He stepped even closer, like the matter was already settled in his mind.
“So when are you coming back home?” he asked again gently. “Should I come with you to pack your things? I’ll have Felix move everything back. You won’t have to worry about anything.”
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he leaned down, clearly intending to kiss her.
But before his lips could reach hers, Amara suddenly pressed both palms against his chest and pushed him back.
“I’m not coming back, Elias.”
The words hit instantly.
The softness on his face disappeared, his expression freezing completely.
Amara lowered her hands slowly, but her voice remained calm and firm enough to stop him in place.
“I can’t just forget everything that happened to me.”
Elias stared at her, confused.
“Yeah, but… it’s over now, isn’t it?” he asked, his brows knitting together. He looked genuinely unable to understand what she meant. “You know why I stayed away from you now. You know there was a reason I didn’t sleep with you.”
“And you hurt me because of all of that,” Amara shot back immediately.
Her eyes glistened under the light, but her voice never wavered.
“You treated me like I was invisible.”
Elias’s jaw tightened sharply.
“I didn’t know the reason back then,” she continued, her breathing turning uneven as emotions started rising to the surface. “I understand Grandpa asked you to hide it from me. I understand you thought you were protecting me.”
She shook her head slowly.
“But that wasyourchoice, Elias. Not mine.”
She slipped her hand completely out of his grasp and took a step backward, putting distance between them again.
Pain sharpened her voice.
“And how do you even justify the way you treated me during our marriage?”
Elias parted his lips slightly, but no answer came out.
“Grandpa only asked you to stay away from me physically because of what the doctors said,” she continued. “So how do you justify abandoning me emotionally too?”
Her chest rose and fell harder now, years of buried hurt finally spilling free.
“You left me alone for almost our entire marriage.” Her lips trembled faintly. “You barely stayed home more than a few days every month.”
Her eyes reddened.
“You left me in the dark without ever telling me what I’d ever done wrong…” Her voice weakened for a second before tightening again. “Except falling in love with you.”
Elias looked visibly shaken now.
The hand hanging at his side curled tightly into a fist while the other lifted instinctively toward her before stopping halfway, fingers flexing uselessly in the air.
He looked like he wanted to interrupt her, desperate to say something, but the words refused to come.
