Chapter 122: Tell Me What You Want From Me...

~~~~~ Third-person POV ~~~~~

Amelia continued knocking on the gate.

At first, she knocked normally, and then she knocked harder.

Before long, she started banging her fist against the iron gate.

"Hello?" She looked through the narrow spaces between the bars. "Is anyone there?"

There was no answer.

The large iron gate remained closed. Beyond it stood the Ashford mansion, quiet and still under the afternoon sun.

Amelia glanced at the windows.

There was no movement, and no one came outside.

She checked her phone.

Thirty-two minutes had passed since she arrived.

She let out a shaky breath.

Maybe they were inside.

Maybe someone was sleeping.

Maybe the servants hadn’t heard her.

She raised her hand again and knocked.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

Her knuckles were beginning to hurt. She pulled her hand back and looked at it.

The skin around her knuckles had turned slightly red.

She didn’t care as she knocked again.

"Babe..." Her voice was calm. "Please open the gate."

But no one came out.

Amelia lowered her hand.

A strange emptiness settled inside her chest.

She had imagined this moment differently.

She had imagined Sylvia opening the gate the moment she arrived.

Maybe Sylvia would be angry. Maybe she would shout at her, or maybe she would even refuse to listen.

But at least she would be there.

Amelia could handle her anger.

What she couldn’t handle was being ignored.

She unlocked her phone. Her fingers were slightly shaky as she opened her contacts.

She slowly scrolled down. Her eyes stopped at one name.

Sylvia.

Amelia stared at it. For several seconds, she didn’t touch the screen.

Her thumb hovered over the name. She was afraid.

What if Sylvia didn’t answer?

What if she answered and told her to leave?

What if she really didn’t want anything to do with her anymore?

Amelia swallowed. She couldn’t leave without trying.

Her thumb finally pressed the call button, and the phone began ringing.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Amelia held the phone close to her ear.

She waited, but no one answered until the call ended.

Her eyes lowered.

"Please..."

She immediately called again.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Still nothing.

The call ended again.

Amelia stared at the screen. Her heart sank a little deeper.

She called again.

This time, she turned toward the gate while waiting.

Maybe Sylvia’s phone was inside.

Maybe she couldn’t hear it... or maybe she was busy.

She tried to convince herself of anything that would make the silence easier to accept.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

No answer.

Amelia ended the call and called again, again and again.

Each unanswered call made her chest tighter.

She stopped counting after a while. She simply kept pressing the call button.

Sometimes she would wait.

Sometimes she would hang up and call again before the ringing had even stopped.

Still, Sylvia didn’t answer.

Amelia slowly lowered the phone.

"Do you really not want to talk to me?" Her voice trembled.

She looked toward the mansion.

"Sylvia..."

There was no response.

The afternoon sun had grown hotter.

The heat pressed against her skin, and sweat slowly gathered along her forehead. A few strands of hair stuck to her face.

She wiped them away with the back of her hand.

She had been standing there for so long that her legs were starting to ache, but she didn’t move.

She couldn’t.

Leaving without seeing Sylvia felt impossible.

Amelia stepped closer to the gate and placed both hands against the cool iron bars.

"Please, babe." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I’m sorry."

Her eyes began to sting.

"I know I hurt you." She swallowed hard. "I know I shouldn’t have said those things."

Her fingers tightened around the bars.

"But please come back to me." The words broke apart in her throat. "I don’t want us to end."

She closed her eyes, and a tear slipped down her cheek.

"I don’t want to lose you."

She rested her forehead against the gate. The iron was warm now from the sun.

She stayed like that for a moment and still didn’t hear anything.

Not even footsteps, a voice, or the sound of the gate opening.

Only the distant sound of cars passing on the road.

Amelia opened her eyes. She stepped away from the gate. Her body felt heavier than before.

She checked her phone again.

No message.

She opened their chat. The last message was still there.

Amelia stared at the word until her eyes blurred.

She quickly blinked.

Sylvia had seen her message, and she simply hadn’t replied.

That hurt more than Amelia wanted to admit.

She called one more time.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Her eyes remained fixed on the mansion.

Please answer.

Please.

The call ended.

Amelia slowly lowered the phone. The strength seemed to leave her body all at once. ℴℴ𝘮

She couldn’t keep standing.

She crouched down beside the gate and pulled her knees toward her chest.

Her bag slipped from her shoulder and landed beside her.

