Love Me Back (Amelia and Daniel) novel Chapter 438

Ruby fluttered her lashes, still pretending not to know anything. “Mom, what are you talking about?”

Amelia set the thermos aside and tapped Ruby’s little nose. “When did you find out the donor liver was gone?”

“Ohhh—” Ruby flopped back onto the bed and pulled the blanket over her head. “You caught me.”

Amelia felt caught between laughter and tears.

It was as if some invisible hand was kneading her heart over and over, squeezing and twisting until she could barely breathe.

“If you knew, why didn’t you tell me?”

Ruby tugged the blanket down, her dark, fox-bright eyes glinting with mischief. “I just didn’t want to tell you.”

“You little rascal.”

Amelia’s lips curled into a smile, but suddenly she froze, the smile slipping away as her face went pale.

Ruby’s sudden downturn hadn’t come out of nowhere. Just like Dr. Martinez had said, your outlook can shape your health. Ruby had found out long ago that the donor match had fallen through—she kept up her happy facade, pretending she didn’t care, but did she really? Amelia had spent days clawing her way out of the pit of disappointment; how much harder must it have been for Ruby?

It’s one thing never to have hope, but to be lifted up to the clouds only to be thrown down again—nothing hurts more.

Amelia thought of that little calendar Ruby had filled with carefully drawn dreams for the future, and suddenly she felt like she couldn’t breathe.

Ruby saw her mother’s eyes rimmed with red and scrambled up, her small, chubby hands cupping Amelia’s face. She blew gently, her voice soft and earnest. “There’s nobody cooking today, Mom, so there’s no smoke to bother your eyes.”

Then, as if she’d found the answer herself, Ruby added, “I get it. You’ve got something in your eye, right? Ruby will help you blow it out.”

Amelia’s heart was battered and torn, but her sweet little girl kept patching it back together, one stitch at a time.

Laughing and crying at once, Amelia hugged Ruby tight. “Get well soon, Ruby. When you’re better, Mommy will take you to the Natural History Museum—see the butterflies and beetles, just as you wanted.”

Maybe the promise of the museum did the trick, because Ruby perked up that afternoon and even her fever subsided.

You could always tell when a child was really sick or just pretending. Last night she’d been listless and quiet, but now she was up and about, playing hide-and-seek around the room with the nurse’s aide.

When Daniel walked in, he found Ruby wedged between the cabinet and the wall. She was in plain sight, convinced she’d found the perfect hiding place, trying to squeeze herself even further in, looking like a little striped kitten.

Daniel signaled the aide to keep quiet and played along, his long legs pacing back and forth in front of the cabinet as he called out, “Where’s Ruby? Where could she be hiding? I just can’t find her anywhere!”

Ruby clapped a tiny hand over her mouth and held her breath, hardly daring to move.

Suddenly, Daniel stopped right in front of the cabinet, reached in with those big, strong hands, and scooped Ruby up, tossing her in the air. “Gotcha! Guess what? I’m going to sell you for a fortune!”

Ruby squealed with laughter. “No way! Mom would never let you!”

“Well, if that’s the case, I’ll just sell you back to your mom.” Daniel spun around the room, still holding her. “Where’s the big spender herself?”

“Mom went to see Uncle Robert off!”

Daniel’s smile vanished in an instant. “How long has she been gone?”

Amelia shot him a cold, mocking smile. “Yeah, I sure picked a winner. Terrible guy, terrible genes. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Daniel frowned. “Are you… are you talking about me?”

“So you admit it—you’re a terrible person?”

Daniel gritted his teeth and grabbed her cheeks, making her lips pucker. “You want me to kiss you right now? Because I might.”

“You’re crazy!” Amelia slapped his hand away. “Just go. I can’t stand the sight of you.”

She really didn’t want to see him. Worrying about Ruby already had her on edge, and Daniel’s negativity only made it worse. She didn’t want to take it out on anyone else for no reason.

She wasn’t the type to lose control of her emotions.

Amelia headed back downstairs, deciding to wait until Daniel was gone before returning.

Daniel didn’t follow. He could tell Amelia was in a bad mood; when this little firecracker was upset, you didn’t poke the bear or you’d get scratched for sure.

“Uncle Daniel~”

A tiny, sweet voice piped up beside him. Daniel looked down to find Ruby by his leg, gazing up at him with big, innocent eyes.

He scooped her up. “What are you doing out here instead of in your room?”

Ruby put on her most grown-up face and spoke with surprising seriousness. “Do you have a minute? I’d like to talk to you.”