Love Me Back (Amelia and Daniel) novel Chapter 21

Everyone held their breath, tension thick in the air.

This wasn’t some harmless spectacle—this was real, and no one was backing down.

Violet broke the silence first. Her tears came quietly, soft sniffles of hurt and embarrassment.

Mogan grabbed a napkin and handed it to her, trying to smooth things over. “Alright, it’s just a paper. Let’s all calm down.”

But it wasn’t just a paper.

Not even close.

Amelia kept her gaze fixed on Daniel, refusing to blink, stubbornly waiting for an answer.

Violet’s muffled crying grew even more conspicuous in the hush of the private room.

Finally, Daniel let go of the tension that had been winding him tight. He looked away. “The paper’s already published. I can’t change that. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

Amelia laughed—a pale, brittle sound.

She understood. That was all she needed.

She stood up and walked out without so much as a backward glance.

Charles, who’d kept quiet until now, finally lost his temper. “Messing with someone else’s work is wrong, period. And you—seriously, what are you crying about?”

Daniel kept his eyes fixed on the doorway where Amelia had disappeared, his brow furrowed deep with regret. “That’s enough, Charles.”

“I’ve lost my appetite. You guys eat,” Charles muttered, pushing his chair back and leaving, too.

Daniel didn’t try to stop him. He didn’t spare Violet another glance.

By the time Charles rushed outside, Amelia was gone—already out of Midnight Delight Café.

Amelia dialed Sophia’s number.

Sophia had just left her law office, so Amelia picked her up by car.

Amelia’s face was calm, almost eerily so, her emotions locked down tight.

Sophia took one look at her and had her pull over in front of a convenience store. She ran in and came out with a six-pack of beer and some snacks.

Once they got back to the dorm, Sophia popped open a can. “Drink up. Nothing like getting drunk to make everything go away for a while.”

Then she caught herself, taking the beer from Amelia’s hand. “Whoops, forgot—you’re allergic to alcohol. Poor thing, can’t even drown your sorrows.”

Sure, getting drunk could numb the pain for a night. But what about the morning after?

Amelia gave a strained smile and started unwrapping the snacks, arranging them on a plate. “You drink. I’ll keep you company with soda.”

Sophia hadn’t been having the best time herself lately—two losing cases in a row, one client even raising hell at the office. Life was a headache.

We’re not machines. Feelings aren’t logical.

In this world, there’s no such thing as a truly wise person.

…

The next morning, Amelia pressed an ice pack to her eyes for half an hour before she dared leave the house.

She got to the lab later than usual.

Emily didn’t show up until the afternoon, lugging in a giant bag of snacks.

“Amelia, thank you.”

“What for?”

“I know you went to the dean for me.” Emily set the snacks on Amelia’s desk. “I figured you wouldn’t want clothes or handbags, so I just got you a bunch of snacks. It’s not much, but I really mean it. Thank you.”

Amelia only half understood, but a small hope flickered inside her. “Did they finally put your sister’s name back on the paper?”

“No.”

Amelia was glad she hadn’t let her hopes get too high. The letdown didn’t hurt as much. “Oh.”