Too Late for Sorry, Mr. Billionaire (Chasing my Wife Back) novel Chapter 110

110

THE dining room was quiet, the faint clinking of cutlery against porcelain plates was the only sound that filled the air. Amelia sat across from Hazel, her fork tracing absent circles in her mashed potatoes instead of lifting food to her mouth. The images from the gala played relentlessly in her mind, Adrian’s eyes locking with hers in the corridor, the way his voice dipped when he said her name, and Ryan’s protective stance beside her, like a wall between two forces threatening to collide.

She sighed softly, pushing a piece of carrot across her plate, hardly aware she hadn’t eaten more than two bites. Beth had already rocked the twins to sleep, and Mrs. Harlow was still out. That left her and Hazel alone at the table, with the soft hum of the chandelier’s glow above them.

Hazel tilted her head, her bright eyes studying her mother with curiosity.

“Mom,” she piped up in her gentle but perceptive tone, “you are not eating.”

Amelia startled, glancing at her daughter and forcing a smile.

“I am, sweetie.” She lifted her fork to prove it, only to set it back down after a nibble. “Just… not very hungry.”

Hazel squinted knowingly.

“You are thinking about something.”

That earned a small chuckle from Amelia. “Am I that obvious?”

Hazel nodded, her braids bouncing.

“Mhm. Whenever you get all quiet and play with your food like that, you are thinking. Usually about work. Or sometimes about…” she hesitated, lowering her eyes to her plate, “…Daddy.”

Amelia’s heart thudded, her throat tightening at the sound of that word. She reached across the table and brushed Hazel’s hand. She and her daughter had never really talked about her father.

“What makes you say that?”

Hazel shrugged, but her voice was soft, almost fragile.

“Because he wasn’t here tonight either. He is never here at dinner with us. Only in my phone when we FaceTime.”

The words pierced Amelia deeper than she expected. She blinked back a wave of emotion, pulling her hand back to grip her fork tightly.

“Hazel, you know your dad works a lot. That is why you FaceTime.”

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