Chapter 62
“What would you like to eat after you get discharged? I’ll have them prepare it for you,” Oscar suddenly said as he reached out to touch her forehead.
“If I’d known that you’d be so good to me once you knew I was pregnant, I’d have told you a long time ago,” said Amelia, though there was no telling whether she genuinely felt that way.
Oscar said indifferently, “Stop thinking too much. Your only job now is to rest well.”
Amelia stared at him for a long time. Suddenly, she flung her arms wide open and said, “Hold me, Mr. Clinton. For a split second during the accident this morning, I thought I saw the Grim Reaper calling for me. My mind was completely blank at that time and when the car crashed onto the pillar, all I could think of was that I may not ever see you again in this lifetime.”
A hint of surprise flashed across Oscar’s eyes. He continued listening to Amelia, his heart aching uncontrollably.
“Mr. Clinton, forgive me for being too sappy. At that very moment of the car accident, all I could think of was that we are actually a legally wedded couple, but look at us now? We are like complete strangers. Now that I have finally woken up, I feel completely different. So, if you are thinking what I’m thinking, I’d like to stay with you like a regular couple. We can be a simple yet happy family of three when the baby comes.”.
Oscar’s heart skipped a beat.
“Mr. Clinton, when I am discharged, can we just live in peace like a normal family?” Amelia looked at him expectantly.
Oscar’s eyes betrayed his tangled emotions before they slowly regained calmness. Retracting his hand, he said, “You are still in a daze after the accident. Rest well and don’t think too much.”
A frosty chill invaded Amelia’s heart instantly. At the end of the day, to him, I am still Cassie’s replacement. I am completely dispensable. He doesn’t have an ounce of true feelings for me.
Amelia concealed her emotions and smiled sweetly. “Mr. Clinton, I’m a little tired and I’d like to get some rest. Go on with your day if you are busy. The nurses can take care of me here.”
Oscar tucked her in and said, “Just close your eyes and sleep. I’ll stay here with you.”
With conflicted emotions, Amelia closed her eyes. She thought she would not be able to sleep, but she was knocked out within ten seconds.
Tiffany only found out about Amelia’s car accident when she called her later that night. Instantly, she ignored her editors’ incessant calls and rushed to the hospital.
Without even knocking, Tiffany pushed the door open and cried out loud, “What happened to you, Amelia? How did you get into a car accident? What did the doctor say? Are you all right?”
It was only then that she realized the large group of people in the room. They were either from the Clinton family or their business associates.
Tiffany’s face began to burn. She chuckled nervously at her blunder before saying, “Oh, so everyone’s here.”
Olivia, being the first to spot her, welcomed her quite heartily. “Oh, so it’s you, Tiffany. Come over here. We were so worried when Amelia got into the accident we forgot to inform you. However, you are her best friend, and it is so kind of you to come and see her.”
Tiffany smiled and replied, “As her mother-in-law, Mrs. Clinton, I’m sure you are having a tough time now that this happened to Amelia.”
Olivia tugged her closer to herself and said, “You are so sweet. The doctor says her fetus could have been slightly startled, so she needs to have plenty of rest. I was just about to find something to entertain her, but you appeared just at the right time. You stay with her, and I’ll bring the rest of the people outside.”
Tiffany replied, “Take your time, Mrs. Clinton. You can leave Amelia with me.”
When the whole group left, Tiffany’s face fell instantly. “Amelia, how did you get into a car accident? What did the doctor say? Are you all right? What about the baby?”
Amelia recounted the accident briefly and comforted her by saying, “Tiff, I’m fine, so don’t worry about me.”
Seeing that Amelia was not severely wounded, Tiffany finally relaxed and teased her, “We are really sisters in arms, with you getting into an accident not long after my accident. Thankfully, both you and the baby are fine. Otherwise, I’ll definitely hunt down the culprit and chop him into pieces.”
Amelia burst out laughing:
Tiffany then asked her seriously, “What are your plans now that the Clintons know that you are pregnant?”
Amelia replied, “I don’t know yet. I can only take one step at a time now, considering how powerful and influential the Clintons are. Before they knew I was pregnant, I could still have the child secretly. Now, I think I can only give birth under their supervision.”
“What’s Oscar take on this?”
Amelia shook her head. “I can’t read his thoughts. We have been married for four years, but I’ve barely been able to understand what really goes through his mind. He says I can have the child, but it looks like he wants the child to remain with the Clintons. Even if we were to get a divorce, he wouldn’t allow me to bring the child with me.”
Tiffany knew that the Clintons were the most influential family in the entire city. If they were to have a divorce, Amelia would probably get a small settlement and she would never be allowed to bring the child with her.
“Amelia, would you be willing to let the child stay with the Clintons?”
“It’s not like I have a choice here, do I? This accident has messed up all of my plans, so I am panicking too. The only thing I can do now is to take things as they come,” Amelia said rather defeatedly.
