All Chapters of Too late to want me back.: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

14 Chapters

THE BILL I COULDN'T PAY

Amelia's POVThe number on the paper refused to change no matter how many times I blinked: $48,732. I held the hospital bill tightly. Forty-eight thousand, seven hundred and thirty-two dollars. It didn't seem real to me yet. Maybe it's a mistake, or maybe someone had accidentally added extra digits. I was trying to convince myself this wasn't real. It looked unreal, but it was real. Every appointment I had, every test I took, every pregnancy that ended before I could hold my baby, and each day I went to the hospital— all of it had become a number. All of it became a debt and reminded me of everything I had lost."Mrs. Carter?"The receptionist's voice snapped me back to reality. I quickly lowered the paper."Y-Yes?" I replied, forcing a smile. She offered me a professional smile in return."The payment deadline is next week. If the balance isn't settled, the account will be forwarded to collections."My stomach dropped instantly. I had to force a smile. "Okay."The lie tas

A FACE FROM THE PAST

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The city noise faded into the background. It seemed like people walking past me suddenly disappeared. I can't describe how I felt; I felt ashamed and hopeful at the same time.All I could see was Lucas Bennett standing in front of me. Ten whole years had passed since I had last seen him.Back then, we were inseparable. Back then, life had been simple. Back then, I still believed happy endings were real. Now he was looking at me as if he couldn't recognize that I was the woman sitting before him.Honestly, I couldn't blame him. I barely recognized myself either. "Lucas..." My voice came out weak.He looked devastated. I could already sense pity. The concern in his eyes only grew. "Where have you been?"I almost laughed, though. Of all the things he could have said, that was the one he chose. "Where have you been too?"He smiled at me. "Fair enough.”For a brief second, it seemed like all those years had disappeared. I saw the boy I used to know—the bo

THE WOMAN IN THE PHOTOGRAPH

I stared at the photograph until the screen blurred. I stared at Ryan and the woman in the restaurant together. The smile on his face—I couldn't remember the last time he smiled like that at me. My fingers trembled so badly that I almost dropped my phone. Beside me, Ryan slept peacefully, as though my world wasn't falling apart, as though a single text message hadn't just shattered whatever remained of my confidence. I looked from the photograph to my husband. I looked back at the photograph, then to him again. Even if this was a prank, the man sleeping beside me looked exactly the same. He had the same sharp jaw, the same dark hair, and the same face I had loved for years. Yet suddenly, the man beside me felt like a stranger.Who was she? The question echoed through my mind. Who was the woman sitting across from him? Why had they met? Why had he smiled? Most importantly... Why had someone sent me the photograph? I read the message again. "Your husban

QUESTIONS WITHOUT ANSWERS

The papers scattered across the floor like pieces of a puzzle I couldn't solve.My pulse hammered against my ribs as I stared at the signature again.Evelyn Hart. It was the same woman. The same woman sitting across from Ryan.The same woman whose photo had been sent to me.The same woman who had secretly paid thousands of dollars toward my medical bills.Nothing about it made sense to me. I crouched down and gathered the receipts with trembling fingers.As I flipped, each page felt heavier that the last.Unknowingly, payments were confirmed, payment were processed, and my balance reduced.It occurs date after date.Who does that?Who pays a stranger's hospital bills?And why should she be paying a stranger’s bills?My mind immediately supplied the answer I didn't want.She was a stranger to me, and not to Ryan.The thought made me feel sick. I shoved the documents back into the envelope just as the front door opened.Footsteps echoed through the foyer. It was Ryan.I straightened myself

THE NAME ON THE RECEIPT.

"How long have you been standing there?"Ryan's voice cut through the silence like a knife.My heart slammed against my ribs.The office light spilled into the hallway, illuminating his face. His expression was unreadable, but there was something in his eyes I hadn't seen in a long time. His face read suspicion, alertness, and concern at the same time.I tightened my grip on the banister."Not long."My lie sounded weak even to my own ears.Ryan stood staring at me. As if he knew there was more. As if he knew I had heard something."What were you doing outside my office?" he asked.That's a very good question.What was I doing? Spying? Looking for answers?Trying to figure out if my husband was having an affair?The truth sounded pathetic; so I looked away."I was going to ask if you wanted dinner."Ryan's brows furrowed. Dinner? Neither of us believed that. Not after years of eating separately.Not after years of living like strangers under the same roof.Silence stretched between us

THE PERFECT WOMAN.

