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"What?"
A silent alarm started ringing in my head, even though she hadn't continued speaking.
"Yesterday afternoon, a young man was here. He insisted he knew that Amelia Sinclair was here and that he needed to speak with her immediately."
My worst nightmare was unfolding before my eyes in record time. "Did he mention his name?"
"No… but his reaction made me feed him a lie. He acted so strangely that I told him there was no Amelia here, and if he didn't leave, I'd call the police."
She went on to briefly describe him, which confirmed my initial suspicion.
"And then he left?" I asked, urgency not just evident in my voice but felt throughout my body.
"Yes. He was angry because he was quite sure she was here, but he left. After Declan also told him he better scram."
I raised an eyebrow. "Did he threaten you, Raya?"
She rolled her eyes and leaned across the table toward me. "I can handle it, Gray. Honestly. I'm not saying it's par for the course here, but it wouldn't be the first time I've been harassed."
However, it was not my intention to expose my staff to such treatment by anyone. They deserved respect, and if someone was not willing to act like a civilized human, they had no business being on my property. Not at all.
"If he shows up again, call me right away, okay? And please check the surveillance footage. It'd be best to save it in case we need evidence for the police." Even though Sergeant Williams would probably be reluctant to come to our aid.
"Is this man dangerous, Gray?" This time, concern was written all over Soraya's face.
I slowly shrugged. Labeling Amelia's ex-boyfriend as dangerous would probably be an exaggeration. But the fact remained that I didn't want him at Wildwood Hideaway—or anywhere near Amelia.
When an ex shows up out of the blue after weeks of silence, it never means anything good. And in Amelia's case, it was also against her wish to quietly disappear from his life without any fuss. She didn't leave him any messages or clues for a reason, which made it all the more suspicious that he had found her now.
"He's not, don't worry. But I do have a slight aversion to him, and that could spell trouble for him if he dares to venture here again." Actually, I could safely remove should because I was absolutely certain he would try again.
My ex-wife, after her blunder, had also tried several times to win me back—or rather, to persuade, force, or guilt me into staying. None of that mattered, but it didn’t mean that Amelia's ex-boyfriend wouldn't give up just because he had been turned away once.
I would have preferred to keep it from her that he was looking for her, yet neither would it have been fair, nor did it align with my principles. She deserved to know… because I still wasn't ready to make that decision for her.
29
AMELIA
The previous night weighed heavily on me. Not in a negative way though. Every time I blinked, I saw flashes of what Gray and I had shared. These flashes were not limited just to our sexual encounters; they encompassed moments long before and after as well. When I looked down at my wrists, I could still almost feel the rough binds. What was real, however, were the scattered bruises I had discovered on my body that morning.
No surprise there, considering how we had interacted with each other. The exhilaration in my chest continued because, in recent years, I had not experienced anything that stirred the same emotions inside me.
I was content—fundamentally. I felt comfortable. Safe. Secure. As if I had stumbled upon this place I had never sought but was exactly where I needed to be.
With each passing day spent in Gray's presence, I became more aware of what I had been missing all along and, more importantly, what I needed to be happy. Content.
And that did not include a bustling city or a life dominated by cutting-edge technology. Out here, my phone did not matter; I did not miss having a TV, and the past few weeks of only catching wind of essential global news had been a relief for my mental health as well.
Yet the thought reminded me that I owed Manon an update. Once again. It was also the perfect opportunity to invite her over… and to draft a letter that included my resignation from the hospital.
Even if Gray kicked me out tomorrow, I would not return to my old life in Toronto. Not after he had slowly peeled back the layers of my persona to reveal the real Amelia.
I no longer needed grand, ambitious goals. It was enough for me if I could start the day peacefully, contribute to the bed-and-breakfast, and then have ample time for other things. For my books. Or cooking. For a nice, hot cup of tea, and also for all the letters I had not replied to for months because it was just too much to juggle a full-time job with all the other demands of life and still have enough energy to maintain pen friendships.
And because I was so caught up in my new life, it even took me a few seconds to remember where I had last seen my phone. It had been in the drawer of the bedside table in the bedroom. So I freed it, ignored the notifications about missed calls, and opened the chat with Manon, who had texted me last night to let me know that she—unlike me—had just had another lousy date.
How about coming to Wolf Creek for a few days? I miss you,I typed and sent the message before bringing up the call list.
