Chapter 151

My voice rang out clear and strong. My mother watched, a worried expression clouding her face; she seemed to wonder if I'd lost my mind. Jarred, on the other hand, sized me up as if he'd never seen his daughter stand up to him before.

I didn't understand their father-daughter dynamic, but Amelia's fear of him spoke volumes. He clearly wasn't winning any Father of the Year awards. Her terror, and her willingness to defy him even at great risk, suggested she'd never dared to speak to him like this before. His stunned silence confirmed it.

Derek tried to pull his hand free, but I held firm, preventing his escape. I locked eyes with him, silently conveying my resolve. With a sigh, he relented. "Alright," he conceded, "the engagement will happen, but since she's hurt, we'll postpone the ceremony six months until she's recovered."

Six months? By then, who knew what might have happened to my original self? I couldn't afford to wait. I needed Derek's help to unearth the truth and expose those two-faced villains. I had to finish what I'd started at the wedding, to strip Nicole and Chase of their masks and reveal the monsters they truly were. Killing them would have been too easy. I wanted them disgraced, stripped of everything, their lives a torment that made death seem merciful. Derek possessed the evidence—proof of their affair, far more damning than any photos I'd managed to take—but he hadn't acted, likely because he was a Reyes, and family reputation meant everything to him.

My plan was to get close to Derek, obtain that evidence, and discover Nicole's true intentions. My death wasn't her ultimate goal; that much was clear. She'd already secured shares from our grandmother—what was next?

"No way!" I declared, cutting through the tension. All eyes turned to me as I faced Derek. "Tomorrow morning at eight, we're getting that marriage certificate."

"Marriage isn't a game, or a tool for revenge," he replied.

"Are you saying you don't want to marry me?" I challenged.

Derek didn't answer, but his eyes betrayed him. He truly didn't want this. Perhaps he was still clinging to some unattainable ideal. However, after all these years, if he hadn't achieved it, he never would. Therefore, I wasn't exploiting the situation.

I squeezed his hand tighter. "Since the engagement is set, Derek, like it or not, we're getting that certificate tomorrow."

My mother approached, attempting to dissuade me, while Jarred remained silent, observing the unfolding drama. The room fell deathly silent; everyone awaited Derek's response.

My heart pounded. Would he agree? If he did, it meant letting go of his past. After what felt like an eternity, Derek calmly said, "Alright. I hope you won't regret this."

Relief washed over me. "I'll never regret marrying you."

Derek remained silent, his gaze distant. With his agreement secured, I turned coldly to Jarred. "You can rest easy now. I won't be using threats anymore."

Jarred shot a furious glare at my mother. "Look at the daughter you've raised. How dare she talk back to me like that?"

Tears welled in my mother's eyes. "Amelia is like this because you pushed her. And you still have the audacity to blame me?"