Chapter 18

Saturday came quietly, wrapped in the pale hush of dawn, in the wee hours of the morning.

Amelia was still deep in sleep when her phone began to ring, the vibration buzzing insistently against the bedside table. She groaned softly, turning on her side and blindly reaching out. Her fingers brushed the phone, and with a sleepy frown, she brought it closer, squinting at the screen.

She intended to silence it.

Instead, her thumb slid the wrong way.

“Hey, baby.”

The voice slipped into her ear like a whisper she had imagined too many times over the past three days.

Amelia froze.

Her eyes flew open, sleep vanishing instantly as her heart slammed hard against her ribs. She pushed herself upright, the duvet falling loosely around her waist as she stared at the glowing screen in disbelief.

Charles.

Her fiancé.

Her boyfriend of three years.

Her fiancé of less than two weeks.

“Hey baby,” the voice came again, warmer now. “A