My Great Escape Led Me to You (Emily Blair) novel Chapter 1218

Amelia lifted her head, eyes puffy and red, but she stubbornly kept her mouth shut.

This was Kevin’s rule, and the butler would never dare go easy on her. They both knew the deal.

The butler didn’t say another word, just delivered ten harsh smacks right across her palms. Each one made her flinch and brought more tears, until her hands were burning and her cheeks were streaked with tears.

When it was done, the butler bent down to help her up, but Amelia shoved his hand aside.

“Don’t touch me. I can do it myself.”

She was obviously mad at him, even though none of this was his fault.

She’d been kneeling for so long her legs had gone numb, so she had to lean on the floor to push herself up, swaying a little before she managed to stand.

The butler stepped back and said quietly, “Ms. Gomez, dinner’s ready. If you don’t eat now, it’ll get cold.”

Amelia didn’t even look at him. Her words came out thick and stuffy from crying. “How am I supposed to eat with my hands like this? I can’t even hold chopsticks.”

The butler kept his eyes down. “We could ask one of the maids to help feed you.”

“I don’t need your help.” Her voice was sharp and cold.

She stormed out of the room, her anger trailing behind her like a storm cloud.

The butler quietly slipped into a side room, putting the ruler back where it belonged.

Amelia was fuming. She knew she was at fault, but being punished like this just made her want to scream. She didn’t even know who to blame, so she marched across the hallway, practically stomping holes in the floor.

His voice was deep and steady, with a kind of authority that made it impossible to argue.

There was only one person who sounded like that.

Amelia froze for a second. She almost turned to face him, then seemed to remember the tears on her cheeks. She kept her eyes down, glancing his way without really looking. Her voice came out small and stuffy. “When did you get back, Andrew?”

Andrew’s gaze swept over her face, taking in her puffy eyelids and the wet streaks on her cheeks. “Just now,” he said quietly.

Amelia tried to smile, but it was forced. “Oh, well, dinner’s ready. You should go eat.”

Andrew didn’t take his eyes off her. Just as she tried to walk away, his voice stopped her, lower and heavier this time. “Why were you crying?”

Amelia turned her face away, refusing to meet his eyes. “I wasn’t. You’re imagining things.”