Love Me Back (Amelia and Daniel) novel Chapter 108

Maybe it was because the court date was looming tomorrow, but both of them seemed changed. Dinner passed in a calm, almost peaceful silence—remarkably so, given everything that was about to happen.

After they finished eating, Amelia watched as Daniel collected the plates and carried them into the kitchen. Suddenly, the ordinariness of this evening struck her as achingly precious—so precious, in fact, because it was the last one left.

She didn’t let herself linger on the thought. Forcing herself out of her melancholy, she reminded herself not to waver, not to let nostalgia take hold.

She repeated it silently.

Daniel came back from the kitchen with a glass of warm water for her. She took a sip, then said, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back now.”

Daniel’s eyes were unreadable, shaded with a tangled mess of emotions. “You’re not going to stay a little longer?”

Amelia’s gaze drifted slowly across the living room, taking in everything that had become so familiar to her.

The lush houseplants that had been there since she moved in. The modern art prints she and Daniel had picked out together. Even the crystal ornament on the TV stand—the one she insisted on buying, and Daniel had teased her for, calling it tacky.

This apartment held so many memories. As she stood on the verge of leaving, the idea that she felt nothing was impossible.

“Can I take that with me?” Amelia pointed at the crystal ornament. “You never liked it anyway. Consider it a parting gift.”

Daniel followed her gaze, arching an eyebrow. “Who said I didn’t like it? I think it looks pretty good, actually.”

“You can’t even remember what you said. Early-onset dementia, maybe?”

She muttered the words, then crossed the room and picked up the ornament. “The store closed down, so I can’t get another one like it. I don’t want anything in the divorce—just this. That’s fair, right?”

Daniel glanced down at her, his eyes shadowed beneath long lashes. “Just the ornament? If there’s anything else you want, just take it.”

“No,” Amelia said. “Just this.”

Amelia froze. He locked it? So it wasn’t broken—he’d done it on purpose?

She jerked her hand back, disbelief raising her voice. “What the hell are you doing?”

Daniel reached for her hand again, this time with a firm, unyielding grip.

“Amelia, please. Don’t be mad. After tomorrow, I’ll let you go.”

She blinked, staring at him as if seeing a stranger. This man she’d once loved, shared a bed with for so many nights, suddenly seemed utterly unfamiliar.

Her fingers tightened around the crystal ornament. She tried to keep her voice steady, but fury made it tremble.

“Daniel, are you trying to keep me prisoner?”