CHAPTER 71 A Fragile Reckoning

The tension between Mark and Amelia, born from the whispers of doubt, hung in the air like an uninvited guest. Days turned into nights, and the fragile equilibrium they had painstakingly built threatened to crumble under the weight of unspoken fears. Mark, aware of the growing rift, decided to address the issue head-on. One evening, as they sat in the dimly lit living room, he broached the subject with a gentle touch on Amelia's arm. Mark began softly, "Amelia, we can't let these doubts consume us. I love you, and Maya is just a colleague. I want us to move past this." Amelia, her gaze fixated on a point in the distance, hesitated before responding. "It's not that simple, Mark. The trial, everything we went through—it left scars. I can't just brush off this feeling of uncertainty." It was a lie. She was tired of being hurt and she decided to set herself apart from the hurt. She wanted to let go for a while at least. Mark, determined to bridge the widening gap, suggested