The familiar scent of incense and old leather filled the guru's meditation chamber, usually a balm to my restless spirit. But today, it offered no solace. My mind kept drifting, replaying Amelia's furious face, her accusations. You are a monster, Blake Hodge! Her words, raw and venomous, still burned in my ears.

"Blake, my son," the guru's voice, silken and resonant, cut through my thoughts. "Your focus is fragmented. The energy around you is disturbed." He gestured towards my phone, which I had been clutching beneath my robes. "Your attachment to earthly distractions hinders your spiritual progress."

I quickly put the phone away, a flicker of irritation, then shame, washing over me. I had been checking it constantly for Amelia's replies. But there were none. My last message, a curt notification of her discharge and my "blessing" for her spiritual peace, remained unread. A strange, hollow feeling settled in my chest. She always replied. Always.

"Forgive me, master," I murmured, bowing my head. "My mind is... unsettled."

He merely nodded, his eyes piercing. "The true path is rarely easy, my son. The universe tests us. Your future, your destiny, is now manifest. Embrace it."

Embrace it. I looked across at Chyna, who sat demurely beside me, holding Orion, who was fussing softly. She looked tired, but radiant. She was the one. The destined one. The mother of my heirs. So why did I feel this persistent, nagging unease? Why did Amelia's furious, heartbroken face keep intruding on my meditations?

"Blake?" Chyna whispered, her voice soft, concerned. "Are you alright? You seem... distracted."

I forced a smile, pushing down the unsettling tremor in my gut. "Just contemplating the guru's wisdom, my dear. The path is long." My own words felt hollow even to me.

Why did I feel this way? I had everything I had always wanted. The twin sons, the secure lineage, the beautiful, compliant Chyna. Amelia was a problem, a source of negative energy, now thankfully removed through a necessary (though perhaps overly zealous) cleansing. My life should be perfect. Yet, there was this void, this nagging absence that refused to be filled.

Orion began to cry, a sharp, piercing wail that broke through the solemnity of the chamber. Chyna looked flustered, trying to hush him, but his cries only grew louder. She looked up at me, her eyes wide and helpless. "Blake, I... I don't know what's wrong with him."

A wave of impatience washed over me. I took the baby from her, rocking him, awkwardly trying to soothe him. As I held the tiny bundle, his cries slowly subsided. I looked down at his face, so innocent, so small. He was a Hodge, my son. Yet, a strange thought, unbidden and unwelcome, crept into my mind. He was so tiny, so fragile. So unlike the robust, healthy babies Amelia had almost carried. The babies I had...

I shook my head, horrified by the thought. What was I thinking? This was destiny. This was perfect.

"You know," Chyna said softly, interrupting my unsettling thoughts, "Amelia mentioned something disturbing before she left. She said... she said she might take some of your personal belongings. Precious things. Out of spite, I suppose. I only just remembered. I hope she didn't take anything too important." Her eyes were wide, innocent, but a subtle cunning glinted within them.

My blood ran cold. Amelia. Taking my things? Out of spite? It had to be a fit of pique, a final, childish tantrum. She wouldn't truly leave. Not Amelia. She was grateful, dependent. She loved me. She was simply lashing out because she couldn't accept the guru's divine will. She was playing a game, trying to get my attention. She would realize her mistake, come crawling back.

"She won't take anything," I said, a cold certainty in my voice. "She's just angry. She'll come back." I immediately called my estate manager. "Do not allow Amelia into the house. She is not to take anything without my explicit permission. She is acting irrationally."

A strange calm settled over me. Amelia was just being difficult. She would return. Then, I would forgive her, gently guide her back to her place, and perhaps, eventually, she could even be allowed to teach the boys about her roses. The thought, unexpectedly, brought a flicker of warmth to my chest.

I spent the next few days with Chyna and the boys, cutting myself off from the outside world, immersing myself in the illusion of my perfect family. We spent hours in the temple, offering prayers, seeking blessings. I even asked the guru to consecrate a special charm, a small, intricate locket, for Amelia. A token of forgiveness, a silent invitation to return. I imagined her surprise, her relief, when she received it. She would understand. She would see that I still cared, that I was willing to bring her back into the fold, albeit on my terms.

I imagined her tears, her apologies, her gratitude. My anger, I told myself, was fading. I was even prepared to overlook her violent outburst. After all, the guru had said her spirit was troubled. I would be magnanimous. I would save her.

Finally, feeling a sense of benevolent compassion, I reactivated my communications. I opened my phone, expecting a flurry of desperate messages, perhaps even a tearful voicemail. My finger hovered over her contact. Nothing. No messages. No missed calls. No sign of her.

My heart pounded, a sudden, inexplicable dread seizing me. This wasn't right. This wasn't Amelia.

Chapter 9

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