She didn’t bother picking it up.

She buried her face between her knees. For several seconds, she tried to hold herself together.

Then her shoulders began shaking as a quiet sob escaped her.

She covered her mouth with her hand.

She didn’t want anyone passing by to see her like this. But there was no stopping the tears anymore.

They kept coming, one after another.

She cried until her throat hurt.

Until her chest ached.

Until breathing became difficult.

"I’m sorry..." The words came out broken. "I’m sorry, Sylvia."

She squeezed her eyes shut. "I didn’t mean to hurt you."

But she knew that saying sorry didn’t erase what she had done.

She had been the one who asked for the breakup. She had been the one who pushed Sylvia away.

She had thought she could live without her.

Now she was sitting outside Sylvia’s house, begging for another chance.

The irony hurt.

The sun slowly moved across the sky as time passed.

Amelia didn’t know how long she had been sitting there.

Her tears had dried several times, only to return whenever she thought about Sylvia.

Her legs had become numb, her throat felt dry, and her head felt heavy.

She lifted her head and looked at the mansion again, but no one came out.

The road beside her became busier for a while, then quieter.

The heat slowly changed as the afternoon moved on, but Amelia remained there.

Waiting, hoping, and begging silently for the person she loved to come outside.

Then, after what felt like hours, she heard a sound.

Click.

Amelia’s head lifted.

The front door of the mansion had opened.

Her tired eyes turned toward it.

Someone stepped outside.

Amelia blinked several times. Her vision was blurry from all the crying, but she knew those hairs...

Her heart suddenly jumped.

"Sylvia..."

The name came out so slowly and quietly from her lips.

Sylvia walked out of the mansion carrying her school bag.

She looked tired. Her hair was slightly messy, and she moved slowly as she walked toward the gate.

Earlier, Sylvia’s parents and siblings had carried her to their so-called vacation against her will because she had been drunk.

She didn’t want any vacation. She had only wanted to forget everything.

So she left and went back to the mansion alone to get her schoolbag. But after getting home, she went straight to her room, intending to rest for a few minutes, but fell asleep.

She came outside to get some air and also to clear the sleep from her head when she noticed something unusual.

A car was parked outside the gate.

Sylvia slowed down. She looked at it carefully. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"This looks like Minnie’s car," she said quietly.

Her gaze moved from the car to the ground.

She saw someone crouched near the gate. She froze as her heart skipped.

She took a step closer. The person lifted her head slightly.

"Minnie?" Sylvia’s eyes widened.

She hurried toward the gate.

Amelia heard her voice. For the first time in hours, something like hope appeared in her eyes.

"Babe..."

She tried to stand, but her legs had been numb for too long.

The moment she put weight on them, they gave out.

Her body fell forward.

Thud!

"Minnie!"

Sylvia’s face changed immediately. She rushed to the gate and quickly unlocked it.

The iron gate swung open.

Sylvia ran toward Amelia.

"Minnie!"

She dropped beside her. Her eyes quickly moved over Amelia’s face.

Amelia looked exhausted.

Her cheeks were wet with tears, her eyes were swollen and red, and her hair was messy from the heat and from repeatedly wiping her face.

There was a desperate look in her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Sylvia asked, her voice filled with worry.

Amelia slowly raised her head.

The moment she saw Sylvia up close, fresh tears filled her eyes.

"Babe..." Her voice was weak. "I missed you."

Sylvia stared at her.

Something painful moved through her chest.

She wanted to reach out. She wanted to pull Amelia into her arms. But then she remembered everything.

The breakup.

The words.

The pain.

The tears she had cried alone.

"But..."

Before Sylvia could finish, Amelia reached for her hand and pulled her closer as their lips met.

Sylvia froze.

For a second, she didn’t know what to do, then she pulled away.

"What are you doing, Amelia?" Her voice shook.

She stared at Amelia in disbelief.

"You just broke up with me."

Amelia looked down.

"And now you’re here?" Sylvia continued. "What do you think you’re doing?"

Sylvia stood up.

Amelia remained on the ground.

Sylvia looked away, trying to control her emotions. Her hands curled into fists.

"Do you love hurting me?"

Amelia’s heart sank.

Sylvia’s voice wasn’t loud, and that made it worse.

"I have been drinking because of you since morning," Sylvia said quietly. "I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened."

She looked at Amelia again. "And now you suddenly come here."

Her eyes were filled with hurt. "Tell me what you want from me."

