Chapter 5 Five.

AMELIA

It gave me an unsettling feeling. As far as I knew, Thane Estate was a private property, and there was no reason for Valerie's car to be parked here. Dylan knew how she treated me at school. He knew the things she had done.

What about that night at prom? The night she ruined my dress and humiliated me in front of everyone?

I shook my head. Maybe I'm overthinking this. There must be a reasonable explanation.

"When I go in, I'll ask Dylan why her car is here. There should be a good reason, right?" I murmured under my breath, trying to reassure myself.

As soon as the driver stepped out and opened the car door for me, I took a deep breath and also got out. He then moved to retrieve my luggage from the trunk while I pulled out my phone and dialed Dylan's number.

He picked up almost immediately.

"Amelia," he said, my name rolling off his tongue in that deep, familiar baritone.

My heart skipped a beat.

"Yes. Where are you? I just got here," I said, gripping my phone a little tighter. My stomach was in knots. I felt a part excitement and a part nervousness. This vacation meant everything to me. And with Dylan's parents away on a business trip, it was just the two of us in this massive mansion at the heart of the estate.

There was a pause before his voice returned, this time with a hint of surprise.

"Look straight ahead. You'll see me."

I frowned but did as he said. And there he was, Dylan Thane, calmly walking toward me, his signature charming smile stretching across his full, cherry-red lips.

My breath hitched.

At 6'1, he moved with effortless confidence, his broad shoulders and toned frame making my stomach flutter in ways I wished it wouldn't. That smile, his charming dimples that made him more handsome that ever... it always did things to me. I fell in love with his charm before also falling for his caring nature.

Before I knew it, I was staring.

Two snapping fingers in front of my face yanked me back to reality. I blinked rapidly, realizing Dylan was now standing right in front of me, and worse, he had caught me gawking.

Oh no. My cheeks burned with embarrassment.

"Did you just..." I gasped, swallowing hard.

A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest. "Hey, what were you staring at? You looked way too lost to be looking at me." His teasing smirk made my face heat up even more.

"I-I wasn't staring," I lied, looking anywhere but at him.

He arched a brow. "Mhm. If you say so."

Before I could say another word, he slung an arm around my shoulder, guiding me toward the house.

"C'mon, let's go inside before you turn into a pretty little statue out here."

The first day of the vacation was perfect. Dylan and I did everything we loved like swimming, playing video games, and staying up late talking about random things. The second day was just as amazing, and for once, I allowed myself to believe that maybe, just maybe this time together was special for him too.

We planned to have a movie night, so Dylan left for groceries while I stayed back to set things up. Not long after he left, his phone started ringing upstairs. It wouldn't stop.

At first, I ignored it, assuming he would call the number back later when he returns. But after the fifth ring, curiosity got the best of me. I climbed the stairs and pushed open his bedroom door. His phone sat on the nightstand, buzzing with an incoming call.

I went over to put the phone on silent but the moment I saw the name on the screen, I felt my insides coil and fold.

"Valerie."

My heart twisted at the sight of her name. She and Dylan had never been particularly close or at least, that's what I thought. Shaking off the uncomfortable feeling, I reached for the phone and declined the call.

That's when I saw something else that caught my eyes.

His wallpaper.

A curvy ass girl with that perfect shape, height, long silk hair, bright blue eyes and stunning smile that could win the heart of men.

I felt jealous of her even though I didn't know who she was or how she was related to Dylan.

Seeing her picture on Dylan's screen made me more self conscious about my body which was definitely my biggest insecurities.

She managed to be on Dylan's screen. On his fucking wallpaper while I could never be on his wallpaper. I mean, why would I even dream of being on his screen when I was just a chubby chunk of meatballs on a spaghetti? That's so ridiculous of me. LMAO.

I would never be in her place because I was damned fat. I tried to go on a diet control but it didn't work in my favor. It was a waste of time.

I managed to tear my gaze away from his phone but my eyes caught an open diary laying on his bed, its pages filled with his neat handwriting. I knew I shouldn't invade his privacy. I knew I should just walk away.

But Dylan told me everything. What could he possibly be writing that I didn't already know?

I picked it up, flipping through the first few pages.

I read through a particular page that mostly caught my eyes because it had my name written in it and I felt giddy and excited to know what he wrote about me in his diary.

{I never had feelings for Amelia. I don't know how to tell her. She's always been around, and I feel responsible for her. But the truth is, I like Valerie. I always have.}

My breath hitched. My hands trembled as I turned the page.

{I hate seeing Amelia get bullied, but I can't defend her openly without offending Valerie. That's why I always step in late. I hope she never finds out.}

The room blurred as hot tears filled my eyes.

It had all been a lie.

Every time he told me I was special, that I mattered to him, that he'd always be there for me, it was all a lie. He never saw me the way I saw him. He was never truly on my side. He only tolerated me because of our families.

I pressed a hand over my mouth to muffle my sobs. The pain in my chest was suffocating, crushing, unbearable.

I had been so blind.

A creak at the door made me snap my head up. Dylan stood there, grocery bags in hand, his face instantly darkening with realization. His eyes flickered from my tear-streaked face to the notebook in my hands.

"Amelia..." His voice was barely above a whisper. He set the bags down and took a hesitant step forward. "I can explain."

I let out a bitter laugh. "Explain?" My voice cracked. "What exactly are you going to explain, Dylan? That I was stupid enough to believe you actually cared about me?"

His eyes softened with guilt. "I do care about you."

"No, you don't!" I shouted, my vision blurring again. "You never did! You just felt sorry for me. Is that why you stuck around? Because you felt obligated?"

"Amelia, it's not like that-"

"Then tell me what it's like!" I choked out, gripping his diary so tightly my fingers hurt. "Tell me how it felt to stand there and watch while I was bullied. Tell me how it felt to let me think you were my hero when you were really protecting her."

Dylan ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. "I never wanted to hurt you."

"But you did," I whispered. My voice was raw, broken. "You hurt me in the worst way possible, Dylan. You broke every trust I had for you. I thought I meant something to you but I was wrong. I was so fucking wrong and foolish to have thought that."

He reached out as if to touch me, but I stepped back. "Please, don't say that. You're not a fool," he said, his voice desperate. "You mean so much to me, Amelia. I never wanted you to find out this way."

I let out a shaky breath. "You never wanted me to find out at all, Dylan."

Silence.

He remained silent, his lips pressed in a thin line, fingers clenched at his side as his slowly knuckles turned white, and his Adam Apple bopped as he averted his gaze from mine. He couldn't look at me.

That told me everything I needed to know.

I wiped my face with the sleeve of my hoodie, swallowing the lump in my throat. "I think I should go."

"Amelia, please wait. You can't leave like this, Amelia. We can always talk this shit out, you know. I beg of you to just let me explain!" He pleaded but I was already moving past him, each step feeling heavier than the last.

I had spent years loving him. Dreaming about him. Trusting him.

And now, I had to learn how to live without him. I just had to.