The Remains of Summer) Chapter 25
Memories flooded her mind.
Six years old, Ethan holding her hand,
defiantly telling her parents, “If you don’t
want her, I do.”
Sixteen, his nervous confession, his
vow of eternal love.
Twenty–two, his extravagant
proposal, his desperate plea for her to stay.
Twenty–three, the eve of their
wedding, his betrayal, the lies, the
sleepless nights.
Twenty–four, her “suicide,” their
final goodbye.
Twenty–five, their reunion in death.
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The last vestiges of her anger
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dissolved. Not because she’d forgiven him, but because he no longer mattered. He
was a ghost from her past.
Two weeks later, Amelia attended
another funeral.
Chloe’s.
The news of Ethan’s death had
broken her. She’d lost her protector, her meal ticket. Fear and despair consumed her, triggering a psychotic break. She’d been transferred to a psychiatric hospital,
where she’d jumped to her death.
Their marriage certificate, though
incomplete, had been filed. Officially, they were still husband and wife.
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Chloe was buried beside Ethan.
Looking at their adjacent headstones,
Amelia couldn’t help but feel a flicker of
ironic amusement. Entangled in life,
entangled in death. May they torment
each other for eternity and leave everyone
else in peace.
Amelia and Liam returned to New
Zealand.
Back in their villa, Amelia sat curled
up on the sofa, staring blankly at the television. Liam watched her, his eyes
filled with concern. She’d been listless
since their return, a shadow of her former
self.
He’d taken her on a whirlwind tour
of the world – lavender fields in Florence,
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ski slopes in the Alps, scenic drives
through Canadian forests.
Finally, a spark of her former
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vibrancy returned. She turned to Liam,
his smile warm as he drove, and took his hand. The funerals had changed
something in her. She finally understood her feelings for him.
As the sun set over Fifth Avenue, she
leaned in and kissed him.
“Liam, marry me.”
A year later, they were married in a
small chapel. As the pianist played,
Amelia walked down the aisle towards
Liam, radiant in a white gown.
When he placed the ring on her
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finger, tears welled in his eyes. “Thank
you, Hope, for marrying me.”
Amelia smiled, her own eyes
glistening. “Thank you, Liam, for loving
me, for giving me a home.”
They kissed as the church bells rang.
Married life wasn’t drastically
different from before. She still woke up to Liam’s loving gaze, still fell asleep to his goodnight kisses. They still shared meals, explored the world, savoring each
moment.
The rest of her life, with him.
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