Love Me Back (Amelia and Daniel) novel Chapter 162

Daniel’s breath caught, and he spun around sharply.

“What nonsense are you talking about? How could you just disappear like that?”

Amelia looked at his reddened eyes, and to her surprise, a wicked satisfaction bloomed quietly in her chest.

So he does still care, at least a little. If he cares, he must have been hurt, right? Good. At least she wasn’t the only one left gutted by all this. Why should she be the only one in pain? Let him feel it too, just for a moment.

“Relax. I was just saying whatever came to mind.”

It felt as if someone had finally swept aside the tangled weeds choking her heart—suddenly, everything was clear. Amelia’s eyes curved with a smile. “Anyway, I’m hungry now. Let’s eat.”

Daniel stared at her eyes—she had no idea how beautiful they were. When she smiled, it was like sunlight breaking through a storm, chasing every shadow away.

He stepped closer and couldn’t help but bend down to kiss her eyelids. “I knew you’d understand me.”

If only he knew.

Amelia understood, all right—and before she left, she planned to give him a parting gift he'd never forget.

The housekeeper, seeing the two come out of the room in high spirits, was so delighted she put extra care into preparing dinner. She made Amelia’s favorites: sautéed celery with almonds and fluffy scrambled eggs with shrimp. Daniel kept piling food onto Amelia’s plate, barely eating himself, his gaze never leaving her.

Amelia accepted everything without protest, eating with real appetite. Seeing her so relaxed and content, Daniel’s restless heart finally softened, and a quiet smile played at his lips.

“Your birthday’s coming up, isn’t it?” Amelia asked as they were finishing the meal.

Daniel’s eyes warmed with mischief. “That’s new. This year you’re asking me directly? Usually you try to surprise me on the sly.”

Her eyes sparkled like a midnight sky. “I want to make this birthday extra special. But your birthday’s on March sixteenth, right? Can we celebrate early—say, March eleventh? Taylor wants me to go out of town with him on the fifteenth for a project, and I’m worried I won’t make it back in time.”

Daniel was hooked, utterly and completely. He reached over, lifting her chin to inspect her face, turning her gently this way and that.

Amelia frowned, puzzled. “What are you doing?”

“Debating whether I should call a priest for an exorcism.”

She rolled her eyes.

He pinched her soft cheek, then her petite nose, clucking his tongue. “You don’t look possessed, but even if you were, I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of you. A ghost this sweet is one in a million.”

Amelia batted his hand away. “Idiot.”

As soon as they finished eating, Daniel immediately sent a driver to take her to the institute to collect her things, as if even a moment’s delay might change her mind.