Chapter 174: Delusional Woman

[Ambrosia’s POV]

Ambrosia stretched her arms above her head before slowly leaning back against the sofa, allowing her tired body to sink into the soft cushions.

She was wearing a cozy, loose-fitting house dress that reached below her knees.

The soft fabric that made it comfortable enough to wear while working late into the night.

Her gaze drifted toward the window.

The city outside had already gone quiet, with only the distant glow of street lamps illuminating the streets below.

When she glanced at the clock, she realized it was already midnight. "Already twelve?"

Ambrosia sighed before turning her attention back toward the laptop resting on the small table in front of her.

Several documents were open across the screen, most of them related to the legal work she was handling for Felicia and the newly acquired mana-rich land.

’There is much more work than I anticipated.’ She rubbed her forehead before continuing to read through another document.

Felicia had given her considerable control over the legal side of the project.

Ambrosia had gradually become responsible for contracts, property, and several other matters surrounding the land.

Surprisingly, the work had been going rather smoothly.

Ambrosia smiled faintly as she thought about Felicia. ’She’s not as bad as I thought she would be.’

At first, Ambrosia had expected their relationship to be difficult.

Felicia was confident, sharp-tongued, and clearly accustomed to getting what she wanted.

Ambrosia had never been particularly comfortable around people who carried themselves with that much authority.

Yet after actually talking to her, Ambrosia had discovered that they had more in common than she had expected.

They were both, in their own ways, single mothers raising teenage children.

They both understood what it was like to worry about someone younger than themselves while trying to keep their own lives from falling apart.

During the few days they had known each other, their conversations had gradually become easier.

What had started as a strictly professional relationship had slowly turned into genuine friendship.

Ambrosia smiled. ’I never thought I’d make a new friend at this age.’

Her smile remained for a few seconds before slowly turning into a frown.

There was one thing about Felicia that still bothered her. ’Why does she like hearing about Amon so much?’

It didn’t matter what Ambrosia was talking about.

If the conversation involved Amon, Felicia would suddenly become far more attentive.

Ambrosia could talk about something completely mundane, such as Amon’s habits, his strange ideas his business plans and Felicia would listen as though every word were important.

’Maybe I’m thinking too much about it.’ Ambrosia shook her head and tried to push the thought away.

She closed one of the documents on her laptop before leaning back again.

Just then, she heard the sound of a door opening.

Ambrosia turned her head.

Sidney stepped out of her room and stopped when she noticed her mother still sitting on the sofa.

Ambrosia narrowed her eyes slightly. "What are you doing up at this time?"

Sidney shrugged. "I’m going to take a bath."

"At midnight?"

Sidney looked toward her mother as though the question were obvious. "I’m feeling hot."

Without waiting for another response, she started walking toward the bathroom.

Ambrosia’s eyes followed her as she noticed the phone in Sidney’s hand. "Where are you going with your phone?"

Sidney lifted it slightly. "I’m going to listen to some songs."

She continued walking before disappearing into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

Ambrosia rubbed her temples. "This girl..."

A quiet sigh escaped her lips.

Ever since Amon had left, Sidney seemed to have become noticeably more mature.

She was more responsible, less reckless, and seemed to think more carefully about the things she said and did.

Ambrosia was happy about that yet at the same time, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing from the house now that Amon was gone.

The apartment simply felt quieter. Ambrosia looked down at her phone.

Without really thinking about it, she unlocked the screen and opened her gallery.

Her finger paused for a moment before she entered a particular folder.

There were several pictures of Amon.

Some were ordinary pictures she had taken without him noticing, while others were moments she had captured simply because she wanted to keep them.

Ambrosia’s expression softened.

A small, almost embarrassed smile appeared on her lips as she looked at one particular picture.

’...I miss him.’ She stared at his face for a while.

Her finger slowly moved across the screen, lightly tracing the image as though she could somehow feel the warmth of his face through the glass.

The thought made her smile again.

"I really..." She stopped herself as her cheeks warmed slightly.

Before she could finish the thought, Ambrosia blinked.

Something had changed as the living room suddenly seemed different.

The quiet apartment disappeared from her awareness for a moment, and when she looked up from her phone, Amon was standing beside her.

Ambrosia froze. "Amon?"

He smiled at her. The expression was so familiar that her heart skipped a beat.

He reached down and gently took her hand.

Ambrosia stared at their joined hands. "What are you doing?"

Amon didn’t answer as he pulled her gently to her feet.

The room around them seemed to become softer, almost dreamlike, as faint music began playing somewhere in the background.

Ambrosia’s eyes widened. "Where did this music come from?"

Amon smiled again. He placed one hand gently around hers and extended the other toward her.

"Come on."

Ambrosia hesitated for only a moment before placing her hand in his.

He began moving slowly.

Ambrosia followed. Their steps were simple, clumsy at first, but gradually they found a rhythm together.

The living room became their entire world.

The faint lights from outside filtered through the curtains, casting pale reflections across the floor while the two moved slowly beneath the soft glow.

Ambrosia couldn’t help smiling.

She looked at Amon and for some reason, he looked exactly as she remembered him.

The same expression, same eyes and the same gentle smile.

She tightened her fingers around his hand. "I really missed you."

Amon looked at her without saying anything.

Ambrosia leaned slightly closer as they continued dancing.

For a brief moment, she allowed herself to forget everything else.

There was only the quiet music and the warmth of his hand holding hers.

Ambrosia slowly closed her eyes and leaned forward for a kiss.

She expected to feel his hand guiding her through another step but there was nothing.

The music had disappeared and the warmth was gone.

Ambrosia opened her eyes. She was standing alone in the middle of the living room.

Her hand was still raised slightly, as though she had been holding someone else’s hand moments ago.

She looked around the empty room and there was no one there.

Only the quiet apartment remained.

Ambrosia slowly lowered her hand. A tired sigh escaped her lips.

She looked toward the phone still resting on the sofa. "...I’m really going mad without him."