---- Chapter 6 The ninety-day waiting period for the divorce crawled by. Amelia kept to herself, meticulously planning her escape. She finalized her application to the design institute in New York, secured a small apartment in a quiet Brooklyn neighborhood, and booked a one-way ticket. She told no one, not even Sarah and Ben, her exact plans. She couldn't risk Ethan finding out, trying to stop her. This was her secret, her lifeline. A week before the divorce was to be finalized, Amelia received an invitation to a high school reunion. She hadn't attended one before. In her past life, she' d been too mired in her unhappy marriage, too ashamed of her unfulfilled potential. This time, something compelled her to go. A desire to reconnect with a part of herself that existed before Ethan, before the Caldwells. The reunion was held at a local hotel ballroom. Familiar faces, older now, some successful, some still searching. A group of her old art club friends greeted her warmly. ---- "Amelia Hayes! | haven't seen you in ages!" one of them, Lisa, exclaimed. "You look... different. Good different." They reminisced about old times, art projects, teenage dreams. Then, another classmate, Mark, a quiet, observant guy she barely remembered, said, "You know, Amelia, we always thought you had a massive crush on Ethan Caldwell back then. You used to go all quiet and blush whenever he walked by." Another, Jenny, chimed in, "Oh yeah! You' d doodle his initials in your sketchbook! It was so obvious!" Amelia froze, a blush creeping up her neck. She had thought her teenage infatuation had been a well-kept secret. To hear it spoken aloud, so casually, after all these years, after everything... it was strangely disorienting. The depth of her long-held, unrequited feelings, exposed so plainly, felt like a raw nerve. She managed a weak smile. "Did |? It was a long time ago." The memories, the years of silent pining, the desperate hope that had fueled her disastrous marriage - it all came rushing back, a suffocating wave. Overwhelmed, Amelia excused herself, murmuring something about needing some air. She stepped out into the hotel' s quiet, dimly lit corridor, ---- leaning against the wall, trying to catch her breath. The casual revelation had shaken her more than she expected. It was a reminder of the naive girl she had been, the girl who had willingly walked into Ethan' s gilded cage. "So, it was true then." Amelia' s head snapped up. Ethan Caldwell stood at the end of the corridor, his expression unreadable. He must have been attending a business function in the same hotel. He had clearly overheard. "You really were in love with me, even back then," Ethan stated, his voice flat. He walked towards her slowly. "All those years, all those fights, your 'suffering'... it wasn't just about the arranged marriage, was it? You actually wanted me." There was no triumph in his voice, no mockery. Just a strange, almost bewildered curiosity. Amelia stared at him, her mind racing. This was a complication she hadn't anticipated. She didn't want to rehash the past, didn't want to give him any more ammunition, any more insight into her shattered heart. "It doesn't matter anymore, Ethan," she said, her voice cool, detached ---- She pushed herself off the wall, intending to walk past him, to escape. 'It's ancient history. And in a few days, so are we." She tried to brush past him, but he moved, blocking her path. "No, wait," Ethan said, his voice surprisingly urgent. "| want to talk about this." He looked almost... vulnerable. A fleeting expression she' d never seen on him before. "Why didn't you ever just say it?" he asked, his brow furrowed. 'All those years, why the games, the drama?" Amelia almost laughed. The irony. He was accusing her of games. "| have nothing to say to you, Ethan," she said, her voice firm. She sidestepped him and walked quickly towards the exit. He called after her, "Amelia, wait!" But she didn't stop. She hailed a cab and fled, his confused, frustrated face a lingering image in her mind.