Nick was genuinely shocked when he learned about Summer’s illness. It was apparent that Cameron did not fill him in on the details.
He fell into silence for a while before he looked at me again. “How is Summer? Is she okay?”
“She did a bone marrow and kidney transplant. She’s feeling better now but they’re still putting her under a five-year observation. If there is no sign of rejection from her body, then she doesn’t need to go through another transplant. But Nick, we’re not talking about Summer now, I want to know what happened between you and Jackson.”
Nick held his hands and tried to control his emotions. “He got a girl pregnant and went back to M Country with the woman,” he said after some time.
Nick sounded apathetic, but I was totally caught off guard by his statement. “What happened? I thought you liked him?”
Nick pursed his lips and looked at me in the eyes. “Do you find me disgusting?”
I shook my head in determination. “I believe all relationships are equal. The reason I asked is that I could see there was something between you and Jackson. I know both of you care for each other a lot. I had no idea what happened between the two of you, but now that I know, I just hope you guys find your happiness. Meeting and parting are part and parcel of life, but I really want to see each of you finding where you belong.”
“I think it’s best we both go our separate ways,” Nick said with his gaze fixed on the ground.
I could hear the regret and sorrow in his voice. After some thought, I asked him another question. “Do you like Rose?”
No one was perfect. We could not do everyone justice by giving them the affection they were due, but we could at least try our best and be accountable to ourselves.
“Rose is gentle, kind, and beautiful. She reminds me of you when you were younger. She’s a little stubborn and conflicting sometimes, but I think she’s the right person to spend the rest of my life with. If she is the one to marry, I’ll have no regrets for the rest of my life.”
I was surprised Nick would say that. Since he had made up his mind, I decided to respect his decision.
When Cameron and Rose came back down again, she was holding a set of jewelry in her hands. It was not something of an exorbitant price, but it was apparent that Rose liked her gift.
The lot stayed back for some chit-chat after lunch until evening. Hunter had a gathering with his colleagues at night, so he, Emery, and Xavier went home before dinner time. Not long after they left, Nick and Rose took leave too.
Just as I was thinking about spending some time with Summer, Camelia called. I almost forgot her as she had not contacted me in a long while.
“Hey, Camelia.” I hesitated and picked up the call.
“Hey, Scarlett. Are you busy? Down for a drink?” She sounded tired.
“Sure, where are you?” I replied without a second thought.
“I’ll send you my address,” she replied before hanging up.
I planted a kiss on Summer’s head and said sorry before leaving for the bar.
I wonder what happened to Camelia?
I made my way into the bar and spotted her right away. She was dressed in a stylish punk fashion. No one would imagine she was already a mother.
“What’s up, Camelia?” I asked. I was taken by surprise when I saw her heavy makeup.
From her drowsy look, I could tell that she had drunk a lot before I arrived.
“Hey, Scarlett, take a seat!” she greeted and pulled me over to the seat beside her. “Brandy, please. Thanks,” she told the waiter.
“Just a glass of juice would do,” I hastily told the waiter.
“You’re not drinking? We’re at a bar,” Camelia said.
“Well, it’s not a must to order spaghetti if you’re at an Italian restaurant.”
“True. And it doesn’t mean you’ll find love if you’re married,” she said dejectedly.
I knew something must be bugging her. “So, why did you call me over? Not just for a drink, I suppose?”
Camelia gulped her drink and coughed furiously. She was breaking out in tears and started choking badly. “I’ve tried everything I could to become just like you, but he still doesn’t love me. I’ve changed how I talk, how I behave, and even what I like and dislike, but it just doesn’t work. What should I do?”
