my head because I didn't want to intrude on Justin's personal name for her was really tiring.

Bracing myself up, I had summoned the courage to ask her for her name two days back when she was discharged from the hospital.

Aiden had been of much help to us as he assisted in taking her back home and paying the balance of her hospital bills.

I watched as Sally slurped on the remnants of the bread and milk we had for breakfast and smiled, taking my attention away from Ms Charlotte for a little while.

Things were so hard that I had given my bracelet which had my name inscribed on it to Aiden to look for a buyer. The reason was because Justin had told me it was expensive and belonged to me before things became this way.

When I showed it to Aiden, he was awed at the magnificence and great silver quality it had and said it was going to fetch a huge sum of money if he took it to a dealer in L.A.

Today marked two weeks since my life had been turned into a total state of confusion. From going to stay with my family to Justin being imprisoned, Ms Charlotte falling sick and me moving back to their house... It was just too much in just two weeks.

"Amber," She called.

I stared at her with a smile. "Yeah?"

"Thank you for your help and assistance. I wouldn't have been able to survive without you being here," She said.

I gave a small smile. "It's fine, really it is."

She sat up. "You should go back home now, your family needs you there," She said in her croaky voice.

I shook my head in negativity. "No, I'm not going back," I refused.

"That's where you belong. I'm fine now, I can take care of myself. Go back to your house, please," She pleaded.

A drop of tear I had been holding back slid down my eyes. "You're not okay being alone so don't send me away. I know you're not okay," I said.

She gave a sad smile. "I'm fine, Amber. Besides, I get to talk to Justin over the phone now and I also have Aiden to check up on me. You should go back to your big house where you can have everything. You're a beautiful girl, this poor home of mine doesn't suit you," She explained.

I shrugged, wiping the tear off my face. "Doesn't suit me? There's no one who poverty fits, we all deserve riches and a good life and even when we can't get it, we should embrace the one we have. There's nothing wrong in being poor," I said.

She touched my cheek with her hand. "How do I ever repay you? I have so little money and also a little time left on earth," She said, looking so sympathetic.

"I'm the one who needs to repay you, madam. You dressed my wounds, watched me heal, you're the first one I saw when I woke up, you gave me food and water, a place to stay, your grandson's bed to sleep in. I was lost, you told him to come find me, you gave me your granddaughter's clothes to wear, helped me know what a real family is like by showing me all the love and care in this world," I said, tears streaming down my eyes.

She threw me a breathtaking smile. "I did that because you're a human being, I didn't expect you to ever repay me. I was just being humane," She said.

"I know. I'm being humane as well. Without you, I'd have died and never gotten to meet a beautiful soul like Justin. It's because he helped me that he's in the condition he is, it's all my fault and I feel so guilty that I feel all these I've done for you will never be enough to pay you back," I said to her, still crying.

She smiled. "it's enough, dear. Listen, you can stay here for as long as you want if it will help in washing away all the guilt you feel. There's something you must understand, however, and that is you're not to blame for all that has happened."

"That's exactly what Justin told me, but I can't help blaming myself for bringing this upon you. If there was a way to turn back time and reverse everything, I would have gone back in time and..."

She there and then interrupted my speech. "Even if we went back in time and I knew the consequences of helping a helpless girl, I'd still help you out. That's what life is all about," She said.

I went into her arms and she patted my back warmly. She was the best person on Earth and she made me feel better and loved. How much I enjoyed being around her!

"Hey! Quit prying into people's lives. What are you doing? Wanna steal something?" I heard Aiden's voice yell.

With a start, I left her embrace and began to wonder what could have been going on outside.

"Go and see what's happening," She said in a low tone.

"On it," I said and stood up, proceeding to go outside.

To my disbelief, I saw my very own father with Aiden and they looked like bitter enemies which they were and it was as if they were having a sort of confrontation.

"What's going on?" I asked, ignoring the feeling of fear I felt upon seeing my father.

"It's him, he's the problem," Aiden said.

"He is? How? What's wrong?" I asked.

Aiden did the talking, "I came here to inform you I had struck a deal for your bracelet to know what you may think about the offer. As I was approaching, I saw two big cars with guards standing beside them, even close to the entrance of the door. I knew immediately that it had to be your dad and I was thinking he was sort of forcing you to go home with him. What I didn't think was that he'd be eavesdropping on your conversation and taking pictures and videos without your knowledge," Aiden revealed.

"Wait, what? You do know you have no right to do that, right?" I asked, annoyed at what I had just heard.

"You're my daughter, I have every right to take pictures and videos of you. He was just busy yelling like I had come to steal something. What's even there to steal in this godforsaken place?" My father asked, a tinge of mockery evident in his voice, as he wiped off an invisible dust from off his shirt.

I scoffed. "How low will you stoop? What were you expecting from walking into someone else's house uninvited and unnoticeably? Were you expected to be treated like a king when you walked in like a thief? If you wanted to see me, you could have outrightly knocked on the door or taken pictures of me with my consent. I'm saying this again; what you did was wrong and uncalled for, you have no right to just barge into someone's house like that," I said, on top of my voice and getting really angry.

"They're holding you hostage, how come they're not wrong?" He asked.

"I chose to stay here on purpose, okay? Get that into your thick skull," I countered.

"Amber Naomi Sanders!" My father thundered, visibly angry; one could even see his veins stretch out as he spoke.

"What is it?" I yelled, now aware I had a middle name which was Naomi.

"You'll talk to me respectfully, I'm your father!" He yelled.

"You deserve no respect. As a matter of fact, I'm going to sue you for what you just did," I threatened, actually not having any intention of doing what I had just said aloud.

He grimaced. "Sue me for what?" He asked, with a shrug of his shoulders.

"For... For..."

