Marcus’s actions left me befuddled. I knew he could be cold and distant, but that was reserved only for strangers and acquaintances. I never expected him to treat his family the same way.
I always thought there was a gentler side to him once one got to know him, but after what I witnessed, I started to doubt his character.
Is it Camelia? Has she done something wrong? Camelia used to lead a blessed, carefree life until Marcus bewitched her with his lies. She fell in love with him, married him, and even had a baby with him. But all she got in exchange for her love was Marcus’s contempt.
“Sienna!” Marcus shouted to get my attention when he saw me spacing out. As his gaze landed on me, I felt a shiver down my spine.
“What’s wrong? What’s on your mind?”
“Nothing. I’m going to check on Camelia!” I quickly replied and made my way out of the room.
Camelia couldn’t find an empty chair in the crowded hospital hallway and sat on the floor instead. As her baby continued to cry, she had no choice but to breastfeed him right there and then, much to the chagrin of the onlookers.
The once beautiful girl who was admired by all had now become a mother despised by passers-by.
It pained me to see her in that plight, so I lent her my coat to give her some privacy. She looked at me with mixed emotions before finally saying, “Thank you.” Such simple words, but they conveyed so much sincerity and gratitude.
“No, don’t mention it. I’ve experienced this before with Summer. Every time she cried, I could only coax her by breastfeeding her. As a first-time mother, I can sympathize with you.”
She wasn’t expecting me to respond as such and was a little taken aback by it. She sat there deep in contemplation and finally gave a bitter smile. “I used to think that my situation would get better once I had my baby. Now that he’s here, it feels like I’ve simultaneously lost and gained everything.”
She’s right. Becoming a mother is full of sacrifice, but we eventually realize that all the sacrifice is worthwhile.
“Don’t worry. You’ll see that this is all worth it.” I reassured.
She looked at me in confusion, not knowing what I meant by my words.
Not wanting to elaborate further, I changed the subject. “You came in such a hurry I don’t think you’ve packed enough for yourself. I’ll head home and pack some warm clothes for you.”
She hummed in response and stared at me for a long while before mustering up the courage to ask, “You and him, are you…”
“Friends. We’re just friends,” I replied without any hesitation. “I have my own family, so please don’t see me as your rival. All I want is the best for the both of you.”
Camelia tried to hold back tears as she bit her lips. “Thank you, Sienna!”
“You don’t need to thank me. I owe him.”
On my way home, I couldn’t help but think about how obsessed men could be when it came to love. Just because they’ve had a change of heart, they could throw their wives aside without any care of the consequences. Men can be so heartless.
After packing more warm clothes and daily necessities from the villa, I ordered some nutritious food from a restaurant to bring back to the hospital. Camelia could definitely use some sustenance, especially since she was still breastfeeding.
Back at the hospital, I made my way back to the ward with my hands full of bags. When I got there, I was stunned to hear the heart-wrenching cries of Camelia and her baby while Marcus admonished them.
Thankfully, Marcus was staying in a private ward so their quarrel wouldn’t have disturbed other patients. From the sounds of it, it didn’t seem like Layla was inside with them.
“Fine! I will neither get in your way nor bother you again. I want nothing from you! I’m leaving!” Camelia cried out in pain. Upon seeing me at the door, her face contorted with rage. “Look at how things turned out! Are you happy now?” she yelled.
With that, she walked out of the room with tears still streaming down her face. The situation in the room wasn’t any better. Marcus was fuming while their baby continued to cry in his stroller.
Soothing the baby was my top priority as I dropped all my things and made my way to the stroller.
After picking the baby up, I tried to coax him the way I used to do with Summer.
After what seemed like forever, the little boy finally stopped crying. He looked at me with big teary eyes, clueless about his surroundings.
Layla finally came back to the ward after having excused herself when Marcus and Camelia started arguing.
“Mrs. White is probably downstairs. Could you bring her baby and these things down to her? I don’t think she’s had anything to eat. Please tell her that no matter what, she has to care for herself. If not for her, then do it for her baby,” I said to Layla as I handed the baby over to her.
Layla was stunned momentarily but eventually did as instructed.
I was left alone with Marcus in the ward. I was never good at preaching to others, but at that moment, I knew I had to get some things off my chest. If I didn’t, both Marcus and I would regret it in the future.
“I met Camelia on the plane six years ago. Six years is a long time, but I still remember our first interaction very vividly. I had accidentally bumped into her, and when I apologized to her, I was blown away by how beautiful she looked. She was initially very angry but forgave me after my apology.” After a pause, I continued, “As fate would have it, we sat right next to each other on the plane. The flight was over ten hours, and we chatted up a storm during that time. It was my first time in M Country, and she was worried I might get lost, so she left me her number as an emergency contact.”
