Chapter 141: I Just Don’t Understand...

~~~~~ Third-person POV ~~~~~

Sylvia frowned at how Amelia rolled her eyes at her and looked away.

What’s wrong with her?

She stood there for a moment, staring at Amelia.

A few seconds ago, everything had seemed normal. At least, Sylvia had thought so. But now Amelia was deliberately avoiding her gaze, and the coldness in her expression was impossible to miss.

Sylvia couldn’t understand the sudden change.

She walked towards the bed and placed the bag she was holding on the bedside table. The bag made a soft sound as it touched the smooth surface.

She turned to look at Amelia again. Amelia didn’t even bother throwing a glance at her like she always did.

Instead, she remained quiet, her attention fixed somewhere ahead of her.

Sylvia’s eyebrows pulled together. She studied Amelia’s face carefully.

There was something different about her expression.

It wasn’t simple tiredness.

It looked more like annoyance.

But what had she done?

She opened her mouth slightly, ready to ask, but before she could say anything, a knock came from the door.

Knock!

Knock!

Knock!

The sound made everyone turn towards the door.

"Come in," Mr. Winston said as he looked towards the door.

The door opened, and Dominic walked into the room with a food flask in his hand.

He closed the door behind him and walked towards the bed slowly.

"Ohh, Mr. Halcyon," Mr. Winston called immediately and stood up from his chair.

Dominic gave him a polite nod.

"Good morning, Mr. Winston," Dominic greeted as he stopped at the edge of the bed.

"Thank you so much for yesterday, Mr. Halcyon. I don’t know how to thank you enough for saving my daughter," Mr. Winston said with a small bow.

Dominic immediately shook his head. "It’s no problem, Mr. Winston. Amelia is my person, so that’s my duty."

Mr. Winston’s eyebrows pulled together a little.

What did Mr. Halcyon mean by my person?

The words caught his attention. He looked at Dominic for a moment, studying his expression.

There was something about the way Dominic had said it. It sounded natural, almost as if Amelia being important to him was something obvious.

Mr. Winston quickly pushed the thought away from his mind.

Whatever Dominic meant, he could ask him about it later.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Halcyon," Stella said with a small smile on her face.

Dominic nodded. He walked towards the bed and sat beside Amelia. The mattress sank slightly beneath his weight.

"Time to eat, pretty," Dominic said as he reached for Amelia’s chin and gently turned her face towards himself.

Amelia stared at him for a moment without saying anything. Her eyes moved from his face to the food flask in his hand.

Dominic smiled. "You need to eat something."

"Don’t worry, Mr. Halcyon. We will do that for her," Mr. Winston said immediately.

Dominic didn’t say anything. He continued watching Amelia.

There was silence before Amelia finally nodded and slowly sat up.

She adjusted herself against the pillows and pulled the blanket slightly away from her waist.

"Feed me, then."

Dominic smiled softly. "Alright."

Sylvia watched them from where she stood.

Something about the exchange made her uncomfortable.

She didn’t say anything, though. Instead, she took a small step towards the bed.

Maybe she could help.

Maybe she could sit beside Amelia and—

Amelia’s gaze suddenly moved towards her and stopped.

The look was enough. She knew that look.

She had known Amelia well enough to the extent that Amelia could use her expression to tell her what she wanted and did not want.

And the look Amelia gave her was the one that said, ’Don’t come any closer.’

Sylvia’s lips parted slightly. She looked at Amelia for a few seconds.

Amelia didn’t say a word.

She didn’t have to. Her expression had already spoken.

Sylvia slowly stepped back. A small ache settled in her chest. She didn’t understand why Amelia was suddenly pushing her away, but she didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.

Dominic noticed the tension between the two of them. His eyes moved slowly from Amelia to Sylvia.

He didn’t say anything about it. Instead, he opened the food flask. The lid made a soft click as he removed it.

A warm smell immediately filled the space around the bed. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"I brought rice porridge. I hope you like it."

Amelia looked at the food. The smell made her stomach tighten slightly with hunger.

She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until then.

Dominic picked up the spoon and stirred the porridge gently. The spoon moved through the soft rice with a quiet sound.

He scooped a small amount and held it in front of Amelia.

Amelia looked at him before opening her mouth and ate the porridge slowly.

The warmth spread through her mouth and down her throat.

Dominic waited until she swallowed before giving her another spoonful.

She didn’t glance towards Sylvia. Not even once.

Sylvia stood where she was, watching them.

Her arms hung loosely at her sides, but her fingers had slowly curled into her palms.

She tried not to let her expression show what she was feeling. But watching Amelia smile at Dominic made something inside her twist.

It wasn’t the food.

It wasn’t even Dominic feeding her.

It was the fact that Amelia had refused her.

Sylvia had wanted to help her. She had wanted to be the one beside her. Instead, Amelia had looked at her as though she didn’t want her anywhere near the bed.

Sylvia lowered her gaze. She didn’t know what to make of it.

Her eyes moved back to Amelia.

Amelia opened her mouth for another spoonful.

Dominic smiled slightly. "Good?"

Amelia nodded.

Sylvia’s eyebrows pulled together.

