Growing a Backbone
So, it wasn’t the standard protective older brother story after all.
“Hayden’s the real crazy one. Push him to the limit and he’ll end up exploding and killing everyone in
the process. Your father probably realized that too, that although he’s kind, he’s also very crazy deep
down,” Harvey said beforeughing.
“My father…” I whispered.
Suddenly, I felt my phone vibrating. After turning it over, I found out that Hayden was calling. My hand
shook as I stared at the screen while I debated if I should answer his call. While I was making up my
mind, the phone stopped vibrating and that was when I saw almost 30 miscalls from Hayden.
He’s going to kill me for sure. My lifespan just shortened by more years than I could count.
While I was panicking and wondering if I should call him back, my phone started vibrating again and it
was a call from none other than Hayden. Why didn’t I notice that my phone was vibrating before?
“Don’t pick up,” Harvey said, and it sounded like amand.
My eyes blinked rapidly as I stared in confusion at my now empty hand. When did he snatch my phone
away? It all happened so fast…
“You came here to think, right?” Harvey asked.
I gasped in shock when I saw him turning my phone off. The screen went ck and then he dropped
the phone down onto the sofa next to him like it was some worthless object.
“Yes…” I replied in a whisper as I settled back down in my seat.
“Then think and ask all the questions that you want,” Harvey said calmly.
“I think we should go back soon…” I suggested.
Hayden must be so worried about me, and we’ve been here for a while already. It’s better if we head
back to the mansion now. It would be trouble if Hayden came here to drag us back. He probably knew
that we were here at Amelia’s ce since Harvey probably only came out to see her.
“There’s no need for you to rush. Hayden won’t barge in here…” Harvey said with a careless shrug.
“How are you so sure about that?” I asked.
“Well, because he isn’t stupid. You see, I’m Hayden right now too and he knows that it doesn’t make
sense for there to be two Hayden in the outside world at the same time and ce,” Harvey exined in
a very rxed manner.
“Oh…right…” I mumbled when I realized that he was probably right.
It seemed like Harvey was about to say something, but the sound of his phone vibrating loudly cut him
off. Harvey didn’t even bother ncing over at his phone before he switched it off. The caller must have
been Hayden, it couldn’t have been anyone else. Harvey seemedpletely rxed while I was on
edge. Hayden is probably going crazy right around now. We really should head back to the mansion.
While Hayden might not kill or punish Harvey, the same couldn’t be said about me.
“I really think we should head back…” I suggested again.
“Hayden is a very stubborn guy. A very hard case to crack. Have you thought about how you’re going
to convince him to marry you?” Harvey asked,pletely ignoring my suggestion of heading back to
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the mansion.
“No, I haven’t figured that out…” I replied honestly.
Up until recently, my mind was in a jumbled mess just figuring out if I wanted to marry Hayden. Now
that I was certain that I couldn’t leave Hayden or live without him, I had to find a way for him to marry
me willingly. Life really doesn’t y out like the fairytales. Why can’t Hayden just get on his knees and
propose to me just like all the other normal couples? He doesn’t even have to get on his knees, I’ll be
over the moon happy if he would just propose.
That’s probably not going to happen.
‘So, when are you going to propose to Hayden?’
Harvey’s question resounded in my mind, and I nced over at his smiling face as it started to dawn on
me that perhaps this man had foreseen this. Was that even possible?
You can’t be serious…
I have to propose to Hayden. That’s just…out of this world crazy. I can’t do that. I don’t have the
backbone to do something like that. What if he rejects me?
My body went numb just at the thought, and I had to rub my arms up and down to calm myself down.
Hayden did ask me before if I wanted to marry him and it was partly my fault for not being able to give
him a definite answer. Why am I so cowardly?
Slowly, I got up from my seat and approached Amelia’s bed. Looking down from where I was standing
next to her bed, I could see Amelia’s face very clearly. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Even
after all this time, her caretaker still took the effort to apply make-up to her beautiful face. Her cheeks
were a rosy pink and so were her lips.
My mind recalled all the things that Harvey had told me about her. All her thoughts, her beliefs and her
efforts to work towards her dream just so that she could have a peaceful and loving family with Harvey.
Why was she so brave? Howe she tried to do so much while I didn’t do anything at all?
Amelia…why are you so brave? How can you be so brave?
A strange wave of feelings washed over me and probably because we were in simr circumstances, I
felt a strong connection to this unconscious woman whom I have never really met before. Without
realizing what I was doing, my hands started reaching out for hers. The coldness of her hands shocked
me when I took her hands into mine and held it. Her hands were thin, and her fingers were beautiful,
shapely, and long.
“Amelia…” I whispered her name as I watched her face.
If we were acting based on a script, this would probably be the moment that her eyelids would slowly
flutter until her eyes opened and she would smile at me like a princess that had just woken from her
long slumber. The truth wasn’t like that at all. Nothing happened. Amelia did not react at all to my words
or the fact that I was holding her hands.
The sleeping princess did not wake up.
--To be continued…