Love Me Back (Amelia and Daniel) novel Chapter 47

“What’s going on with you two…?”

Amelia wasn’t trying to meddle; she was just genuinely puzzled. These two brothers usually got along just fine—so why were they suddenly at each other’s throats?

Her question shattered the tense silence like a stone through glass. The frosty standoff dissolved instantly. Daniel, all cold fury a second ago, suddenly relaxed and reached over to smooth out the wrinkles on Charles’s collar as if nothing had happened.

“You too, you know. My father-in-law lands in the hospital and you don’t even bother to tell me. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were hiding something.”

He really leaned into the words “father-in-law.”

Charles gave him a crooked smile. “You’re scolding me for not telling you your own father-in-law’s in the hospital? That logic doesn’t exactly check out.”

Daniel’s laugh was sharp. “You’re giving off serious I’m-ready-to-steal-your-wife energy right now.”

“That’s your problem, not mine. Maybe try looking at things from another angle.”

“Oh, so you’ll do it but you won’t admit it?”

Amelia finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Enough! Don’t be ridiculous.”

All this talk about stealing wives—none of it had anything to do with reality.

Maybe she’d spoken too loudly. Daniel turned to look at her, his expression shadowed and strangely wounded. “You’re yelling at me—for him?”

Amelia blinked. Was she? She didn’t think so.

A few yards away, half the ward was eavesdropping, even a patient hobbling by with a catheter bag had slowed down to catch the gossip. Amelia felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. She stormed off toward the elevators, desperate to escape.

Daniel’s legs were long; he caught up in just a few steps and grabbed her wrist. “Grandma’s waiting for you. She wants to see you.”

Amelia tried to yank her hand free but didn’t bother when she couldn’t. She jabbed the elevator button. “Could you please stop acting crazy? My dad’s surgery was complicated—Dr. Johnson helped out. And here you are, stirring up drama. There are enough people in this hospital, Daniel, and he has a reputation to think about.”

“Witch! Witch! The witch is here—every time I see her, I’ll smack her again!”

Grandma Edith was not only fine—she was positively gleeful, sitting up in bed waving her arms, flashing her dazzling dentures and cackling like a child.

Clearly, she was having one of her episodes. And the unlucky target this time was Violet.

The thud had been an apple, hurled by Grandma Edith, landing squarely on Violet’s shoulder. Now Violet—delicate as a porcelain doll—was clutching her arm, eyes brimming with tears as she looked helplessly at Daniel, the very picture of wounded innocence.

Mogan, worried Grandma Edith might throw something else, pushed Violet’s wheelchair further away. “Daniel, Ms. Scott heard your grandmother wasn’t feeling well and came to visit. We didn’t expect her to…”

He didn’t get to finish. Grandma Edith suddenly sprang out of bed, radiating energy, and charged straight at Violet. She grabbed a fistful of Violet’s hair and shook it wildly.

“A witch’s hair is always fake! Pull it off and you’ll see her true face! Witch! Show us your real self, now!”