Love Me Back (Amelia and Daniel) novel Chapter 266

He wasn’t wearing hospital scrubs, just a loose sweatshirt and sweatpants. The sharp lines of his face looked pale and drawn, almost gaunt, and his expression was inscrutable—no one could guess what he was thinking.

Grandma Edith followed Amelia’s gaze and felt a chill in her heart. If Daniel was still as oblivious as he’d been three years ago, he wouldn’t even deserve a slot at the crematorium—might as well just bury him out back.

Daniel stared for a long while before finally speaking. “You shouldn’t have come.”

He was talking to Violet. The moment she looked up, her eyes shimmered with tears. “I know I shouldn’t have, but… I was worried about you.”

Her gentle, fragile concern was enough to move even Amelia.

Amelia glanced sideways at Daniel. Their eyes met, and for the first time there was the slightest flicker in his usually cool, impassive gaze.

She looked away. “I should go.”

With a first love in the room, she—soon to be his ex-wife—was just in the way.

Daniel’s brow twitched. He caught her wrist. “Why are you leaving? Didn’t you come all the way here just to see me?”

Amelia’s mouth curled. “Just wanted to check if you were dead yet. Turns out you’re not.”

Her blunt words were a world apart from Violet’s soft concern—anyone with half a brain would know which woman to pick.

But Daniel never did things by the book.

“You’re worried about whether I’m dead or alive? I’m touched. Stay for dinner before you go.”

Amelia looked at him like he’d lost his mind, as if his stomach issues had infected his brain.

To an outsider, it might have seemed like she and Daniel were bickering, but to Violet it was clear there was an intimacy there she could never breach. Her hands clenched at her sides, then slowly relaxed.

“Daniel,” Violet said softly, “I know I shouldn’t have come back to Oakridge without telling you first. I never meant to bother you—I just wanted to see if you were alright.”

Grace, who’d been silent until now, cut straight to the point. “Aren’t you bothering him right now?”

Violet faltered. “I—”

As the doors slid shut, Grace suddenly asked, “Found yourself a boyfriend yet?”

Violet was caught off guard. “Not yet.”

“Well, you’d better get on it. You’re not a kid anymore. Pining after someone else’s husband—what do you think you’re doing?”

Grace’s tone turned icy. Violet was taken aback. “Mrs. Evans—”

“You call me Mrs. Evans and I’ll give you some advice.” Grace’s voice was steely. “There are over twenty million people living in Oakridge. There’s no shortage of men besides Daniel. Tall, handsome, successful, kind—you name it, I’ll help you find him. I’m telling you right now, I’ll set you up with any of them. Anyone except Daniel.”

Violet went pale. “But I—”

“No ‘buts.’” The elevator reached the ground floor. Grace strode out, then turned to look Violet up and down, her gaze sharp as a needle. “To be my daughter-in-law, you need beauty, kindness, and a generous heart. Compared to Amelia, you’re not just a little short—you’re a hundred thousand miles behind.”

“My daughter-in-law,” Grace declared, voice ringing with certainty, “will always be Amelia. No one else.”