"For infringing on her rights to privacy, that's what," Aiden cut in, helping me out.

My father looked crestfallen as he eyed the poor guy with the grumpy frown not exiting from his face.

"She may not remember but I have my memory intact. Now, apologise for just barging in with pure evil intentions or else..." Aiden threatened.

"Spare me that trash. You barely have money to feed, how then can you sue me? Channel your time and energy into making a better life for yourself. Oh! And about the memory, I know you're just fooling me. I'm well aware that Amber has recovered or probably never even lost her memory in the first place," My dad said, a glint of triumph lingering in his eyes.

The last statement shocked me to the bone. How could my own father possibly think that I lied to him about losing my memory? That was the strangest and most dishonest thing I felt like I had ever been accused of.

"What? Cat got your tongue? You've been caught red-handed, I've found out the whole truth and you can't even say anything. Say a word, lie at least to prove you're innocent," He said, trying to mock me.

I crossed my arms. "Just so you know, I couldn't say anything because I was utterly amazed that you'd really think that I'm lying about losing my memory. What would I stand to gain from doing that?" I asked.

"Listen, I want to ask you something because you probably think I'm dumb. You escaped from the house by using the family's secret escape room. How did you know about that since you claim to have lost your memory? Answer me!" He thundered.

"Oh, that. Well, someone told me," I said.

"Someone? Who's this person? Give me a name," He requested.

I rolled my eyes. "Daisy, that's who."

"For every mistake you make and every plan that falls through, you and your mother always blame Daisy. Yes, her father was a monster and he's forever bearing the brunt of his decisions on a wheelchair with no legs, but does that make his offspring like him?" He asked.

I sighed and shrugged. "Who am I to give you an answer to that question? All these is getting boring, please, leave," I said.

"You've been caught in the middle of a lie and the best you can do is tell me to leave? Own up to your mistakes at least. You even used to go to clubs before your accident, that's if you really had an accident. Pathetic!" He said, looking really disappointed and angry.

It suddenly clicked. "Wait a minute, did Daisy tell you all these?" I asked.

"Yes, so what? She's even a better person than you are," He said.

I chuckled. "Wow! Looks like she played both of us," I noted.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked.

"Daisy was the one that showed me the secret room so I could go and see Justin, she even gave me a lot of money for my fare," I disclosed.

"Are you saying the truth?" He asked, perplexed.

I rolled my eyes. "Sure. Why the hell would I lie about something so trivial? You know, I was wondering why she will just help me. I suspected there was something fishy about it but never did I expect that she just did that to paint me black," I said.

"Sorry to interrupt," Aiden interposed. "If she knew you could easily be traced to Arroyo Grande, why then will she openly lie knowing fully well you can counter her statement?" He asked.

"You suspect there's a foul play?" My dad asked.

"You don't suspect there is?" I retorted.

"This whole thing seems fishy. As much as I'd like to disagree with the boy, he's actually right. She knows neither me nor your mum will ever believe her word over yours, so why tell a lie? And how am I sure you're not the one lying?" He asked.

I scoffed. "It's sad to see you don't even trust your child."

"How on Earth can I trust someone who virtually went against me all for a boy?" He retorted.

"You have a point, but I had every reason to. Still, in order to know your niece is actually a terrible person, there's something you must know," I said.

"What's that?" He asked, looking slightly interested.

"I saw Daisy and Richard making out," I revealed.

"That happened before your accident. Aha! This only confirms that you have nothing like amnesia. You've been lying and fooling your parents all along. How could you!" He yelled.

"What are you talking about? This happened the day I sneaked out to come to Arroyo Grande to see Justin," I said, utterly confused at his statement.

He arched his brows also looking as confused as I was. "You caught them making out?" He asked.

I nodded. "I did. If this sort of thing also happened before my accident and you knew, why didn't anyone tell me about it?" I asked, feeling used and deceived.

He scratched his head, unable to give an answer to the question I had just asked.

"You were both trying to convince me that Richard's a good person and he's the best boyfriend ever. No wonder I never felt drawn to him in any type of way," I said, really angry at their lies.

"I'm sorry. When I confronted him about it, he told me he was sorry and his father is my good friend. I didn't want to cause any conflict between us, but it's fine. Now that I've known the truth that he's not willing to change, I won't let you be with someone as despicable as he is," My dad promised.

I swallowed. "You should go now, I have things to do," I said, changing the topic.

"Things like?" He asked.

"Trimming the flowers, dressing the bed, washing dishes and stuff like that," I said.

"You're a princess, Amber. This life isn't meant for you," He said.

"Yes, I know. You took away Ms Charlotte's only hope, how will she manage with no one around? I have to do this as a punishment for your sins and I don't regret it because at least, I finally get to repay her for being such an awesome person to me," l said.

He sighed. "How long will you stay here?" He asked, sounding like he had finally given up on trying to convince me to come home.

"Till Justin gets back," I replied, not mincing words.

He heaved a sigh. "We'll talk about this whole thing later. I have some matters to settle first," He said.

I shrugged. "Whatever. And, oh, please, say hi to my mother," I said, dismissively.

He nodded, turned his back around and walked out of the house with quick strides.

I watched as his cars exited from the porch of the house with little or no emotion at all, just a tiny bit of wonder.

"You think there's something different about him?" I asked.

"At first, he was annoying, then he suddenly changed into a calmer version of himself after the conversation that involved your cousin was brought up. He seems sober," Aiden responded.

"I hope this sudden change is all for the best. Do you think people change?" I asked.

"Yeah," He replied.

What if my father suddenly understood me and had a change of heart? What if everything was going to be perfect now?

He had seemed like he reflected on his past actions to the extent that he didn't even force me to go back with him.

Change, really is constant.