Page 53 of The Runaway Bride and the Billionaire

There was a fond smile on Nora’s lips. Despite my own feelings towards the woman, I had to admit that she clearly loved her daughter.

Nora continued, “I suppose somewhere along the line, we started to value a man’s ability to provide for our daughter rather than his ability to care for her. We cared more about his financial and social status when we should have cared if he loved her. We see now what should have been more important and we’re sorry for not seeing it years ago.”

“We hope you can forgive us,” Joseph added.

Once again, my gaze shifted between husband and wife. I saw the sincerity in their eyes and I sighed. I’d been carrying my resentment towards them for five years. This was my chance to finally unburden myself.

I remembered the famous quote my grandmother often told me when I wasn’t willing to forgive; Holding on to anger is like grasping hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.

I’d been holding on to my anger for years and it had burned me from the inside out. It was time to let it go. “I forgive you,” I said and I meant it.

Visible relief flashed over their features. Joseph even cracked a genuine smile. I noticed that Amelia had inherited his smile, but she definitely used it more.

Amelia.

“Where is she?” I found myself asking before I could stop myself.

They didn’t need me to clarify who I was asking about. There was only one woman I wanted to find. “She’s staying with a friend. I believe she said her name is Lisa,” Nora said.

“Do you know her address?”

Nora shook her head. “No, Amelia didn’t give us the address, but she gave us Lisa’s phone number.”

Before I could ask, she reached into her bag and handed me a piece of paper. I took it from her. There was a number scrawled on the paper in what I immediately recognized as Amelia’s handwriting. I lifted my head. “Thank you.”

“Good luck.”

With that, the couple left my office. The door had barely shut on their exit when I dialed Lisa’s number. She picked up on the third ring. “Hello?” A female voice asked.

“Lisa. This is Matteo. I… I have to see Amelia.”

She sighed. “Look I don’t know what happened between you guys, but she’s been so depressed lately. I’m not sure seeing you will be good for her.”

I understood her need to protect her friend but she didn’t understand that I was desperate to see her. “I’m trying to fix things, Lisa. I need to see her so we can work it out. I love her and I can’t live without her.”

It took a bit of persuading but Lisa eventually agreed to help me. We met at a restaurant close to her office and there, she gave me the key to her apartment and her address. The plan was simple. I was going to wait at her house so I could surprise Amelia when she got home.

The hard part was convincing Amelia to come home with me but I would cross that bridge when I got there. Lisa told me she would spend the night at her boyfriend’s apartment, so I didn’t need to return her key until the following day.

Everything was perfect. I just hoped Amelia would forgive me this time.

An hour later, I paced the apartment Amelia had been living in. It was strange but somehow, I could tell which items had been added by her. I picked up the ballerina figurine that sat on the center table in the living room. Amelia used to love ballet. She always said that in another life she would be a ballerina.

She would have been one in this life had her parents not forced her to study business administration. There were many dreams she had to let go of because of her parents. I was one of those dreams.

I set the figurine back on the table just as the door opened. Amelia walked in and her eyes widened when she saw me. “Matteo? How did you- Why are you-” She stumbled over her words before taking a deep breath. “Where is Lisa?”

“Hello to you too,” I said as a small smile graced my lips. She looked just as beautiful as she always did. I wanted to reach for her but I kept my hands to myself as I remembered what happened the last time. We needed to talk first before we did anything else.

“Why are you here, Matteo?”

“Because I miss you, I love you, and I need you to come home with me. I can’t think straight when we’re apart. I want you in my life, Amelia. The penthouse isn’t the same without you there. It’s empty.”

“You have Agnes,” she said as she smiled slightly.

I saw her ability to make jokes as a sign that I was getting to her so I continued. “Please come home. I need you with me. I love you.”

She bit her lip and for a moment, I thought she was going to turn me down again. Then she said, “It might take some time to pack my things.”

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