I thought she didn’t want to eat yet.

Her gaze remained fixed on Amelia.

Why was she eating when Dominic arrived?

The thought made her chest feel heavier. She knew she shouldn’t feel this way.

Dominic had saved Amelia. He had every right to be here. He was only helping her eat. Still, seeing Amelia accept his help so easily while refusing Sylvia’s made her feel strangely left out.

She took a slow breath. She didn’t want to make the situation uncomfortable.

So she remained where she was.

The room was quiet except for the occasional sound of the spoon touching the side of the flask and the steady beeping of the monitor.

The morning light coming through the curtains rested across the floor. The air conditioner hummed softly overhead, sending cool air through the room.

Amelia continued eating until the food was finished.

Dominic lowered the spoon. "That’s it."

He closed the food flask carefully and placed it beside him.

Amelia leaned back against the pillow. Her stomach felt warmer now.

Dominic stood up and turned towards Mr. Winston and Stella.

"How about we meet and talk outside?"

Mr. Winston smiled gently. "Sure, Mr. Halcyon."

Stella nodded.

The two of them walked towards the door with Dominic.

Mr. Winston opened it, and they stepped outside. Dominic followed them.

The door closed behind them with a soft click.

The room suddenly became quiet. Only Sylvia and Amelia were left inside.

Sylvia stood near the bedside table. She looked at Amelia.

Amelia was sitting quietly against the pillows, her eyes lowered.

Sylvia watched her for a few seconds. She didn’t understand what had happened.

One moment, she had been standing there thinking about how beautiful Amelia looked after waking up. The next, Amelia was avoiding her.

Sylvia slowly walked towards the bed. Her footsteps were quiet against the polished floor. She stopped beside Amelia.

"Babe," Sylvia called softly.

Amelia didn’t answer. She didn’t even lift her head.

Sylvia waited, but nothing happened. Her fingers curled slightly at her sides. She tried again.

"Babe."

Still nothing. Amelia remained silent.

Sylvia looked at her face. She pulled the chair closer and sat down beside the bed.

The chair made a faint scraping sound against the floor.

Sylvia leaned forward slightly.

"Babe, what did I do wrong? Tell me."

Amelia remained quiet.

Sylvia stared at her. The silence between them felt heavier than it should have.

She slowly reached towards Amelia’s hand but stopped before touching it.

She wasn’t sure if Amelia would pull away again. So she lowered her hand.

"Babe..." Her voice was softer this time. "What did I do?"

Amelia’s fingers tightened slightly around the blanket. She kept her eyes lowered.

Sylvia noticed the small movement. She waited for an answer, but Amelia gave her none.

Sylvia sighed quietly. Her eyes moved over Amelia’s face, searching for some clue.

"Did I say something?"

Amelia didn’t respond.

Sylvia’s shoulders dropped slightly. She leaned back in the chair.

"I really don’t understand."

Amelia’s eyelashes moved slightly.

Sylvia continued looking at her. "I was only teasing you before I went to shower." She paused. "Then I came back and you suddenly started avoiding me."

Amelia remained still.

Sylvia gave a small, helpless smile. "Did I tease you too much?"

Amelia didn’t respond to her.

The smile disappeared from Sylvia’s face.

She looked down at her hands. For a moment, she simply sat there.

Then she looked back at Amelia.

"Babe, please." Her voice carried a quiet desperation. "Tell me what I did wrong."

Amelia finally moved her eyes towards her.

Their gazes met, and Sylvia’s heart jumped slightly.

She leaned forward. "Is it something I said?"

Amelia didn’t answer.

Sylvia searched her face. "Or something I did?"

Amelia looked away again.

Sylvia’s expression fell. She sat quietly beside the bed, watching Amelia.

The sunlight touched the side of Amelia’s face, showing the soft curve of her cheek.

Sylvia wanted to reach out and hold her hand, but she stopped herself.

"Babe," she whispered again.

Amelia’s fingers moved slightly beneath the blanket.

"What is it?" Sylvia asked again.

Amelia remained silent.

Sylvia swallowed. "I won’t know how to fix it if you don’t tell me."

Amelia’s eyes remained fixed ahead.

Sylvia waited. The silence continued, then she lowered her gaze.

"Did I make you angry?"

Amelia’s jaw tightened slightly.

Sylvia noticed. Her eyes widened a little.

"You are angry."

Amelia immediately looked away, and Sylvia shifted closer to the bed.

"Babe, look at me."

Amelia didn’t.

"Please."

Amelia slowly turned her face towards her.

Sylvia looked directly into her eyes.

"What happened?"

Amelia’s lips parted slightly. For a second, it looked like she was going to speak. But she closed her lips again.

Sylvia’s heart sank. She didn’t push again and nodded slowly.

"Okay." She leaned back in the chair. "If you don’t want to tell me now, that’s fine."

Amelia looked at her. Sylvia gave her a small smile.

"But please don’t look at me like I did something terrible when I don’t even know what I did."

Sylvia looked down.

"I just want to understand." Her voice was quiet.

Amelia stared at her.

For a moment, the irritation inside her weakened. But she still didn’t say anything.