188 Keeping Up Appearances
Panting from both pain and numbness in her legs, Amelie made a few heavy steps forward, slapping away Richard’s cold, wet hands that still tried to pull her back to him. If it had not been for cold weather and sudden harsh gusts of wind, she would have reached the dog sooner, but the night was dangerously against her.
I am not wearing a lot of clothes but my long dress is slowing me down; it is too heavy already…‘” Whimpering desperately, Captain Pantaloons locked his big scared eyes with hers and Amelie’s heart broke inside her chest.
How could that woman do something like that to a defenseless animal?
“Captain Pantaloons, hang in there!” She yelled out to the struggling dog and finally, with yet another heavy step towards him, she stretched her arms out, wrapping them around his wet fur.
“Amelie!” Richard, too, wrapped his strong right arm around his ex–wife’s waist, taking advantage of her attention glued to the corgi, and placed his other arm under her knees, pressing the two of them brighter to his chest as he walked back to the beach.
Though annoyed, Amelie decided not to struggle this time. The dog was too heavy with his fur completely soaked and the numb sensation from the ice–cold water started spreading its tightening reign all over her body.
“Richard!” Samantha called out to her husband but the man completely ignored her, walking past
his wife as if she were not even there.
In the last attempt to get his attention, she crouched, grabbing her bitten ankle and faking a sniffle, but that was still not enough. Richard simply did not see her. Or refused to see her.
‘What the hell is going on?!” She growled inwardly, her eyes widening in shock. ‘Why the hell is he worrying about his ex so much while completely ignoring me, who has been attacked by that very same dog!‘
Amelie, too, noticed it. Richard’s eyes never even wavered for a second when the woman called out to him and it made Amelie feel more than just strange.
‘He must have seen what happened to her too, yet he showed her no concern. Is it because he knows that the child she is carrying is not his? What is really going on in his head right now?”
While Samantha continued to watch Richard carry Amelie in his arms, a small crowd started gathering around them, attracted by the slight commotion outside.
“Lily!” Both Amelie and Richard flinched at the sound of Liam’s loud, frightened voice, and Richard had no choice but to finally let go of his ex–wife, carefully placing her back on the sand. With his eyes wide and his hands trembling, Liam wrapped his coat around Amelie’s shoulders, taking the dog away from her and passing him on to Austin who was already holding a knitted blanket, ready to wrap it around Captain Pantaloons.
“Take him inside and make sure to dry him well so that he doesn’t get sick. Call in an emergency vet just in case” Liam instructed his assistant and the latter nodded, hurrying back inside the
villa.
