Ran Away Pregnant Came Back Alpha Heiress (Amelia and Damien) novel Chapter 243

Chapter 243

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Chapter 243

Damien’s POV

A few steps out from the side room, I froze in my tracks. My gaze was immediately drawn to the familiar figure of Amelia in the gardens on the other side of the courtyard.

No, I scolded myself. Not Amelia.

Annette.

It never got easier seeing her. Always, I was reminded of the woman I loved, who I had lost. Their features were just too similar. The eyes, hair, and smell were different though. I had to focus on that.

“Daddy!” Amy came running right up to me. “Grammy and Grampa are here!”

“And Aunt Annette, too!” Stacy said.

At once, both girls turned and pointed toward Annette in the gardens. She was still looking at me, which I wasn’t entirely opposed to. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I liked her looking at me. That part reminded me of Amelia too, even as I felt guilty for thinking so.

Amelia was my one and only, and Annette was an unfit comparison.

The nanny came running after the girls. “I’m sorry, Alpha. They are very fast. And so much energy. I never lost sight of them, though.”

“I know,” I assured her. She was an excellent Nanny. She was a bit old to chase after two six-year-olds but what she lacked in youth, she made up for in experience and patience. Truly, there wasn’t anyone I trusted more to keep the girls out of trouble.

But the Nanny wasn’t the only person following the girls over to me. So were their ‘grandparents,’ Martin and Lillian. Over the past six years, since entrusting Amy to me, they had visited on several occasions, wanting to be a part of the girls’ lives.

They said since Amelia was like a daughter to them, that her children were like their grandchildren. I knew them both to be good people, and truthfully at the beginning, I had needed the help. And I wanted the girls to have more positive role models in their lives.

Eagerly, they accepted Stacy as their own, never questioning it. When I asked them about it once, they had replied simply, “It’s what Amelia would have wanted.”

I hadn’t talked to them however since Annette’s arrival into our lives. For the girls to call her Aunt Annette meant that she had to be a part of Jake’s family, which meant that family must have kept her secret from me.

Did Amelia even know who she was? And where had she come from?

As they approached, I said to them, “Tell me everything about Annette.”

They looked at each other. Then Lillian gestured for Martin to speak. Martin did.

“She is our child, but after an attack, she has amnesia,,” Martin said. “She has no memory of you, or of Amelia, and I think it would be for the best if we kept things that way.”

“Is she related to Amelia at all?” I asked. “Why do they look so similar?”

“It’s entirely coincidental,” Martin continued. “We believe that part of the reason we so quickly accepted Amelia is because she bears resemblance to Annette.”

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“But where has Annette been all this time?” I asked.

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“She’s had her own life,” Martin said. “But it doesn’t matter now. I’ve said too much, already. Truly, Damien, you must stay away from her.”

“For both your sakes,” Lillian added. “For the two of you to get closer, would only end in heartbreak for both of you. She only just found out about Amelia. She’s grieving now, and we know you are as well.”

“Yes,” I said. My grief had never stopped, and seeing Annette did make it feel refreshed, like I had to go through all the stages all over again. “But it wouldn’t hurt for her to know her nieces.”

Lillian looked down. Martin hummed thoughtfully.

“I hope you know what you are doing, Damien,” he said. “I only ask that you proceed with caution.”

“I have no interest in Annette,” I said, lying only a little. Despite how my body reacted to her, I would never allow myself to give in. My heart, mind, soul, and body all belonged to Amelia and only to Amelia. “It’s will be fine.”

Both Martin and Lillian seemed skeptical, as did my own wolf, chuffing disapprovingly inside of me.

Amelia’s POV

“I’m sorry, Ian,” I said. “While I appreciate this walk, I really just need some time alone.”

Ian frowned, but didn’t try to argue. “I will be in the courtyard,” he said. “Please return to me when you are able.”

“I will.”

With that, he walked away, returning to the courtyard while I stepped further into the gardens. After a while of walking along towering bushes, I realized I had inadvertently entered a hedge maze.

Gods, I was terrible at these things. I tried to retrace my steps but that only made me even more hopelessly lost. After a while, with a frustrated huff, I gave up for the moment and sat down on a bench. I could just call someone, and they would come get me.

But I didn’t.

Maybe I wanted to be lost for a little while. Here, in the shadow of the tall hedges, I didn’t have to be anyone special, or pretend to be someone I wasn’t, or interested in things or people I wasn’t. I could just be myself.

Allowing myself a moment to slouch, I breathed deeply, in through the nose, out through the mouth.

After a few breaths, I heard footsteps approach me. Straightening again, I readied myself for another encounter with Ian.

To my surprise, Damien was the one who came around the corner.

Immediately, I stood up. “Uh… Alpha Damien… what are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry,” he said, stopping suddenly a few feet away. “I hope I’m not intruding.”

“No,” I said. “Nothing like that.”

He nodded. “Good. Because I… wanted to apologize for how cold I was with you at the theater. It is difficult to be near you, to see you… You look so much like her.”

“Amelia?” I asked, already knowing the answer. *

“Yes,” he said. “I loved her. Dearly.”

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