Cruel Fate

Epilogue

Copyright 2015 © Rosesareforever

Cruel Fate

Epilogue

One Year Later

The sun stood high in the sky, its rays warming Amelia's pale skin as she walked across her newly landscaped garden. Together with his brother Ethan, Benjamin had seeded the lawn a few weeks ago, build a stone path that reached the end of the garden and planted a bunch of flowers in the back. They still had plans to install a slide and swing for Landon, but needed to find time in their busy schedules to actually get the work done. Benjamin was dead set on doing everything on his own and not hiring a gardener or handyman. He took great pride in the things he did himself, Amelia didn't want to take that away from him by going behind his back.

The company was doing remarkably well, better than it ever had before. It grew each and every day, becoming one of the leading marketing firms in the country. There was nothing more gratifying than seeing their hard work pay off. The sole disadvantage was that the larger the company grew, the more work needed to be done. Benjamin had hired his fair share of extra staff, but would permanently stay extremely busy. It was one of the reasons why Amelia didn't lay down the law about their house still not being finished.

About ten months ago, they'd moved into their dream home, a country house located just outside the city in a smaller town. It had been exactly what they had been looking for, a place close enough to the company that they didn't need to drive for hours every day, yet far enough away from the bustle of the city that they could live in peace. Their acquisition had a large, but unkempt garden that could be turned into a child's wildest dreams with a little work. It had seemed perfect for Landon. Only they hadn't really taken into account how much work there still needed to be done on the house. Besides the garden, they also had to install a new kitchen, repaint all the rooms, replace the old wooden floors, remodel most of the rooms and finish the patio.

It had taken some time and a lot of money, but Amelia was starting to see the end product and liked it very much. Their home was more than she ever imagined wanting. It was child friendly, decorated to her taste, large and located perfectly. What more could a woman possibly need? She often wondered what her parents would think of her if they saw how far she'd come. The idea of looking them up and finding out where they were living had come across her mind a few times, but she didn't dare follow through. The fear of once again being rejected was too much to bear. It would break her. She'd come too far to let the past bring her back down.

"There you are," Abby grinned as she saw Amelia approaching, a newborn pressed against her chest. Abby had been over the moon when she found out she was getting a little girl. The woman loved her two sons, but had always wanted a daughter. Her wish had finally been granted. Three weeks ago, she'd given birth to one cute baby girl, Emma. Seeing the chubby cutie made Amelia's heart warm and long for another bundle of joy of her own.

"Ben was getting worried," Abby told her, sending a playful wink in Benjamin's direction.

Her boyfriend simply rolled his eyes, stepped closer and gave Amelia a soft peck against the temple. "The burgers are almost ready," he announced. They were having a family barbecue today. Amelia had invited Megan, the woman might not be blood related to her but she was like a sister to her, and Benjamin's parents, brother and sister. The bunch of them often gathered at Amelia and Benjamin's place for drinks or a lovely afternoon. Those days often turned into Amelia's fondest memories. She loved having so many people around after being lonely for far too long.

When Benjamin was done barbecuing the meat, he sent his brother a nod and urged Amelia to take a walk. Confused, she frowned, took his arm and leaned closer when they were out of ear shot. "Is something wrong?" she asked, more than a little worried.