I couldn't stop thinking about the necklace.No matter how hard I tried.No matter how many times I told myself there had to be an explanation.The image remained burned into my mind.Evelyn Hart standing in that ballroom.Wearing the necklace Ryan had given me on our fifth wedding anniversary.I searched for that necklace for months.The necklace Ryan claimed had probably been misplaced during one of our moves.I remembered crying when I couldn't find it.I remembered tearing apart drawers and jewelry boxes.I remembered Ryan pulling me into his arms and telling me it was only a necklace.It was only a necklace to him, not me.It's one of the few gifts he'd ever personally chosen for me.One of the few moments that felt like proof he still cared.And now another woman was wearing it.I sat at the edge of my bed and stared blankly at the wall. My chest hurts.Ryan was having an affair with her.The thought repeated itself over and over.At first, I had resisted it. I defended him. I ma

CRACKS IN THE MARRIAGE

For the first time in years, I stopped waiting.It happened gradually. It started so gradually that I didn't notice it at first.One day I stopped checking the clock every fifteen minutes.The next day I stopped texting Ryan to ask when he would be home.A few days later, I stopped leaving dinner in the oven for him.Then I stopped falling asleep on the couch waiting for the sound of his car pulling into the driveway.I simply stopped.And surprisingly, the world didn't end. Ryan still came home late. Our house was still quiet.Life continued exactly as before.The only difference was that I wasn't exhausting myself trying to hold together a marriage that seemed determined to fall apart.For years, Ryan had been the center of my universe. Every decision. Every mood. Every expectation. Everything revolved around him.Now I was trying to remember what life felt like without constantly waiting for someone else.It wasn't easy; but it was freeing.---Three days after the hiking trip, Luc

THE FIGHT

"Have you been seeing someone?"For a moment, I genuinely thought I'd misheard him.The words hung in the air between us.Heavyly unbelievable.Ryan sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes fixed on me.Waiting for an answer. My heart pounded.Not because I felt guilty, because I felt angry.I felt so furious.Of all the things Ryan could have said...Of all the conversations we needed to have...This was the one he chose?I stared at him.Then I laughed. A short, humorless laugh.Ryan's expression hardened."What's funny?"I shook my head."I can't believe you just asked me that."His jaw tightened."You didn't answer."I looked away. I suddenly became unable to stand still.I set my phone down on the dresser and folded my arms across my chest.Our room felt smaller. The air felt heavier.Everything inside me screamed.Not because of the accusation.Because of the hypocrisy."Ryan."My voice came out quieter than I expected."Do you honestly think that's the problem here?"His eyes narro

MY HAPPINESS

For a long time, I stood in the middle of the bedroom. Unable to move.The argument replayed endlessly inside my head.Every word we said. Every accusation.Every tear that dropped.Eventually my legs gave out.I sank onto the floor.And cried. I cried so hard. Not graceful tears.Not quiet tears.The ugly kind of tears.The kind that left your chest aching.The kind that stole your breath.The kind you'd spent years holding back.My phone buzzed. I ignored it.Then it buzzed again, and again.Finally, I looked at my screen.It was Lucas.Concern immediately flashed across his face during the video call."Amelia?"That was all it took.The tears came harder."Hey."His voice softened instantly."What happened?"I tried to answer, but I couldn't.The sob caught in my throat.Lucas's expression changed immediately.He was filled with fair, concern, and protectiveness."I'm coming."I ended the call.—Forty minutes later, the front door opened.I barely heard it.I sat curled on the couc

WHAT NOW?

Amelia's POVHumiliation has a sound.For me, it sounded like my phone ringing at nine o'clock on a Tuesday morning.I was sitting alone in the kitchen, staring at a cup of coffee that had long gone cold when the call came.It was an unknown number.Normally, I would have ignored it.But lately, unknown numbers seemed determined to ruin my life.So eventually, I answered."Hello?""Mrs. Carter?"My stomach tightened.The professional tone immediately put me on edge."Yes.""This is Richard Wells from Crestwood Medical Collections."The words hit me like a punch.Collections. Oh no.My grip tightened around the phone."I—""We've attempted to contact you multiple times regarding your outstanding balance."Heat flooded my face.I glanced around the empty kitchen as if someone might somehow hear the conversation."Can we discuss this later?""I'm afraid the account is already overdue."My chest tightened.The familiar panic began crawling through me.The same panic that had haunted me fo

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