Chapter 287 A Barrier Between Them
Amelia said nothing until one minute was up. She then opened her eyes wide, though she couldn’t see anything, and answered, “It’s a no from me.”
Stephanie snickered and clapped her hands. “What a pity. I think Oscar will love it when he finds out you’re blind. He’ll pity you, and you won’t have to get a divorce. You’ll stay in our family and endure the staff’s derision and enjoy Oscar’s affection out of pity for you. You’re nothing but a miserable piece of shit,” she declared viciously.
Amelia gritted her teeth and clenched her fists tightly. Helplessly, she shrieked, “Shut up!”
Stephanie’s laughs merely grew louder.
“Why? Are you getting mad?” Stephanie went to her and continued mocking her as she was still surrounded by darkness. “Amelia, you used to be really arrogant, right? Look at you now. You look like a phoenix who has landed in a chicken coop. After getting your feathers all plucked out, you’re utterly miserable and pathetic.”
Amelia’s entire being was shivering by now.
“Amelia, you have no idea how much I anticipate the scene of Oscar seeing you in this wretched state. But I won’t tell him. Nothing excites me more than you leaving our family in a pathetic state.” Stephanie leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry. I’ll let you leave with Tony. Your son doesn’t deserve to be the Clinton family’s heir. Back when I hired someone to hit you, I never wanted to spare both of you. Nevertheless, you’re lucky enough to survive the accident. You survived the ordeal, but now you’re losing your eyesight. That’s fair.”
Amelia was shaking in anger.
She reached out to give Stephanie a slap, but Stephanie caught her hand midair and shoved her away. As a result, she toppled to the ground helplessly.
Fuming, Amelia declared, “Stephanie, you’re crazy! Things will not end well for you!”
“Kind men die young, but bad guys live a long life. I’m waiting eagerly to see you make a fool out of yourself. Don’t worry, I’ll live a long life,” Stephanie declared before leaving smugly.
Amelia sat on the ground blankly. She’d lose her eyesight for around one hour, but the time dragged on interminably. There was no one around. The Clinton residence was usually bustling with people, but it felt strangely massive now. As she couldn’t see anything, her hearing became sharp. She hoped someone would show up, but at the same time, she didn’t want someone to see her in this miserable state.
Amelia rose to her feet with the plan of leaving this place in the dark. However, no matter how hard she tried, she kept bumping into trees. The branches cut into her skin; yet, she refused to give up and kept running into the surrounding trees.
Without warning, a surprised voice rang out. “Mrs. Clinton, what are you doing?”
Amelia jolted in shock at the voice. She turned in the direction of the voice but couldn’t see anything. “It’s nothing. Did I scare you? I was playing a game about a blind person touching trees. Sounds fun, right? Don’t tell anyone about it. It’s quite embarrassing. Thanks in advance.”
The voice belonging to a female got even more confused. “Mrs. Clinton, I’m right here. Why are you talking to the air?”
Amelia froze, feeling embarrassed. She couldn’t help but panic at the situation.
“I’m sorry. I was just playing around. Don’t take it to heart,” she offered an explanation hastily.
“Mrs. Clinton, are your eyes-”
Amelia blurted out, “I’m not blind. I’m just fooling around as no one is nearby. Don’t spread rumors. Otherwise, I’ll fire you.”
After saying that, a glimmer of light appeared before her. Joy sparkled inside her as she heaved a sigh of relief.
A young lady in her twenties dressed in the maid uniform was standing around two meters away from her. She flashed a pleasant smile and said, “Ruby, I was just fooling around with you. Look, I can see well. Did I give you a fright?”
She then spun around playfully.
Ruby giggled in response.
“Mrs. Clinton, you’re really mischievous. You have no idea how shocked I was earlier. You were running around like a headless chicken and bumped into the trees around you as though you were possessed. It was really terrifying.”
Amelia offered her a gentle smile. “It was a joke. Don’t tell anyone that I acted that way. Take this as a little secret between us.”
Ruby nodded obediently.
“Go back to work, then.”
After Ruby left, the smile on Amelia’s face faded away. Although she lost her eyesight for an hour, it already felt like an eternity to her. Dejection, despair, and discouragement washed over her heart and surrounded her tightly. It was really suffocating.
She’d be lying if she claimed that Stephanie’s teasing remarks, sneers, and threats didn’t make her upset, nervous, and terrified her. Every word that Stephanie said cut through her heart like an iron shard. It was pure torture.
Looking up at the dark sky, which was an exact portrayal of her heart, Amelia rubbed her hands slowly. Her unstable emotions had given her an awful headache. As her head was buzzing, she couldn’t really think clearly.