Tiffany then came up with an idea. “Relax, Amelia. It is probably for the best that the Clintons know about your pregnancy. Look, this is the Clintons’ first grandchild and they are fairly reasonable people. On top of all that, Mrs. Clinton is fond of you. As long as you give birth to the child, I’m sure she will not stand to see her grandchild without a mother. So as long as you keep yourself close to Mrs. Clinton, you will definitely be able to control Oscar.”
Amelia glanced at her and said suddenly, “I’ve thought of this before, but I don’t want to involve her in my marriage unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“Babe, are you out of your mind? How could you still say that when things have escalated now? You have to know that she’s your only support now.”
Amelia nodded.
She looked at Tiffany and said earnestly, “Tiff, out of all the Clintons, my mother-in-law is the only elder that treats me well. Given the choice, I wouldn’t want to lie to her nor use her. Do you understand?”
“Go ahead and be the kind soul. We’ll see if you can still be that magnanimous when Oscar divorce you.”
Amelia fell into silence.
Tiffany added, “Look, Amelia, I don’t want to sound like some naggy old lady who mutters about the divorce and the child all day long. It’s just that you are an intelligent woman, and I think you should start planning for yourself. You can’t keep doing things for others and have nothing left for yourself. I can’t even bear to look at your situation even though you are doing this willingly.”
Amelia reached out for the apples on the table and changed the topic. “Tiff, you must be parched after talking so much. Peel this apple for me and let’s share it.”
Tiffany knew very well that Amelia was just trying to escape from reality. Hence, she obediently picked up the apple before peeling and slicing it. With a piece of apple in her mouth, she asked, “Babe, did the doctor say that you can have fruits?”
“He needs to observe me for another two days. I can still have some light food if there are no other issues.”
“I’ll just finish this apple on my own then.”
“Go ahead. I meant to stuff your mouth with it anyway.” Amelia smiled.
“Babe, these words hurt, all right?”
Amelia sighed and said, “Tiff, I know you only want the best for me. However, I still don’t have the perfect plan yet, so I can only handle things as they come.”
Tiffany munched on the apple leisurely before changing the topic. “I spouted all those nonsense only because I was too worried about you. The most important thing now is for you to regain your health. We can talk about the rest later.”
Amelia nodded.
After staying in the hospital for another fortnight, the Clintons had arranged for her discharge when the doctor declared that both she and her child were in the clear. Olivia had arranged an extravagant ceremony to welcome Amelia home. When the latter saw the dozen Rolls Royces lined up outside the hospital, her eyes nearly popped out in shock.
She turned to Olivia uncomfortably and said feebly, “Mom, I’m just getting discharged from the hospital. You didn’t need to arrange for such fanfare. Others may think that you are welcoming a president or something.”
Olivia led her into the first car. “You are very precious now that you are pregnant with a Clinton. Of course, we have to welcome you home with pomp and circumstance.”
Amelia felt rather pressured. “Mom, I could very well be carrying a girl. I am worried that you will be disappointed if that is so, especially after all this fanfare.”
Olivia was not concerned. “Girls are good too, and they are the ones who are closest to their mother. I am not too bothered with the gender of the child. As long as the child is a Clinton, I will
love him or her.”
Amelia smiled. “Mom, you are so good to me. I’m afraid I could never leave you.”
“Then don’t leave. You are our daughter-in-law, and when your dad and I pass away, Oscar will be inheriting the entire family business. As his wife, you will naturally have to help him. In other words, all these will eventually belong to you.”
Amelia merely smiled.
Olivia assured her, “Amelia, your most important job now is to take care of the baby. I assure you that you are and you will be my only daughter-in-law. If Oscar were to hurt you, I would not let him get away with it.”
Amelia smiled.
The two of them got along very pleasantly, so it felt like it took no time before they arrived home. Their merry group was all smiles until they saw the unwelcomed guest on the couch.
Stephanie stood up and said beamingly, “Dad, Mom, Oscar, you are all back. Cassie and her parents have been waiting for quite a while. If you took any longer, I’d have brought them to the hospital.”
Olivia snuck a glare at Stephanie before turning to the Yard family. “What brings you here, Liz?
You should have told me earlier, and I could have informed our chef to prepare something for you.”
Charlie and Elizabeth stood up. Resentment flashed across Elizabeth’s eyes as she saw that Amelia was surrounded from left to right. She said spitefully, “Olivia, your daughter-in-law is a little precious, isn’t she? Does she really need such a large entourage to accompany her as she gets discharged from the hospital? Are you that afraid that she will fall?”
Olivia looked rather displeased. She used to think that the Yards were an educated and refined family. This was why they could remain as friends even after Cassie had left the altar. Who would have thought that the seemingly level-headed Elizabeth would say something like this?
To her, her daughter-in-law was perfect in every way. In any case, it was not up to an outsider to make any comments about her.
“Liz, that’s not very kind of you. Amelia is our only daughter-in-law, and she is pregnant with our precious grandchild. It is only natural that I protect and care for her. In fact, I’d get her the stars from the skies if she asked for them.”
