Chapter 6

Amelia POV:

The world exploded in a kaleidoscope of pain. A searing impact, then darkness, punctuated by flashes of white-hot agony. I heard muffled voices, frantic commands, the urgent beeping of medical machinery. My consciousness flickered, a fragile candle in a storm.

"...severe internal bleeding... head trauma... priorities..." A male voice, calm but urgent, cut through the haze. Then another, softer, but equally firm.

"The mother of the heirs must be stabilized first," it was Blake, his voice closer now, sharper. "Chyna and the boys are paramount. Amelia... she's secondary. Just keep her alive, if you can."

My breath hitched, a fresh wave of pain, colder and deeper than any physical wound, washing over me. Secondary. Keep her alive, if you can. He had prioritized Chyna, again. He had left me to die, again.

"But Mr. Hodge," a doctor's voice protested faintly, "her injuries are life-threatening. She needs immediate intervention."

"My decision stands," Blake's voice was firm, resolute. "The guru's prophecy must be protected above all else. She understood the risks. She brought this upon herself. The negative energies..." His voice trailed off, swallowed by the distance. He was walking away. Again.

I was utterly, completely alone. Abandoned. My heart, already shattered, splintered into irreparable fragments. The warmth of my body, the last flicker of hope, drained away, leaving behind an icy void. He didn't care. He never had. He was a monster cloaked in charm, and I was just collateral damage in his twisted pursuit of destiny.

The darkness consumed me once more.

Hours, or perhaps days, later, I clawed my way back to consciousness. The world was still blurry, but the sharp edges of pain had dulled to a throbbing ache. My head was bandaged, my body a tapestry of bruises and stitches. I tried to sit up, but my muscles protested, weak and unresponsive.

A hand, surprisingly gentle, reached out, offering a glass of water. "Easy, Amelia," a familiar voice said. "Don't push yourself."

Blake.

The name was a curse on my lips. My eyes snapped open, blazing with a fury that momentarily eclipsed the pain. He was sitting by my bedside, his face pale, a haunted look in his eyes. He had a small bandage on his hand, a tiny cut compared to the wreckage of my body.

My hand flew up, striking the glass, sending it crashing to the floor. Water and shards of glass scattered across the sterile tiles. "Don't touch me!" I hissed, my voice raw and trembling. "Get away from me!"

He recoiled, his gaze falling to his bleeding hand, then to the broken glass. His expression was unreadable, a mixture of shock and something I couldn't quite decipher. "Amelia Levine," he said, his voice low, using my full name, a rare occurrence that always signaled his displeasure. "You are being irrational. I came to see if you were alright."

Irrational? He abandoned me to die on that mountain, prioritized another woman, and now he dared to call me irrational? The memory of his command to the doctors, "Keep her alive, if you can," echoed in my ears, a cruel mockery of his current pretense of concern.

"Alright?" I spat, tears of rage and agony streaming down my face. "Do I look alright to you, Blake? Is this what 'alright' looks like after your spiritual cleansing? After you left me for dead?" I pushed myself up, ignoring the searing pain, my eyes burning into his. "Get out! Get out of my sight! I don't want to see you, hear you, or ever breathe the same air as you again!"

He flinched, a subtle tremor running through his body. "Amelia, I understand you're upset, but you need to calm down. I came to check on you. What else do you expect?"

What else did I expect? An apology? Remorse for the shattered lives, for the deliberate cruelty? No. I expected nothing from him. "I expect you to disappear, Blake. Just vanish. You lost me the moment you chose Chyna. You lost me the moment you sacrificed our children for your sick guru's lies. You lost me the moment you let that boulder hit me."

A flicker of something-annoyance, perhaps, or a nascent fear-crossed his face. He stood there, frozen, staring at me, at the fury that blazed in my eyes. The woman who had once been so gentle, so compliant, was gone. Replaced by a shell of rage and brokenness. He seemed baffled by this transformation, by this Amelia who dared to defy him. He seemed accustomed to my quiet suffering, my silent submission.

He stood there, a strange sense of unease settling over him. He had always been in control, always had the answers. But now, facing my unbridled fury, my absolute rejection, he seemed adrift. His carefully constructed world, built on prophecies and power, was suddenly shaking. He remembered the quiet, gentle Amelia, always seeking his approval, always deferring to his decisions. This Amelia, spitting venom, demanding his absence, was a terrifying stranger.

Just then, his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, his expression softening almost immediately. It was Chyna. His attention, once again, was completely diverted.

"Blake, my love," Chyna's voice, sickly sweet, chirped from the phone, loud enough for me to hear. "How is Amelia? I'm so worried about her. I hope she's not too upset about the house arrangements. We're thinking of redecorating the master suite, you know, for the boys' sake. More vibrant colors, less... muted."

Less muted. Her subtle jab at my artistic style, at the quiet elegance I preferred, was not lost on me. It was another calculated insult, another assertion of her dominance. Blake's face, a moment ago reflecting a flicker of something resembling confusion, now hardened into a mask of decision. He nodded, almost imperceptibly, his mind already far away, already planning new decor for the room that was once ours.

He pocketed his phone, his eyes meeting mine one last time. There was no apology, no remorse, only a cold, hard finality. "Amelia," he said, his voice devoid of all warmth, "I've made my decision. I am moving forward with Chyna and our children. You will, of course, remain my wife, for propriety's sake. But our intimate life, our shared spaces, they are over. I will send instructions regarding your continued residence here. You are no longer to enter the master suite without permission, and you will respect Chyna' s position in this family."

He turned and walked out, leaving me alone in the silent, sterile room. The words echoed in my ears, a death knell to everything I had once held dear. My intimate life. Our shared spaces. Over. He had not only left me for dead, but he had also sealed my fate, condemning me to a living hell, tethered to him as a trophy wife, while he lived his "destined" life with Chyna.