Chapter 6
"You kissed Lucas Sullivan?!" Jessica's eyes were wide with disbelief as they collapsed onto Amelia's couch. "The Lucas Sullivan?"
Amelia nodded, still trying to process what had happened herself. "It just... happened."
"And then?" Jessica leaned forward like she was watching the most fascinating movie of her life.
"He asked me on a date. I said no."
Jessica's jaw dropped. "You said no to Lucas Sullivan? Are you insane?"
"I'm not interested in getting involved with another man, Jess. Especially not someone like him."
"Someone like him?" Jessica laughed incredulously. "Girl, do you have any idea who you just turned down? Lucas Sullivan doesn't date. Ever. There are rumors he's never even been seen with the same woman twice. But he wanted to take you on a date?"
Amelia frowned. That didn't match the man who'd kissed her like he was starving for her.
"I don't care," she said firmly. "No men, no drama. I'm done."
"Amelia, you can't let Damian ruin this for you. Not every man is going to treat you like garbage."
"How do you know? Damian seemed perfect at first too." Amelia's voice turned bitter. "Rich, successful, handsome. And he spent four years making me feel worthless."
Jessica's expression softened. "Honey, you're twenty-eight and you've never even been properly kissed until tonight. You can't write off all men because of one asshole."
The words stung because they were true. Amelia had wasted four years of her life on a man who couldn't even be bothered to consummate their marriage. Who looked at her like she was something disgusting he'd stepped in.
"Lucas has more money and power than Damian could ever dream of," Jessica continued. "Breweries, airlines, fashion empire. He's basically untouchable. And he wanted you."
"Which is exactly why I need to stay away from him," Amelia said sharply. "If Damian treated me like dirt with his money and status, imagine what someone with real power would do."
Jessica sighed, recognizing the stubborn set of Amelia's jaw. "Fine. But you're making a mistake."
"I'm protecting myself."
But as Amelia lay in bed that night, she couldn't stop thinking about Lucas's kiss. The way he'd held her like she was precious. The heat in his eyes when he'd called her beautiful.
Maybe Jessica was right. Maybe she was missing out on something real.
Or maybe she was smart to run before another powerful man could destroy what was left of her self-worth.
---
Damian paced the hospital corridor like a caged animal, his phone pressed to his ear as it rang for the fifth time.
Straight to voicemail. Again.
"Damn it, Amelia, pick up!" He ended the call and immediately dialed again.
Where was she? It was past midnight. Was she still with Lucas Sullivan? The thought made his chest feel like it was being crushed in a vise.
"Damian?" Sophia's weak voice called from her room. "What are you doing out there?"
He forced himself to walk back inside, slipping his phone into his pocket. "Nothing. Just checking with the nurses."
But Sophia wasn't stupid. She could see the agitation written across his face, the way his hands shook slightly.
"You're thinking about her, aren't you?" Her voice was small, wounded. "About Amelia."
"I need to convince her to change her mind about your surgery," he said, unable to meet her eyes. "She's the only one who can get the Gifted Doctor to reconsider."
"So you're calling your ex-wife to help me?" Sophia's laugh was bitter. "Do you realize how pathetic that sounds?"
"It's not pathetic if it saves your life."
"Don't lie to me, Damian." Tears started forming in Sophia's green eyes. "You've been pacing and calling her for the past hour. And you look like you're about to punch a wall."
Damian ran his hands through his hair, frustration bleeding through every word. "I saw her tonight. At a club. With other men."
The confession tore out of him before he could stop it.
"She was different, Sophia. Not the quiet woman who used to wait at home. She was... commanding. The entire medical staff treated her like she was someone important, not just an assistant."
"So what?" Sophia's voice cracked with desperation. "So what if she has some influence with that doctor? You divorced her, Damian. You chose me."
"This isn't about choosing anyone," he snapped, then immediately looked guilty. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-it's just that she's being vindictive. She's letting her personal feelings affect a professional decision."
"Are you sure about that?" Sophia asked quietly. "Or are you just angry that she's not jumping to help you anymore?"
The question hung in the air like poison.
"She said your case doesn't warrant the Gifted Doctor's attention," Damian continued, ignoring her probing. "But that can't be right. You're dying, Sophia. How can your life not be worth saving?"
"Maybe because she knows the truth about us," Sophia whispered. "About how long we've been together. Maybe she's finally done being understanding."
Damian's jaw clenched. "Her personal feelings have no place in medical decisions. The Gifted Doctor's assistant shouldn't be making life-or-death choices based on grudges."
But even as he said it, his phone buzzed with a text notification. His heart jumped, hoping it was Amelia finally responding.
It wasn't.
"You promised you'd never leave me," Sophia said, watching his face fall when he checked the message. "When I was sick in Paris, when I called you crying because I was scared and alone, you promised you'd wait for me."
"I'm not leaving you," he said firmly, moving to take her hands. "I'm trying to save you. That's why I need to reach Amelia. She has to convince the Gifted Doctor to operate."
"And if she refuses?"
"She won't," he said with more confidence than he felt. "She may hate me, but she's not cruel enough to let an innocent person die."
But as he held Sophia's trembling hands, all he could think about was the cold finality in Amelia's voice when she'd said her recommendation stood.
The way she'd looked at him like he was nothing more than an irritating stranger.
For four years, he'd taken her quiet compliance for granted. Her willingness to fade into the background, to never make demands, to accept whatever scraps of attention he threw her way.
Now she held Sophia's life in her hands, and she was treating him exactly the way he'd treated her-like he didn't matter at all.
The irony was suffocating, and for the first time, Damian Wright was learning what it felt like to be powerless.
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