Amelia’s lips trembled.

She had no excuse.

Everything Sylvia said was true.

She had hurt her. She had made her cry. She had made her drink just to escape the pain.

Amelia wiped her cheeks with both hands as she stood up slowly.

"I’m sorry, babe."

She took a small step toward Sylvia.

Sylvia immediately lifted her hand. "Stop there."

Amelia stopped. Her foot remained suspended for a moment before she slowly placed it back on the ground.

Sylvia looked at her.

"No need to call me babe anymore."

Amelia froze as her eyes widened.

"Just call me by my name," Sylvia said quietly.

Those words broke something inside her.

Amelia stared at Sylvia as if she had just been slapped.

Sylvia held her gaze for a few seconds and turned around. She began walking back toward the mansion.

Every step felt heavy.

Part of her wanted to turn around. She wanted to run back to Amelia. She wanted to say that she was still hers.

But she couldn’t.

She had already been hurt once. She couldn’t allow herself to fall back into Amelia’s arms only to be pushed away again.

Her fingers tightened at her side.

"I’m sorry," she whispered so quietly that Amelia couldn’t hear her, then she continued walking.

Amelia stood completely still. She watched Sylvia’s back slowly move farther away.

Her mind couldn’t process what had just happened.

She blinked, and tears filled her eyes again.

"Sylvia really hates me now." Her voice cracked. "She really hates me."

She shook her head.

"No..." Her lips trembled. "No. No, I can’t bear her hatred."

Her breathing became uneven.

She covered her face with both hands and cried.

She had come here because she thought seeing Sylvia would make things better. Instead, she felt even more broken.

After several minutes, Amelia finally turned away.

She walked slowly toward her car. Her body felt weak. Every step felt heavier than the last.

She reached the driver’s door and opened it.

She sat inside. The seat felt warm against her body. She dropped her head against the headrest and closed her eyes.

Her phone was still in her hand. She looked at the screen one more time.

Nothing from Sylvia.

Her eyes closed again.

"I can’t bear this kind of pain."

She wiped her face. "I have to go to Camila."

She started the engine. The sound filled the car.

Amelia took a deep breath and pulled away from the mansion.

Inside the house, Sylvia had stopped behind the front door.

She was watching through the glass.

She saw Amelia’s car slowly leave, and her eyes filled with tears.

She pressed her lips together.

"I’m sorry, babe." Her voice trembled. "I don’t want to get hurt again."

She lowered her head.

She wanted to believe that she had done the right thing, but watching Amelia leave made her heart ache.

Amelia continued driving. The road stretched ahead of her.

At first, everything seemed normal, but a few minutes later, a strange dizziness began spreading through her head.

She blinked, and the road became slightly blurry.

She rubbed her eyes. "What’s happening?"

She shook her head.

Maybe she was simply tired.

She had barely eaten lunch. She had spent hours under the hot sun.

She had cried until her body felt weak and should have rested before driving.

But she couldn’t think clearly enough to realize how serious the dizziness was becoming.

The buildings around her seemed to move slightly.

Amelia gripped the steering wheel tighter. Her palms were sweaty as she blinked again.

The road became clearer for a second and then blurry again.

Her head throbbed.

She lifted one hand from the steering wheel and pressed it against her forehead.

"Ahh..." She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. "My head hurts."

She opened them again.

The faint sunlight coming through the windshield felt painfully bright.

She squinted, and her vision became worse.

Cars ahead looked like dark shapes instead of clear vehicles.

She tried to focus, but she couldn’t.

A loud horn suddenly broke through the air.

HOOOONK!

Amelia’s eyes widened.

She turned her head. A heavy-duty truck was right in front of her.

Her heart jumped.

She tried to react. Her hands moved toward the steering wheel, but it was too late.

The truck was already there.

Everything happened within seconds.

The sound of tires screaming against the road filled the air.

SCREEEECH!

Amelia’s eyes widened in fear.

Then...

SKRRRRT!

The truck slammed into her car.

CRASH!

The force shook the entire vehicle as the glass shattered and the metal twisted.

The car spun across the road.

BANG!

And another impact came.

BANG!

The sound of crushing metal filled the air.

SHHHHHRRRAAAK—KRRRUNCH!

Then the car finally stopped, and silence followed.

The road went still.

And inside the wrecked car, there was no sound from Amelia.

Only the faint ticking of the damaged engine remained.