Marcus looked at me quizzically, wondering what my point was in bringing up the past.
“That day, I was on my way to meet Anthony. Bumping into Camelia was an accident, but her beauty and grace wowed me so much I still can’t forget it after so long.”
I stared at Marcus and sighed. “Do you know how I felt when I met Camelia again today? In just a span of six years, she had gone from being a dazzling beauty to an unconfident, disheveled woman. I can’t imagine the amount of pain her parents would be in if they saw her today. Why have you reduced their precious daughter to this state?”
He frowned and replied curtly, “I can only give her what I can, and I have.”
“And by that, do you mean your wealth? You think giving her money would suffice?”
His naivety was so appalling it made me laugh. “Marcus, can you tell how different I’ve become in six years?”
“You’ve become more composed.”
I nodded. “The five years I spent in R Province away from Anthony was the best time of my life. I had Summer, and I had hope. Even though I didn’t have a lot of money, life was still comfortable. After Anthony brought me back to K City, everything was good. Unlike you, he tried his best to give me everything he can, and even what he can’t.” I looked up at Marcus to make sure I still had his attention. “I left K City not because I didn’t love him or that he didn’t give enough, but because I couldn’t get over the past. That doesn’t mean we still can’t have a future. I thought life had played a cruel joke on me, but after meeting Camelia, I realized how fortunate I had been. Anthony and I have had many misunderstandings, but you and Camelia are different. You intentionally put her through all this pain and suffering and turn a blind eye to it.” I stared him down as I continued, “Marcus, you’ve married her and even had a kid with her. No matter how selfish you are, you still have to find some space in your heart for your wife and child. You know it better than anyone else that we are only friends, and that will never change. But Camelia is your wife and the mother of your child. If you don’t love and treasure her, this would all come and bite you back in the future.”
He pursed his lips, not saying a word, though I could tell he was in deep contemplation. I had said all that I wanted to say, and I only hoped it would help knock some sense into him.
I made my way downstairs and finally found Layla and Camelia in the waiting area. Camelia still looked as unkempt and haggard as before as she wolfed down the food I had bought for her.
She felt someone staring at her and looked up in surprise, only to lock eyes with me. After wiping her mouth with her sleeve, she greeted me with an embarrassed smile.
I smiled back at her with a nod, trying to fight the overwhelming array of emotions I felt toward her.
I stood beside her and waited for her to finish eating her food. The baby in Layla’s arms was still blissfully unaware of the storm that had just passed as he looked at us with his big doe eyes.
Layla was a chatterbox to begin with. Seeing as no one was willing to speak, she took the liberty of starting a conversation. “Women nowadays are so skinny that they don’t produce enough milk unlike women from back then. In fact, we women from the previous generation produce so much that I often woke up to drenched clothes and a damp bed. It really couldn’t be helped. I had to milk myself at night just to get some relief. Unfortunately, we didn’t have refrigerators at that time so I had nowhere to store them. They would go bad after a few days and I always thought to myself, all of my hard-earned milk, gone just like that. What a waste!”
Camelia ate the last bite of her food and smiled bitterly as she glanced at her baby. “Yeah. Hard-earned milk, it is.”
After eating, she cleaned up the table and took out the trash before taking over her son from Layla’s arms to breastfeed him. Perhaps the baby boy was really starving because he immediately latched onto her breast and kept sucking.
Camelia had only just finished her meal. Hence, she didn’t have much breast milk to offer him. When her son didn’t get his fill, he bit down harder, causing Camelia’s features to contort with pain. Still, she endured it.
Layla went upstairs to check on Marcus while I sat across from Camelia. I knew she had something to say to me and vice versa.
But it seemed like no one wanted to go first.
Suddenly, her lips curved into a wry smile and she muttered, “You must be surprised to see me like this, huh?”
I pursed my lips and fumbled for words. In the end, I decided to avoid answering her question. “The White family is quite well-off. You don’t have to force yourself to be like this. You could consider hiring a caregiver to take care of the baby. That way, you can still live your own life.”
Indeed, Marcus had the funds to support a woman and a child.
In fact, their lives would be at least a hundred times more dignified than ordinary families. The lowborn led miserable lives mostly because they barely scraped by, let alone had the luxury to care about their dignities. However, Camelia was different. Marcus’ assets allowed her to lead a more dignified and glamorous life than ordinary women.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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