The Prices I Pay ((MIKE ZACHARIAS X ERWIN SMITH X OC))

Chapter 14

"What?" Mike's confused look made her angry.

"She sleeps on the damn couch," Amelia spat. "My pregnant mother sleeps on the sofa because she can't stand the smell of you on the sheets."

"Amelia —"

"She doesn't think I know," she cut him off, and at her rising temper, Duke began to growl. "But I hear her sobbing at night. My mother doesn't cry. About anything. She sobs and it's all because of you. You're selfish. Why did you do it? After everything you know she's gone through? How dare you ask her to marry you if you were just going to cheat on her? Why didn't you tell her if something was wrong?!"

"Amelia," when Mike reached out to her, Duke snapped at his hands whilst standing defensively in front of her legs. She didn't stop him. "Amelia... I... I couldn't..."

"You really have nothing to say?" Amelia couldn't suppress her scoff. "You're nothing but a sad little man child with zero communication skills! If you wanted Nanaba so bad, you should have left my mom alone! You have no idea how much she loved you, and now the mere thought of you makes her sick! At the very least I thought you cared enough about me to work things out with her before being so stupid... but apparently I was wrong."

"Ama, it isn't like that," Mike tried as he grabbed at his hair. "I-it's complicated. I don't even know what happened. It was a mistake —"

"You're damn right it was," Amelia glared at him. "You didn't deserve to know her in the way she tried to let you. You didn't deserve to know her at all. I hope you and your scummy mistress are happy to rot together. You're just perfect for each other."

"Amelia, wait!" Mike called after her as she sharply turned on her heel to leave, and just before she stepped outside, she turned over her shoulder to grant him one last look.

"I hate you," she hissed. "You hear me? I hate you."

And with that, Amelia fled from the weight room. She could hear Mike frantically calling after her, but she forced herself to continue onward anyway. Her head swarmed with unspeakable thoughts on what she wanted to do to the man that hurt her mother so horribly, and she was so blinded by rage that she nearly bulldozed right passed Levi on her way back to the forest.

"Hey, hey, hey," Levi grabbed Amelia by the shoulder and spun her around to look at him as she passed him. Duke growled warningly. "What the hell are you doing here, Amelia? Where's your mother?"

"Uncle Levi..." her eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment, she had forgotten all about Mike. "She... uh..."

"She doesn't know you're here, does she?" Levi rose a knowing brow at her. She nodded slowly. "Why are you here?"

"I..." Ama bit the inside of her cheek as she stroked a calming hand on her dog's head. She avoided Levi's expectant eyes. "I sort of... confronted Mike..."

"Why would you do that?" Levi, despite sounding calm, tensed at the sound of Mike's name.

"You and I both know that Mom wouldn't know the answers to my questions," Amelia huffed. "But apparently, neither did he... useless man."

Levi sighed knowingly and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "You know I'm going to have to take you home now, right?"

"Yeah, figures," Amelia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as they started walking. "She's gonna kill me."

"I don't think so," Levi disagreed. "Your mother is stern, but she's also understanding. She'll be... disappointed, at the very worst."

"What makes you say that?" Ama looked at him from the corner of her eye as she let Duke off the leash.

"Mostly because you didn't tell her how you really felt," he began. "Partly because you didn't tell her where you were going."