(The Remains of Summer) Chapter 8
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Soaked and shivering, Amelia stared at her scraped palms. She remembered
the first time Ethan had taken her to meet his parents. His mother had placed the
same heirloom bracelet in her hand, declaring, “You’re the only
daughter–in–law I’ll ever accept.”
His friends had grinned.“One Mrs. Carter, and that’s you.”
Now, his mother was accepting another woman, and his friends were calling
another woman “Mrs. Carter.”
Like Ethan, they’d lied to her face, their words of love and respect
meaningless.
And the most devastating part? They’d known about Chloe all along. They’d
all conspired to keep her in the dark.
She was the only fool.
She crouched on the sidewalk, the rain washing over her, passersby hurrying
past, no one offering shelter.
The downpour left Amelia with a raging fever, drifting in and out of
consciousness.
Back at the house, Ethan paced, his voice tight. “She’s been burning up for
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three days! Why isn’t the fever breaking?!”
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The doctors murmured, offering no answers. The tension in the room was
suffocating.
Ethan dismissed them with a wave of his hand. He sat by Amelia’s bed,
holding her hand, his eyes red—rimmed.
“Baby, please get better…”
But Amelia remained still, pale and unresponsive.
Another night passed. Finally, the fever broke. Amelia woke, weak and
parched.
She tried to speak, but a crash from outside the door cut her off.
Ethan’s strained voice followed.“I told you to stay away from her!”
Then Chloe’s whiny voice, “But the baby wants to see Daddy! And I have a
surprise for you. Want to see?”
The sounds of rustling clothes and panting breaths followed.
“Why are you dressed like that?”
Chloe giggled.“Don’t you
like it?”
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Ethan’s groan was the only answer.
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open.
Amelia was about to pull the covers over her head when the door swung
“It’s cold out there. Let’s go inside.”
Amelia’s eyes flew open. In the faint light reflected in the window, she saw
their intertwined shadows fall across the sofa at the foot of her bed.
The rain intensified, the drumming against the glass growing louder. The
chill air seeping through the gaps in the window mirrored the growing coldness
in Amelia’s heart.
After her illness, Amelia remained frail and listless, wrapped in blankets,
staring out the window.
Ethan hovered anxiously. Amelia had barely eaten since waking up, refusing
all his attempts to coax her. He brought tray after tray of comforting soup, but
she remained unresponsive, ignoring him completely.
Panic gnawed at him. The wedding was tomorrow, and she was like a living
shadow.
He knelt beside her, his voice pleading.“Amelia, please eat something. I
know you’re not feeling well, but you need to keep your strength up.”
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“I was so scared when you had that fever. If anything else happened to you, I‘
d go crazy…”
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