The Unkept Promise) Chapter 12
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He started to tear up the divorce papers, then stopped. This was the last
thing she’d ever give him. If he destroyed it, he’d have nothing left.
He traced her signature with his fingertip, his eyes filled with longing. “Amy,
it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have… I only love you. Hit me, yell at me, anything. Just
don’t leave me. I can’t live without you, Amy…”
His apologies echoed in the empty room. She wasn’t there to hear them.
“Amelia Evans,” he declared, his voice hardening with resolve.“I haven’t
signed these papers. We’re still married. And I will find you.”
He wouldn’t give up. She was his. He would atone, but he would not accept
her leaving.
He carefully put the divorce papers away, then reached for his phone. He
still had her pictures. A small comfort.
He searched the house, desperately seeking any trace of her. She’d been
thorough. Everything that reminded him of her was gone. Clothes donated or
discarded. Furniture replaced.
His phone rang. Bethany.“Silas, I just saw online… Summer’s Embrace is up
for auction. Mrs. Sterling…”
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“What?” His heart lurched. He hung up before she could say another word.
“John,” he barked at his assistant,“find out about Summer’s Embrace. If it’s
being auctioned, buy it back. No matter the cost.”
Hours later, John called back, his voice hesitant.“Mr. Sterling… Summer’s
Embrace…it’s been sold. To a private collector overseas. We were too late.”
Silas’s phone slipped from his numb fingers, shattering on the floor. He’d
been delayed. Just a few hours. How?
Summer’s Embrace was a symbol of his love. She’d sold it once. How could
she do it again? Did his love mean nothing to her?
He felt a crushing weight in his chest, a suffocating blend of grief and
despair. Even Summer’s Embrace belonged to someone else. What about her?
Would she belong to someone else too?
He couldn’t bear the thought. He’d known from the moment he saw her that
she was the one. He’d envisioned their future together, a lifetime of shared
moments. How had they drifted so far apart?
He hated himself. He hated Bethany. If it wasn’t for her…
Alone in the empty house, Silas nursed a bottle of whiskey, the silence
amplifying his loneliness. He retrieved the sticky buns from the trash. They were
cold and stale, but he held them preciously. They were her favorite. She hadn’t
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even taken a bite.
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Then he saw it. Her SIM card. He picked it up, wiped it clean, and inserted it
into his phone. It was a foolish gesture, as if by doing so, she was somehow still
with him.
His phone lit up. A text from a familiar number. Silas loves me, Amelia You
really thought selling Summer’s Embrace would bring him back? We were just
making love in this bed, you know.
