Love Me Back (Amelia and Daniel) novel Chapter 273

Amelia nearly dropped her phone.

At first, she thought Robert was joking. But then she caught the serious look on his face—so earnest, like he was tackling a research project. He wasn’t kidding at all.

That made his suggestion even more unbelievable.

“Robert.” She set her phone down and drew in a shallow breath. “I know you’ve always been a great friend, but you really don’t need to get involved in this mess. Daniel’s not a good person.”

Robert smiled. “Actually, I don’t see you as just a friend.”

The confession caught her so off guard that Amelia immediately looked away, flustered. “...Sorry, I’m not really thinking about that right now.”

“I know,” Robert replied, never overstepping. “I won’t do anything else, so there’s no pressure. I just think this could help you end your marriage faster. You should really consider it.”

She understood what he meant. If Daniel believed Robert was Ruby’s biological father, knowing Daniel’s possessiveness, he’d probably end the marriage in a heartbeat rather than suffer the humiliation. But the consequences…

“No,” Amelia said firmly. “That would only drag you into this. Daniel’s like a rabid dog—he won’t let it go.”

Robert kept his gentle smile. “I’ve thought it through, actually. Both my parents are with Doctors Without Borders—they’re always off somewhere, and even I barely know where they are. I just have one older brother, and he’s got some pull around here. Daniel might not be able to touch him. As for me, I’m protected by people from the National Safety Association. No matter how reckless Daniel is, he’s not about to go up against the government.”

Robert’s reasoning was calm and thorough. For a moment, Amelia actually found herself swayed. But she quickly shook it off.

If she didn’t see him that way, she shouldn’t give him any ambiguous hope.

“After my divorce, I probably won’t ever get married again,” she said honestly. “I know you mean well, but it wouldn’t be fair to you. I can’t be that selfish.”

“Fairness is for me to decide,” Robert said gently. “I’m doing this of my own free will. I don’t expect any promises from you. Even if it all comes to nothing, I’m okay with it.”

“Amelia.” He met her eyes with steady sincerity. “This way, you get out of your marriage quickly, and I get to chase a dream—win-win. I really hope you’ll think about it.”

Truth be told, Robert’s proposal made sense. But Amelia just couldn’t get over her own reservations.

She’d known what it was like to hope, only to be let down again and again. She knew exactly how much that hurt, and she wasn’t about to put someone else through it.

After Robert laid his feelings on the table, he started reaching out more—inviting her to dinner, asking if she wanted to catch the latest movie. Amelia turned him down every time.

Then came Friday. A coworker was celebrating a birthday and had invited the whole office out for dinner. Group outings like this, Amelia could handle.

The man who’d spoken blinked, clearly confused at Daniel’s reaction. He let out an awkward laugh. “Just messing around, didn’t mean anything by it.”

“If you’re going to ‘mess around,’ at least get your facts straight.” Daniel stood, pushing his chair back. “Look in the mirror tonight. With that belly, you can’t even see your toes. Still want to call yourself ‘sweetheart’? I’m embarrassed for you.”

The man’s face turned red, then pale.

As Daniel started toward the door, someone protested, “Mr. Campbell, don’t leave now, we’re just getting started! Where are you going?”

He shrugged his suit jacket over his shoulder, all effortless elegance, and shot them a sly smile. “Going to find that pretty girl from before.”

The others stared in confusion.

“Oh, and by the way, that ‘pretty girl’ is my wife,” Daniel added, almost lazily. “You can call her Mrs. Campbell.”

The man with the big belly broke out in a sweat. Pulling out his phone and swiping frantically, his neighbor asked, “What are you doing?”

He muttered, “Last time I checked, the cemetery had a good plot open. Thought it was too pricey, but you know what, I’ll take it. Who knows, I might need it sooner than I thought.”