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"Get out. I never want to see you again." My words were not a suggestion for him but a damn command—one that he conspicuously ignored.
"Please, Amelia. I want you back. Tell me what to do. I'll do anything. Just give me the chance to show you that I mean it."
I shook my head. He was just like all the other men. Incapable of taking a hint. Too dense to think for himself. Unable to admit his own mistakes and figure out how to make amends on his own.
Not that there was any making amends in this situation.
His presence here was just what I needed to realize once again how drastically Gray stood out from the rest. What he meant to me and the role he played.
And as my gaze shifted over George's shoulder, I saw him at the end of the path that led up to the house. A wave of relief washed over me.
"What are you staring at now? God, it's always the same with you. Always lost in thought when I'm talking to you." Even as he spoke, he turned around and noticed Gray too. "Send him away. This is between you and me."
I slowly shook my head. "No. This was always between Gray and me from the start. I'm not leaving him. If anything, I'll…"
"You will tell him that this is a private conversation," he growled, suddenly grabbing my arm and pulling me backward.
I looked at him in shock. Since I'd known him, he had never once made a move to hurt me. To physically come too close, let alone raise his hand. Now, it suddenly seemed okay for him to handle me this way.
I yanked my arm away before he could do any real harm. "I think you're out of your mind!" I exclaimed, stepping further inside, away from him.
He pointed at himself. "I'm out of my mind? Me?!" Then he raised his hand and pointed in the direction from which Gray was hurrying. "You're essentially sleeping with your father figure, and you don’t think it’s wrong. You're throwing away your perfect future with me for a man who will probably be in a nursing home in two years."
Suddenly, tears welled up in my eyes because he had—unintentionally—struck a nerve. Perfect future. If only I could laugh.
By now, Gray was standing at the door, raising an eyebrow in question. A signal from me, and he would grab George and escort him outside. But not until I had explicitly permitted Gray to do so.
And still… I hadn't said everything yet after he had landed such a low blow with his last remark.
I swallowed slowly before looking George straight in the eye. I hated the quiver in my voice, and I hated even more that Gray had to witness this drama at all.
"Perfect future? I convinced myself of that for an eternity, yes. And the last half year, every evening, you were away longer—probably cheating on me. I thought: Hey, maybe it's just a phase. If I just put in enough work and believe in it, everything will get better, like it used to be."
Hope glimmered on his face, which only made him more despicable in my eyes because clearly, he didn't understand what was at stake. What I was telling him was just the motivation he needed to keep going.
"Let's give it another try, Amelia. I can change. You know I'll try if you just give me this one chance…"
Gray's snort gave me a small sense of relief, though not enough to get through this conversation unscathed. "You've had your chance over these last few years, George. There will be no more. You're returning to Toronto now."
In disbelief, he shook his head, taking a step toward me again. Gray's hand landed on his shoulder. He angrily shrugged it off.
"What does he offer you that makes you want to volunteer for senior service?"
I closed my eyes. All the stares, all the whispers, the condemnation by Sergeant Williams—none of it compared to the constant insults he had spouted in the last few minutes of our conversation. Before I spoke, I opened my eyes again.
"It's not what he gives me, but how I feel when we're together. This place has become my new home, and there's no way I'm giving up any of it to go back to Toronto with you." I felt tired. How often had I essentially repeated this statement now?
My words prompted Gray to start pulling George backward out the door. He gave him a push down the first stair. "You heard Amelia. If I see you on my property again, I'll hand you over to the police."
Gray slammed the door in his face and then faced me.
At that moment, I felt smaller than ever before by his side. He looked down at me with concern, his hands gripping my upper arms.
"Everything alright?" he asked. I nodded, ready to let myself fall against him and enjoy one of those hugs that made me forget everything else.
But Gray kept his distance.
I looked at him questioningly.
