Chapter 79: Chapter 79

“Was this the reason why you abandoned me at the hotel?” Amy asked the moment the call went through, but Bryan said nothing which answered her question.

She closed her eyes as she was overcome with emotion.

“Why did you keep it from me? Why the hell did you do it?!” She screamed into the phone, bursting in tears.

“Amy, I’m sorry” Bryan eventually said from the other end.

There was sadness in his voice, but she could care less how he was feeling right now. He claims to be in love with her, yet he couldn’t fight for their love. He just agreed to his best friend’s decision like she meant nothing to him.

Thinking about it, does she really mean anything to him? Amy thought to herself.

Does he even love her at least a bit, or has she been fooling herself this entire time?

“Why didn’t you fight for me? Why didn’t you fight for us?” She angrily asked, as she came to the realization that Bryan may not actually love her like he claims.

“Henry’s mind was already made up. Whatever I would’ve said would make no difference. It would only make things worse” he explained, infuriating Amy.

“That’s no excuse, Bryan… I have waited patiently all these years for you to tell my dad about us, but what do you do? You keep asking for more time, making excuses for your cowardice… Tell me the truth, Bryan.. do you even love me?” Her voice shook with emotion, causing Bryan to feel like he has been stabbed in the heart.

His feelings for Amy are genuine and ever present, but he doesn’t know how to prove that in a situation as complicated as this.

“I do love you, Amy… But-“

“I HATE YOU BRYAN! I HATE YOU!” Amy sobbed, not caring if it was the dead of the night.

She hated Bryan right now, for abandoning her at the hotel, for not telling her about the engagement, for not fighting for her and overall, for agreeing to an arranged marriage between her and his son.

Bryan’s heart broke into a million pieces as he listened to Amy’s sobs.

Why does he have to be the one causing her this much pain, after promising to do nothing besides making her smile?

Just as he was about to say something to soothe her, he got another call. This time, he checked the caller ID to see who was calling him at this hour. It was Henry. He contemplated whether or not to pick the call because as it is, he has had more than enough problem for the day.

When it looked like Henry wasn’t going to stop calling, he answered the call.

“Bryan, forgive me for bothering you this late, but I have a problem” Henry anxiously said as soon as Bryan picked his call.

“What is it?” Bryan asked.

“Amy left the house”

“What do you mean, Amy left the house?”

“We got into an argument and she suddenly ran out of the house”

“Have you called Paula to know if she’s headed there?”

“No”

“What do you mean, no?” Bryan was worried.

How did this happen? When did this happen?

He was just speaking to Amy on the phone and she didn’t mention that she wasn’t in the house.

“I thought the same thing at first, but when I was about to go after her in my car, I discovered all her cars were in the garage” Henry replied, sounding uneasy.

Who wouldn’t be? When his daughter ran out of the house alone, at past midnight.

“I’m currently searching for her around the neighborhood, but she’s no where in sight. I just hope she’s alright” he added.

“I’ll join you in the search. Just give me a minute to get my car keys” Bryan said as he unlocked the door to his study and hurried downstairs.

“Thanks man. Please give me a call if you find her”

“I will” the line went dead after that.

Bryan was filled with worry. He’ll never forgive himself if something bad happens to Amy. He prays she’s fine wherever she is.

He drove out of the compound without bothering to tell Sean what was going on. He didn’t want his son feeling responsible for what he knew nothing about. He quickly dialed Amy’s number, mentally praying that she picks. Fortunately for him, she answered her phone after several rings.

“Amy, why did you leave the house?” He immediately enquired.

“Why do you care?” She shakily replied.

He could tell from the sound of her voice that she was still crying.

“Where are you?” He insisted but got no response.

“Amy, where-“

“I don’t know. I don’t know, okay?” She angrily said, cutting him off.

“Stay on-“ Bryan wasn’t able to complete his sentence, as Amy hung up. He hit his steering wheel several times in frustration, blaming himself for everything.

None of this would be happening if he hadn’t let his feelings get the best of him.

After about twenty minutes of driving around the neighborhood, Bryan drove slowly towards the park. He didn’t think Amy could’ve gone this far, but he wanted to make sure he searched properly before they make the next move, which is to call the cops.

When he reached the park, he climbed out of his car and looked around his surrounding, wondering where Amy could be.

The entire park was quiet. It didn’t look like there was a soul in it.

Bryan decided not to jump to conclusions and walked around the park. He tried calling Amy while at it, but she wasn’t answering this time, making him all the more anxious.

“Where are you, Amy?” He mumbled to himself, scratching the back of his neck, as he continuously dialed her number.

As he approached a tree at the far end of the park, he heard a phone ringing. He walked closer towards the tree and suddenly heard light sniffles coming from behind the tree.

Without thinking twice, he rushed there, only to find Amy lying on the grass, curled up like a ball. She was shivering, probably from staying outside for too long. Bryan quickly unbuttoned his shirt and knelt beside her, wearing her his shirt over her gown. He hugged her tightly, rocking her gently in his arms.

“Forgive me, princess. Forgive me” he kept whispering, kissing the top of her head.

‘This is all your fault, Bryan. This is all your fault’ his subconscious said to him, causing a stray tear to roll down his cheek. He rubbed her arms repeatedly to make her warm. If she catches even a simple cold, he’ll never forgive himself.

They stayed like that until Bryan stopped hearing her sniffles. When he lowered his gaze, he found her asleep. He let out a sigh of relief and carefully untangled her from his body, carrying her bridal style.

On his way to Henry’s house, he gave him a call, to let him know that he had found Amy. Henry was grateful and relieved. He wanted to know if Amy was alright, if she was scared or hurt. Bryan assured him that she was unharmed and was currently sound asleep. Henry worried less after hearing that. He hung up after telling Bryan that he’d be waiting for them at the front door.

Ten minutes later, Bryan arrived at the house and as promised, Henry was eagerly awaiting their arrival. Bryan parked in front of the mansion and climbed out of his car. He opened the door to the back seat where Amy was sound asleep and carefully, without waking her up, carried her out of the car and into the mansion, with Henry following closely behind.

After tucking her in bed, he watched her for a couple minutes, to make sure she wouldn’t suddenly wake up, before leaving her bedroom with a heavy heart.

“Thank you so much, Bryan. I owe you big time for saving my ass… Paula would’ve chopped my head off if she found out what happened” Henry quietly said, as Bryan closed the door to Amy’s bedroom.

He was leaning against the wall in the hallway with his hands in his pockets, waiting for his best friend.

“It was nothing, really” Bryan replied, giving Henry an encouraging pat on the back.

“Would you like a drink?”

“No. I’m good”

They went to the living room where Bryan narrated how he found Amy.

“I didn’t think she’d react that way” Henry began.

“I’m doing this for her future. I don’t want her getting hurt or abandoned by some jerk who isn’t worth it” he explained.

“It was unlike you to interfere in her life in such manner. You should’ve let things happen the normal way” Bryan contributed, expressing his opinion on the issue for the first time.

“This isn’t only about Sean…” Henry confessed, confusing Bryan.

What is his best friend talking about?

“What are you not telling me?” He then asked with furrowed eyebrows, edging forward in his seat.

There was hesitation and guilt in Henry’s eyes, like he had been keeping something from him.

“Before Monica passed away, she made me promise that both our kids would get married in the future”