Chapter 81

Michael had seen Amelia's message. He'd been trying to give her an opening, a way to step back gracefully, but she dug in her heels and refused to take it. Fine, then. He'd see what was left once she'd worn down every bit of his patience. He hung up without another word. On the other end, Amelia stared at the dark screen. She sighed softly and pressed the button for the ground floor. … The next morning, Amelia was jolted awake by the noise of doctors making rounds. Rachel had woken up in pain in the middle of the night, and Amelia had stayed up with her until morning. She'd only fallen asleep at dawn. She'd barely drifted off when the doctor came in. Amelia explained what had happened last night. After listening, Taylor's expression turned grave. "Your mother can't keep dragging this out," he said. "She needs to go abroad for treatment as soon as possible." Amelia already knew that. When Rachel couldn't sleep from the pain last night, she had thought the same thing. But wh