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Love Me Back (Amelia and Daniel) novel Chapter 169

Amelia froze for a second, then let out a quiet laugh.

Same old story, just another rerun. It wasn’t the first time, and she doubted it would be the last.

She took it in stride, calm as ever, and even found herself comforting Sophia afterward—worried she’d get a blocked milk duct from the stress.

Amelia never would have guessed that, at some point in her life, disappointment would become a reflex, a feeling so familiar she could swallow it down with hardly a second thought.

She hung up the phone, got to her feet, and wandered into the empty living room, standing there for a while, not sure what to do with herself.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a picture frame on the coffee table.

She walked over, her fingers brushing gently over the photograph.

There weren’t many pictures of the two of them together. Daniel hated having his picture taken, and honestly, so did she. All told, they had maybe five snapshots together. She’d picked her favorite one to print and kept it by the sofa, somewhere she could see it whenever she turned her head.

They never took wedding photos either. That one picture was all she had—something real, something tangible.

If she lost that one, there’d be nothing left.

Amelia flipped the frame over, slid the photo out, and tore it—slowly, deliberately—into shreds.

Amelia was woken up the next morning by someone poking her.

Yes, poking. With a finger.

Daniel was sitting on the edge of the bed, prodding her cheek like a bored kid with a balloon. When she finally opened her eyes, he withdrew his hand without the slightest hint of guilt.

“Sleepyhead.”

Amelia was never one for cheerful mornings—her grouchiness upon waking was legendary—but she bit back the urge to snap at him, remembering her recent plans. “Look at you, early bird. Not even the sparrows are up yet, Little Campbell.”

Daniel shot her a mischievous grin, arching an eyebrow. “Throwing shade first thing in the morning? Who are you calling a little bird?”

Before she could escape, his hands cupped her face, and he planted kisses on her eyes, nose, lips, and cheeks—determined to be generous with his affection.

As soon as she was free, Amelia dashed to the bathroom. Daniel probably thought she was embarrassed, but she cranked the faucet as high as it would go and scrubbed her face until it was red.

After breakfast, just before heading to work, Daniel snuck up behind her while she wasn’t looking and pressed another kiss into her hair.

Amelia just rolled her eyes. Faces were easy enough to wash, but hair? That was a whole ordeal.

She lingered in front of the mirror for a moment, thinking about the hassle of washing her hair, and decided it wasn’t worth it.

She made her way to the study, picked up the desk calendar, and drew an X over yesterday’s date.

Ten days left.

Ten days, Daniel, and we’ll never see each other again.

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