He stopped peeling the apple and looked up at me with pursed lips. “Is it because of her?”
His words baffled me for a moment, but I soon got back to my senses. “Marcus, are you mad? It’s not because of anyone. It’s just not going to work between us. Camelia is a good girl. Please don’t let her down.”
Marcus ignored my words as he looked down and continued peeling his apple. I knew it would be useless to go on. It was impossible to talk sense into someone who refused to be receptive to it.
That night, Summer called and sounded very excited over the phone. “Mommy! Granny said the Harvest Festival is almost here and that it’s a day for the family to reunite! Are you done with work? Will you be home soon?”
I had initially wanted to tell Summer that I couldn’t go back because of Marcus. But after hearing how excited she was about the festival, I couldn’t bring myself to disappoint her. Now that I had promised her to be home soon, I couldn’t go back on my word.
Marcus knew I felt bad about it and smiled at me. “Go be with Summer, and don’t worry about me. I will be fine with Layla here.”
I knew he would be in good hands with Layla, but leaving him alone during Harvest Festival didn’t sit right with me.
Besides, when Harvest Festival came around, Layla would be home for her family reunion too. It would be so lonely for him to stay in the hospital.
Maybe I could let Camelia come to A City?
Once that thought flashed through my mind, I decided to put it into action. One way or another, I was going to get Camelia to come.
I decided to call Camelia while I was out buying things. It took a few tries before she finally answered.
“Scarlett, what do you want?” she snapped. “Are you calling to show off how much you’re enjoying your time with Marcus?”
“No, Camelia. I called to let you know that Marcus got injured in Lavelian Village and is currently recovering in the hospital. He wouldn’t be able to make it back to K City to celebrate the Harvest Festival with you. If it’s possible, could you come to A City to keep him company? He doesn’t show it, but I know he’s afraid of being alone. It’d be nice to have you here and help him feel closer to home.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the call. “Scarlett, why are you helping me?” Camelia finally asked.
“Don’t overthink it. I’m only doing this because I owe him too much. I genuinely want the best for him. I want him to find someone who loves him and who can give him a sense of belonging. I can’t do any of that for him, but you can.”
Camelia was silent again as she thought about it. “I hope the words you uttered are truly what you felt.”
I hung up the call without saying much more, and my thoughts started to wander.
The call to Camelia made me realize that it had been three days since my last communication with Ashton. He had never been one to take the initiative to call or text, so his radio silence wasn’t much of a surprise either.
Marcus wasn’t happy when Camelia showed up unannounced the next day. She had clearly not wasted any time in getting to A City after my call with her. However, I could barely recognize her when I saw her, a petite girl wheeling around an enormous suitcase while carrying a baby in her arms.
The Camelia standing in front of me was a stark contrast to the Camelia I used to know. In the past, she was the most beautiful and best-dressed girl in any room. But now, she had switched out her high heels for flats and tied her once luscious curls up in a messy bun. She had even ditched her dresses for oversized clothes to make breastfeeding easier.
How did a girl who had everything going for her end up looking like this?
I was in complete disbelief as I stared on.
“Marcus, how are you now? Why didn’t you answer my calls and let us know how you were doing?” Camelia asked frantically as she hurriedly set her luggage aside. She looked relieved when she could finally take a seat and stretch her arms and shoulder.
Marcus ignored Camelia and cast a steely gaze at me. “You told her to come?”
“Yes. Harvest Festival is almost here. Don’t you want to spend it with them?”
He remained silent as he looked at the baby in Camelia’s arms. “Why don’t you head over to the hotel to rest? It’s too noisy in the hospital. Toby wouldn’t be able to sleep well here,” he said bluntly.
Camelia shook her head resolutely. “It’s no problem. Toby’s very well-behaved. He’s even more well-behaved when he’s around you!”
Marcus held his tongue as his brows furrowed even more.
