The house felt… different.
Amelia stepped out of the room slowly, her fingers brushing lightly against the wall as she walked. Everything looked the same, but it didn't feel the same.
Maybe it was just her.
Maybe it was because of last night.
Her lips pressed together slightly at the thought.
It wasn't just the kiss.
It was the way he had stopped.
The way he had looked at her that part stayed with her more than anything else.
Ethan's POV
"She shouldn't have been seen."
Ethan's voice wasn't raised.
It didn't need to be.
David leaned back slightly, watching him. "They didn't get a clear look at her."
Ethan turned from the window then, slow and deliberate.
"That's not the point."
The room fell quiet after that.
David sighed under his breath. "We knew this would happen eventually."
"Not now."
"They're already looking," he added. "That changes things."
David studied him for a moment before speaking again.
"You can't keep her in the dark forever."
Ethan didn't answer.
For a second, his mind drifted somewhere else entirely and that was what Amalia's father had said to him long time ago–
"You don't understand what they'll do if they find her."
Her father's voice had been steady, but desperate.
Ethan hadn't reacted much.
"Then hide her better," he had said.
"I did," the man replied. "For as long as I could."
A pause.
Then quieter—
"They won't stop. Not until they have her."
Ethan had looked at him then.
"And what do you expect me to do?"
The answer came immediately.
"Protect her."
Back in the present, Ethan exhaled slowly.
"That was the deal," David said, as if finishing the thought for him.
Ethan nodded once.
"I know."
"And now you've married her."
Ethan didn't deny it.
"Yes."
David tilted his head slightly. "Then you already know what comes next."
Ethan didn't respond because he didn't need to.
Amelia's POV
She needed air.
That was the simplest way to put it.
The walls were starting to feel too close, and she didn't like the way her thoughts kept circling back to the same things.So she stepped outside.
The air was cooler than she expected, brushing softly against her skin as she walked. The garden stretched out quietly, everything neat and undisturbed.
For the first time that morning, she felt like she could breathe properly.
Her steps slowed.
Her thoughts drifted again, to her aunt, to the things she still didn't understand and to Ethan. Always back to him.
She heard footsteps behind her.
Amelia paused.
Then she turned, there stood two unfamiliar men. And immediately, something about them felt… wrong.
"You shouldn't be out here alone," one of them said.
His tone wasn't loud.
But it wasn't friendly either.
Amelia straightened a little. "I'm fine."
They didn't move.
One of them stepped closer instead.
"That's the problem," he said. "You think you are."
Her stomach tightened.
"I don't know you," she said.
"No," the second one replied, a small smile on his face. "But we know you."
That didn't sound reassuring.
Amelia took a step back. "I'm going inside."
She turned but she didn't get far.
A hand caught her arm.
Firm.
Too firm.
Her breath hitched.
"Let go," she said.
The man didn't.
"Relax," he said, like that was supposed to mean something. "We just want to talk."
"I said let go." This time sharper.
But instead of releasing her, his grip tightened, pulling her slightly closer.
And just like that– Fear settled in.
Real and immediate, then... something changed. She didn't see it at first but she felt it.
The tension in the air shifted so suddenly that even the man holding her seemed to notice.
His grip faltered.
And then– Gone.
Amelia stumbled back slightly, her arm free.
Ethan stood in front of her. She hadn't heard him come, hadn't seen him approach but there he was.
"What did I say about touching her?"
His voice was quiet.
The men didn't answer immediately.
They looked… unsure now.
"She came out alone," one of them said. "That's not on us."
Ethan barely looked at him.
"You don't get to decide that."
Something about the way he said it made the air feel heavier.
Amelia stayed where she was, her heart still racing, her breathing uneven.
She couldn't look away from him.
"Leave," Ethan said. They ran off immediately.
Amelia exhaled slowly, trying to steady herself, her arm still tingled where they had held her.
Ethan turned to her then.
"Are you hurt?"
She shook her head. "No."
Her voice came out softer than she intended.
He looked at her for a moment, like he was checking for something she couldn't see.
Then he stepped a little closer.
"You shouldn't come out alone," he said.
Amelia looked at him– Really looked this time.
"You knew," she said quietly.
He didn't answer.
But he didn't deny it either.
"You knew something like this could happen."
Still nothing.
Amelia swallowed slightly. "And you didn't tell me."
"I will."
His voice was calm.
Amelia looked away briefly, her thoughts a mess again.
Nothing about this made sense.
Nothing felt safe.
Except– She glanced back at him.
And for some reason–He did.