Chapter 20
A low, steady voice echoed from behind the door.
Alfred Ellison stepped forward and took his place beside Amelia. The two of them exchanged a quiet smile-and for a moment, they looked like they were made for each other.
“Ellison!” Edmond lunged forward and grabbed him by the collar.
“It’s always you, isn’t it? Since we were kids, you’ve stolen everything from me. Haven’t you had enough?”
Alfred calmly pred Edmond’s hands off, meeting his glare with a smirk. “Amelia isn’t a thing you can ‘have’ or ‘lose.’ She’s a
person.”
He tilted his head slightly, voice cold. “And for the record, you know better than anyone what kind of dirty tricks you
pulled. The truth is, she was always supposed to be mine.”
A flash of panic crossed Edmond’s face. Amelia caught the shift and frowned. Something was wrong.
“Alfred… what do you mean?” she asked cautiously.
He didn’t look away from Edmond as he nodded. “Eight years ago, at that masquerade ball hosted by the Washington
elite… the night the chandelier fell… it wasn’t him who saved you. It was me.”
As Alfred slowly pieced the memory back together, Amelia suddenly remembered.
That night had changed everything. She’d once believed she loved Edmond because he’d saved her life. A hero in the
dark. But now…
Eight years ago, during a lavish masquerade ball, a massive crystal chandelier had come crashing down from the ceiling.
Amelia had been standing directly underneath it when, in the nick of time, a man in a black-and-gold mask had shoved her
out of harm’s way.
The chandelier struck his left shoulder. He fell to the ground with a thud, kneeling from the impact before being escorted
to the lounge for treatment.
Amelia, still shaken, had waited outside, wanting to thank him. But the man had left early due to an emergency, and all she remembered was the faint scent of herbal medicine on his clothes.
The very next morning, Edmond showed up at her doorstep.
“Amelia, I’m so sorry I left early last night,” he’d said. “I really wanted to dance with you. Once my shoulder heals, I owe you a whole day of dancing.”
He even exposed the gauze on his shoulder for her to see, and just like that, she believed he was her mysterious savior.
From that moment on, she’d fallen for him. Now, realizing the truth, she covered her mouth in disbelief.
“So… it was you?” she whispered, turning to Alfred.
He gave her a sad smile. “Yeah. I wasn’t in the best health at the time-had been on integrative medication for weeks. The
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moment I got hurt, my father called me away. I didn’t get the chance to tell you the truth.”
Edmond turned red with shame and snapped, “So what? I was just farther away than you. If I’d been closer, I would’ve
saved her too!”
“Enough!” Amelia’s voice cracked like a whip. She raised her hand and slapped him across the face.
“You lying coward. If I’d known you were this kind of man, I would’ve stayed as far away from you as possible!”
Tears welled in her eyes as she threw herself into Alfred’s arms, choking back sobs. “I’m so sorry, Alfred. I should’ve
looked deeper. We lost so many years because of me.”
“I always loved you-it was always you.”
A wave of bitterness and regret washed over her. If she’d only known back then… If she had known the man who saved
her was Alfred, she would never have let herself fall for Edmond.
But fate had brought them back together. She wouldn’t waste another day. She would spend the rest of her life loving the
man who had always been there.
Alfred pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “It’s okay. We’re here now. That’s what matters.”
“I’ve waited all these years. I’m not the kind of man who settles. I’d rather be alone than with someone I don’t love.”
There was a clear jab in his tone.
Edmond roared, “Amelia! Like it or not, we have a daughter! She’s mine. My own flesh and blood. She’ll come back to me. She won’t grow up calling him ‘dad’!”
Amelia burst out laughing, her eyes gleaming with scorn. “You’ve got some nerve.”
“You never raised her. Not even for a day. You almost got her killed-and now you want her to acknowledge you as her father?”
She shook her head. “Thanks for the reminder. I’ll have her last name changed to Ellison as soon as possible. With Alfred as her father, she’ll finally get the love and protection she deserves.”
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