Love Me Back (Amelia and Daniel) novel Chapter 202

The air was thick with silence.

Grace broke it first. “Mom, do you think you might’ve given her too much medicine?”

Grandma Edith replied, her tone firm. “Better to be a little heavy-handed than to do nothing and lose her.”

Grace nodded reluctantly. “I suppose you’re right.”

…

Meanwhile, in Wye.

Before anyone could officially join the project site, there was a mandatory week of orientation—intensive training, no outside contact allowed. Only the Taylor campus had a single hour at night with internet access, and even then, messages could come in, but never go out.

Among the researchers at Taylor was a brilliant woman in her forties, a renowned scholar by day, and a gossip enthusiast by night. She knew everything—from celebrity scandals to the secrets of the city’s elite. Her collection of rumors rivaled a team of paparazzi, and her sources were as varied as they were mysterious.

With nothing much to do during breaks, everyone gathered to chat and unwind.

“I heard the Campbell family in Silkwood are searching for someone,” the woman started, her eyes alight with mischief. “They’ve been turning the city upside down for a week and still haven’t found them.”

Amelia, who was sipping her water nearby, paused for just a moment.

“Who are they looking for?” someone asked. “I know the Campbells—old money, serious power. If even they can’t find someone, that’s saying something.”

The scholar grinned. “Insider info says Mr. Campbell is searching for his wife. Real-life soap opera—billionaire chases runaway bride.”

Someone glanced at Amelia, remembering she was from Silkwood. “Amelia, the Campbells are famous in your town, right? Do you know Mrs. Campbell? I’m dying to know what a real-life runaway heiress looks like.”

Amelia’s expression didn’t change as she took another sip. “No idea. People like that… they’re in a completely different world. We wouldn’t cross paths.”

“It’s just like a novel! I wish I could watch it unfold live,” one of the younger women sighed. “Guess even the rich have their own troubles. If I were a rich wife, with endless money the moment I woke up, I’d never run. I’d be clinging to that golden ticket for dear life!”

Everyone laughed. “Easy to say, but once you have more money than you can spend, your heart starts to want other things. There’s no bottom to human desire.”

So true. There’s no bottom to the human heart.

“Don’t be so dramatic—it’s not prison,” Amelia laughed, never once looking back.

She had nothing to look back for.

At the final checkpoint, she pressed her finger to the scanner, then looked up for the iris scan.

A soft beep signaled her clearance.

A breeze swept past, brushing her hair across her cheek. She tucked it behind her ear and smiled quietly to herself.

Beyond this door was a brand new beginning.

Goodbye, past.

Hello, future.

With her chin lifted and a faint, confident smile, Amelia stepped inside.