Love You Enough to Leave You

Chapter 233 Friendship Over If You Keep This Up

Carter walked toward Amelia in a surge of emotions. His hands were clasped tightly together as his bottom lip quivered for a long while before he found his voice. “Amelia, is what you said true?”

Carter had never lost his nerve like this before. Amelia’s text imploring him for help had made him happier than the prospect of signing deals worth several hundred million. Though his excitement was so intense that it made his hands shake, he found it slightly overwhelming as he drove all the way over to the Clintons’ residence just to hear to answer from her.

Amelia looked worried. “Carter, what’re you saying? Is what true?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Carter noticed the maid eavesdropping on them as she pretended to look busy. His eyes widened in revelation as he became aware of the suddenness of his question.

With a fake hacking cough, he attempted to reinstate his calm demeanor.

“Amelia, I have several questions for you. Could you come out with me for a little while?” Carter spoke with as much sincerity as he could muster.

Amelia glanced furtively at him as the suspicion within her grew.

“Carter, just say whatever it is you need to say. I’m now a wife and mother. If I were to be alone with you, I’m afraid that Oscar might get the wrong idea. Though there’s nothing going on between us, I do not wish for him to overthink and feel awful about it.” Amelia decided against accepting Carter’s invitation after giving it a thought.

However, Carter construed Amelia’s reluctance as Oscar mistreating his wife to such a degree that she felt guilty for being alone with another man. This had only served to affirm his decision to take her away from the Clintons.

Perhaps the two texts that he had received had clouded Carter’s judgment. He remained stubborn in his belief that the aloofness on Amelia’s face was in fact pity. It was, to his observation, a silent plea to take her far away from the Clintons to spare her the pain and indignity she suffered in their hands.

Carter leveraged the two texts to construct a fantasy for himself, in which he was the protagonist. As the knight in shining armor in the story he penned, he had arrived at the side of the princess after innumerable obstacles to rescue her from the clutches of her imprisoners.

“Don’t be afraid, Amelia,” said Carter as he gazed at her in earnest. “I just want to speak to you alone, just like old times. Is it wrong for an old friend to buy you a cup of coffee to ask for your help?”

Faced with the overwhelming sincerity of Carter, Amelia felt the rejection that had risen to her lips fall away in spite of herself.

As Carter had pointed out, they had not been lovers for five years, opting to remain as friends. Before, she had given birth to Tony in secret with Carter’s help. Since she and Oscar had confessed to one another, it would seem unreasonable for him to force Amelia to cut Carter completely out of her life.

“Fine, but I’m going upstairs to check on Tony for a bit. Wait for me,” Amelia said. After some intense introspection, her attitude toward Carter had become more obliging.

Tiffany was the one who had brought me to see Tony. I haven’t seen the little man

Amelia nodded her assent.

into the nursery. Carter had not expected a man to be in there, especially one whose large

of foreboding tingled within him. Kurt return his stare, though his expression

this man?” Carter asked, turning to address

devoting all his time to Tony who is still so young.”

while Carter’s hostility dissipated. However, he

the cot, she gazed

better than the last time Carter had seen him. His skin had become fairer as well as if he had obtained the best traits of both Oscar and

marry Amelia, but she had also willingly given him a child. It was the sort of envy that had the potential to go on to become a

gone differently between him and Amelia. If he had resisted

squeezed painfully by an invisible hand. The woman whom he had loved for so long had ultimately become the wife of another man and the mother of his child. Being a spectator to their happiness was more than Carter

an end. The woman that he loved was not truly in love with Oscar as she had personally sent him a text to ask him to rescue her. They would be

for Amelia was so deep that he would treat Tony as his own. He loved Amelia and was willing to live his

handsome boy,” Carter exclaimed in earnest praise.

“Anthony.”

to

all mothers, was pleased to hear praises being showered upon her child. It delighted her despite the

care what he becomes, I just want him to lead

not a problem,” Kurt replied. “I’m very fond

to change the topic. “Aside from the people who have my permission, nobody else is to get close to Tony. I hope you would not deign it degrading if I asked you to personally handle his feeding and diaper changing, as you are the only one I trust to do

said with grave professionalism. “I will take good care of

Amelia nodded with gratitude.

“Maggie, I’m heading out with a friend,” she addressed a maid. “If Dad and Mom return before I do, please tell

at Carter before

me that he would be returning to have lunch with you.” Maggie seemed to direct her words at Carter though

unaware of Maggie’s hostility toward Carter. “Is Oz coming home for lunch? Why didn’t he tell me?” she