The Last Time I Loved You novel Chapter 1

At 20 years old, Amelia Caldwell married Matthew Sterling, a man with autism.

For five years of their marriage, he was like a block of ice that refused to melt. He had set three unbreakable rules for her—no talking to him, no touching him, and absolutely no intimacy with him.

Then an earthquake struck. Instinctively, she lunged at Matthew, wanting to protect him, only to watch him carefully shield another woman and flee from the rubble with her, without even glancing back.

Amelia woke up in the hospital covered in wounds, and the first thing she did was stumble out of bed to look for him.

However, what she heard was the woman's soft, gentle coaxing.

"Matt, it's just a minor scrape. I really am fine. Your wife seems badly injured, though… Don't you want to go check on her?"

After a brief silence, Matthew's icy voice pierced through the closed door.

"I don't like her, so it's none of my concern whether she lives or dies."

At that moment, Amelia's heart shattered.

So when Leonard Stirling, Matthew's grandfather, rushed to the hospital, she looked at him and requested, "Leonard, please let me divorce Matthew."

...

Leonard froze, his wrinkled face etched with shock. "Amelia, why bring this up so suddenly? Did… Did that brat mistreat you again?"

Amelia lowered her eyes and said nothing.

Mistreat her? Did his constant coldness toward her over the years count as mistreating her?

She had grown up an orphan, raised in an orphanage. When she was eight years old, Leonard brought her back to the Sterling family. He told her that Matthew was autistic and didn't like talking or interacting with others.

Leonard was getting on in years, and he was afraid that after he passed, no one would watch over his grandson. So, he brought her back, gave her a home, and offered her something she could depend on in the future—by making her Matthew's bride.

From as early as Amelia could remember, she knew she was destined to marry Matthew. Even though he never looked at her, never spoke to her, and ignored every kindness she offered, she followed him around without complaint. She learned to take care of him and manage his daily life.

When he had episodes—throwing things or hurting himself—she would rush in to hold him tight, despite the potential risk.

When he refused to eat, she'd warm his food again and again, coaxing him gently.

When he refused to interact with others, she'd guide him little by little.

Year after year, she poured all her energy and youth into him. She watched as he slowly got better. Even though he was still aloof, he could at least lead a normal life and had even taken over the family business.

She thought that was how their days would go on forever. Even if he remained an unyielding block of ice, she'd accepted it.

That was, until that business banquet.

Sierra Jensen appeared in a pure white gown, looking like a fairy who had accidentally wandered into the human world.

For the first time, Matthew watched someone so intently that he couldn't look away. He even spoke his first complete sentence to Amelia—one that was a clear directive as well. "Take off your shawl and give it to her. She's cold."

In that moment, Amelia's heart stung like it had been pricked by a needle.

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