Chapter 118: Back home

Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Back home

Amelia let out a short, cold laugh, but there was nothing amused in her expression.

"How foolish you are, Skye."

She held Skye’s gaze, her anger no longer wild but heavy.

"What you did wasn’t for Rue. It was for your own desperate need for validation. You wrapped it up in some twisted fantasy where you get to play the hero of a story you helped ruin." Her jaw tightened. "I bet Rue never treated you kindly at all. She was only sweet when she needed something from you."

Skye’s composure finally shattered.

She surged forward as she shouted, "What do you know?! You know nothing!"

"I know a lot."

Amelia’s answer came immediately, but her voice trembled with something deeper than anger.

"I’ve lived it. Or have you forgotten that I spent years tied to a spineless, lying coward who used me, discarded me, and almost led me to my death?"

Her eyes burned as the memories rose again.

"I know exactly how it feels to pour everything you have into someone who only ever takes from you. I know what it feels like to keep giving because you keep hoping that, one day, they’ll finally see your worth."

She swallowed hard.

"But what I never did was decide that my own pain gave me the right to destroy someone else’s life just so I could feel a little less empty."

The words hung heavily between them.

Amelia turned her head toward Claire.

The older woman stood quietly, guilt written across her face. Somehow, that expression only made Amelia’s chest tighten further.

"And what about you?"

Claire’s eyes lifted to hers.

"What did I ever do to you?"

Her voice shook now, not from weakness, but from the hurt she had been holding back.

"You put a hypnosis on me without my knowledge—for what?"

Claire’s expression barely changed, but when she answered, her voice was low and steady.

"We never trusted you from the beginning. And we were right to be afraid."

Amelia’s brows pulled together.

"What’s inside you is something so vast that I still can’t fully grasp it. You hated being here. If you ever figured out how powerful you truly are, what’s to say you wouldn’t have brought the Ellington brothers down and wrecked everything because of the mistreatment you suffered all those years?"

Claire took a breath.

"What we did wasn’t only for ourselves. It was for other lives as well."

Amelia stared at her.

Then her eyes narrowed.

"Who are you to decide the path I would have taken once I learned what I really am?"

Her voice rose, the hurt finally breaking through the restraint she had been forcing herself to keep.

"And then how come you still used me to cause havoc in this territory—the exact same fucking thing you claimed you wanted to avoid?!"

She dragged both hands through her hair, breathing harder as everything inside her threatened to spill over.

"I can’t believe this."

Her voice cracked. "I don’t know what your fate is going to be, and I don’t even want to care anymore. Do you understand that?"

Her eyes filled before she could stop them.

"People are dead because of you—because of me—and I’m the one who has to live with that guilt for the rest of my life!"

A tear slipped down her cheek.

"I’m the one who has to carry every single face, every single scream, every single life that was ruined while I stood there watching myself do it!"

Her breathing became uneven. She wiped at her face, but more tears followed.

"It really hurts."

The anger in her voice faded, leaving behind something much more painful.

"The two people who treated me like a normal human being right from the beginning..."

She looked between Skye and Claire.

"We weren’t friends. We weren’t even real acquaintances. But there was still something there."

Her lips trembled. "And maybe that’s why this hurts so much."

She quickly wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, trying to regain control of herself.

"I can’t even bring myself to hate you."

Skye stared at her through the barrier, her expression beginning to crumble.

"I don’t know how your lives are going to look from now on. Hopefully, you’ll learn something from this. Grow. Whatever people call it."

Amelia held Skye’s gaze for another long moment.

Then, quietly, she said, "I wish you happiness with Rue."

She turned and walked out.

Behind the barrier, Skye’s face crumpled.

Her hand lifted toward the place Amelia had been standing, her fingers trembling as though she could somehow stop her from leaving.

"No..."

The word barely made it past her lips.

Her body went slack.

The officers stepped forward at once, telling them it was time to return to their cells as they began leading them away.

Outside the room, Madame took one look at Amelia’s face and immediately frowned.

"Why are you crying? Did they say something to hurt you?"

Amelia shook her head.

Her eyes were still wet, but her voice was quieter now.

"I just had a burst of emotions. That’s all."

Madame stepped forward and pulled Amelia into a firm, steadying hug.

"Everything will be fine," she murmured, her hand moving gently over Amelia’s back. "You’ll see."

Amelia stayed against her for a moment, letting herself breathe before she finally spoke.

"I don’t want Skye or Claire to receive a death sentence."

Madame’s hand paused.

Amelia swallowed. "I want them to live with the guilt... the same way I have to."

Madame looked at her for a moment before giving her back another gentle stroke.

"I’ll see to it that happens."

A short distance away, Caleb watched the exchange in silence. His expression remained carefully neutral, but his thoughts were anything but.

How has this woman managed to wrap Mistress ellington and her sons around her finger so completely?

His gaze lingered on Amelia.

She isn’t special. Not in the slightest.

He was not impressed. Madame finally released Amelia and straightened.

"Come on. Let’s go. I’m certain my sons are already hopelessly waiting to have you back in their arms."

A small, tired smile touched Amelia’s lips.

She followed Caleb as they made their way back up to the ground floor.

By the time they reached the lobby, the three brothers were already approaching from the waiting area.

Enzo’s eyes immediately settled on Amelia’s face.

The moment he noticed the traces of tears still lingering there, his expression changed.

"Who made you cry?"

Reid was already pushing one sleeve higher up his forearm, his face darkening.

"Just point. I’m ready to lay hands."

Amelia quickly shook her head. "It’s nothing. I just... crashed out a little."

Before either brother could say anything else, Caleb stepped in. His tone was polite, but there was a pointed edge beneath it.

"I hate to interrupt this precious reunion, but it’s time for you to begin your sentence."