Back in the Clinton residence, she was lucky enough not to run into Olivia and the others. She went upstairs and returned to her bedroom before sinking into the bed blankly.
Amelia remained sitting on the bed for a few hours. She didn’t even realize Oscar had entered the bedroom. The man came to a stop before her. He was about to call her name when his gaze landed on her arm. His expression tensed up immediately as anger shone in his eyes.
“What happened to your arm?” Oscar demanded, trying hard to hold back his anger.
Amelia was pulled back to reality by his question. She looked up blankly and asked, “Huh?”
Oscar got to his knees and took her arm. Though he wore a grim expression, his action was gentle.
Amelia’s gaze landed on her arm and looked at Oscar absentmindedly. Oh my, the number of wounds.
Seeing her response, Oscar softened his voice as he was afraid of startling her. “How did you hurt your arm?”
Amelia wanted to retract her arm, but Oscar refused to release his grip.
“Exactly how did you hurt your arm?” Oscar demanded sternly.
Shaking her head, Amelia answered, “I scraped myself against the trees accidentally. It doesn’t hurt.”
Oscar stared at her resolutely. “Tell me the truth. Otherwise, I’ll send someone to follow you in secret.”
Amelia shot him a helpless look and softened her tone. “I’m fine, Oscar. Please stop asking questions, all right?”
The look in Oscar’s eyes darkened.
He gazed at Amelia unwaveringly. In the end, he released her and went to the desk to get the ointment before returning to her.
When he grabbed her hand, Amelia tried to struggle out of his reach. He parted his lips to warn, “Don’t move.”
Amelia gave up struggling and complied.
Oscar kept a straight face and applied the ointment on her wounds carefully.
After that, he refused to give up and asked, “Tell me, how did you get the wound? Don’t tell me it was an accident. If you refuse to tell me the truth, I’ll assign two bodyguards to protect you.”
Amelia shot him a pleading look. “Oscar, can you stop asking questions, please? I’m fine. I really am. I just want to sign the divorce papers as soon as possible. All I want is Tony. Can all of you stop forcing me?”
Oscar’s gaze changed.
“Who made things difficult for you? Mom? Or Stephanie?”
Amelia shook her head and backed down. “No one bullied me. Please stop asking me questions.”
In response, Oscar held her chin and forced her to look up. When their gazes met, he asked firmly, “Did someone bully you?”
Amelia slapped his hand away as she vented out all the pend-up grievances in her. “Oscar Clinton, can you stop forcing me? Why is everyone doing that to me? What did I do wrong to be tortured by you all? I only want to get a divorce in peace. I had no intention of kicking up a fuss. Why is everyone putting the blame on me? You’re the one who made a mistake, but why does it seem like I’m the evil one in our relationship?”
Oscar’s hand froze midair. He felt his heart clench in anguish at the sight of a sobbing Amelia.
He instinctively reached out to touch Amelia, but she swerved out of his reach as though he was the plague itself.
After crying her heart out, Amelia realized she had lost her self-control. She dabbed at her tears and said apologetically, “I’m sorry. I didn’t do that on purpose.”
Oscar’s gaze darkened. He took a deep breath to calm himself. “Don’t overthink things. I have promised you Tony’s custody.”
Amelia shot him a complicated look before lowering her head. “Oscar, thank you… and I’m sorry,” she uttered softly.
Oscar glanced at her as a myriad of emotions bombarded her. It felt like there was a barrier between them. Though they could hear each other’s breathing, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t touch her heart.
“Rest well. I promise we’ll sign our divorce papers two days later. Tony will be yours, and I’ll make arrangements so you’ll live comfortably for the rest of your lives.” He gave his word.
Amelia nodded. She didn’t even dare to meet Oscar’s eyes for fear she’d leap into his arms and tell him about how Stephanie bullied her earlier.
She knew she could no longer remain in the Clinton family. Stephanie despised her, and Olivia was very unhappy with her decision. Owen had never liked her in the first place, so he took a neutral stance on their divorce. In fact, he stayed out of it. The others in the family watched the spectacle from the side. Most of them rejoiced at her misfortune, for they assumed she was being an ingrate.
Once she and Oscar were officially divorced, she’d be left with nothing. Her status would also change dramatically.
“Amelia, trust me. I’ll protect both of you even after we’re divorced,” Oscar assured.
Amelia spared him a brief glance before looking down swiftly. She just kept quiet.
Oscar felt powerless at how Amelia stayed away from him on purpose. He didn’t know what to do in order to return to their intimate relationship.
