Chapter 18 #2
“I think you’re exactly what she needs.” Ada shrugged. “Even if neither of you seems capable of saying it out loud.”
Amelia reached for her cup and forced a sip, wincing as the cold liquid slid down her throat. But she’d needed it, regardless of how disgusting it was.
Ada cleared her throat. “You know what’s funny, though?”
“W-what?”
“Back when Jo first went to the club…there was that occasion when you showed up for the first time while she was there.” Ada narrowed her eyes. “I had this crazy theory that you were Lia.”
Amelia stilled. Right now, she couldn’t even blink.
“And now that I’ve said it out loud and seen your face…” Ada angled her head. “I don’t think it’s a crazy theory at all.”
Amelia’s voice caught in her throat. “I-I…”
“You’re not denying it.”
“I…” Amelia shook her head. “I can’t talk about this.”
“Because I’m right?”
Amelia was too stunned to even breathe, never mind answer.
Ada sat back and folded her arms across her chest. As Amelia stared back at her, she noted something protective flickering in her eyes. “You need to tell her.”
“I can’t.”
“You have to.”
“I can’t, Ada. If I do, she’ll never forgive me.” Amelia forced down a swallow as her throat ran dry. “It was just supposed to be fun. A fantasy. I didn’t think she’d come back the next night for more, and I certainly didn’t mean to fall for her.”
Ada lifted her handbag and leaned forward again. “But you did.”
Amelia nodded once as she lowered her gaze to the table. “Y-yes.”
Ada calmly rose to her feet and tucked her chair back under the table. “Then for God’s sake, tell her before she falls in love with a woman who doesn’t exist.”
Amelia slid into the driver’s seat, her breath fogging the interior as she closed the door. Her keys slipped from her fingers as she tried to slot them into the ignition, her entire body trembling with the fear of Jo finding out the truth from someone who wasn’t Amelia.
“Fuck,” she gripped the steering wheel, her eyes locked on her reflection in the rear-view mirror. Her face was pale, her eyes were dull, and in that moment, Amelia didn’t recognise the woman staring back at her.
Ada knew.
And now that she knew…how long until Jo did?
She’d lost control of the one thing she’d told herself she could handle.
Playing a role at Satin had started as something she’d needed in order to feel remotely worthy, but it had turned into something far more dangerous and far more intimate.
And now she was trapped between two versions of herself, neither of which Jo really knew, not fully.
But Ada knew enough, and Amelia knew Ada would protect Jo to the ends of the earth.
That left Amelia with no choice now. She would have to tell Jo the truth. Not in a rushed text. Not over a phone call. But face-to-face. The way it should have been from the beginning.
She exhaled a shaky breath, finally managing to start the car. Still, she didn’t drive off. She couldn’t do that until her thoughts had quietened.
She reached for her phone instead, pulling it from the centre console and unlocking it with a quick swipe. She was about to text Jo to see if she was available now when her phone buzzed in her hand.
Hey, I’m really sorry but I don’t think tomorrow’s going to work anymore. Something’s come up. Hope you don’t mind x
Amelia’s fingers froze above the screen. No. Not now. She reread the message, trying to breathe through the sudden pinch in her chest. Her thumbs hovered over the keyboard as a thousand questions lined up. What came up? Was she okay? Was she backing out? Had Ada already told her everything?
She hit dial. It rang once…twice…and then her phone vibrated again.
Another call was incoming.
Callum.
Her heart sank so hard and fast that it made her dizzy.
She hadn’t heard from her son in weeks. Not since his last smug text from a bamboo bungalow in Thailand.
But that worked for her. She was still pissed off with him over what he’d done to Jo, but Amelia guessed he knew that, and that was why communication was minimal.
She answered, her voice brittle. “Callum?”
“Mum.” His voice was unusually serious. Flat, even. “Hiya.”
“Is everything alright?”
“Yeah. Well…no. Not really.”
She sat back, one hand still on the wheel. “What’s going on?”
“I’m coming home.”
Amelia frowned. “You’re what?”
“I booked a flight this morning. I’ll be back on Sunday.”
“Is something wrong?”
There was a pause on the other end of the line, then came a heavy sigh. “Thea and I broke up.”
Amelia’s lips parted, but she said nothing. There was nothing to say. Any hope of her and Jo working on what they were building had just been stomped on.
“She left me in Laos. Packed up and flew home without me.”
“Oh, Callum…I’m sorry.” God, of all the times when she wished he’d stayed with Thea.
“It’s fine. It’s for the best.” He cleared his throat. “Actually, I’ve been thinking a lot…about Jo.”
Amelia’s fingers tensed around her phone.
“I know I fucked things up, but I want to try again with her. I need to try again. I still love her.” Amelia’s world tilted, even as Callum kept talking, completely unaware that he was ripping his mother’s heart out of her chest. “I know it’s probably too late, but I have to at least tell her.
In person. She deserves that. So yeah…I’ll be home on Sunday. I just wanted to give you a heads-up.”
Not only would her son be returning, but he would also likely be staying with Amelia. When he’d split up with Jo, he’d given up their rented home outside the city. But that was the least of her concerns right now.
Amelia couldn’t breathe.
He was coming back…for Jo. He was going to try and fix everything. To put their past back together. To win her back.
And what exactly was Amelia going to do? Tell Jo the truth now—after everything they’d shared, everything Jo had confessed last night—and watch her walk away with the very man she’d barely gotten over?
Amelia’s son.
Amelia swallowed the rise of nausea climbing up her throat. “Well, thanks for calling and letting me know,” she managed. “I’ll see you when you get home.”
“Thanks, Mum. I’ll see you soon.”
The silence in the car felt unbearable after that. As though every emotion she’d locked in her chest had finally started leaking out through the cracks. Amelia sat there, staring down at Jo’s text, wondering what the hell she was supposed to do now.
Because for the first time in this whole twisted mess, she really didn’t know.