Chapter 21
KS31%真
Owen noticed the injury on her head, and his eyes filled with concern. “You’re hurt”
Camila stared coldly at the ground, saying nothing.
“Who did this to you? Tell me, and I’ll make them pay, Owen said, narrowing his eyes with a dangerous glint.
But to Camila, his concern was laughable. He, who claimed to be protecting her, was the same person who had sent her to prison.
Five years ago, she had wished with all her heart that he could be her defense lawyer.
But in court, he sat across from her, as Agnes’s lawyer, emotionless as he presented every piece of evidence against her.
Each word was like a sharp blade, cutting deep and pinning her to a public humiliation. She lost her freedom, her dignity, her education, her future….
She had trusted him once, and he betrayed her horribly. That single betrayal almost cost her everything. She wondered. How can I ever trust him again?
If William was the person she feared most, then Owen was the one she loathed the most. After all, they had relied on each other for over a decade. She thought, ‘How could he simply throw away those years without a second thought?‘
She envied Agnes. Despite having the same long connection with the Jackson family, the Jackson family would rather let Camila take the fall than let Agnes suffer even a moment of harm.
As he saw her remain silent and distant, Owen’s face filled with pain and guilt. “Camila, are you still mad at me! I had my reasons for everything that happened. Please forgive me. I swear, I’ll never let you suffer again.”
Camila wasn’t interested in his reasons. Everything she shouldn’t have had to bear, she had. No explanation could undo the damage she had already endured.
Her leg would never heal. Her left ear was permanently deaf. The kidney they removed would never grow back. These raw, unchangeable facts stood before her. She could never forgive the person who caused it all.
Camila pulled her hand away, but Owen held on too tightly. She couldn’t break free. Finally, she lifted her gaze to him, her eyes cold and filled with an icy contempt.
The look in her eyes nearly suffocated Owen. It felt like an invisible hand was squeezing his chest, and in that moment, he almost drowned in the disgust and indifference he saw in her eyes.
“Let go,” Camila said, her voice frosty,
Owen’s fingers tightened reflexively. His eyes locked onto hers. “Camila, let me take care of your wound, okay?”
His voice was gentle, almost pleading. But to Camila, it sounded fake, only deepening her revulsion.
“I told you to let go. Don’t you understand?” Camila’s disdain was clear,
Owen felt like a thousand needles were stabbing his heart, the pain shooting through him. He looked at Camila’s cold, resolute face, and with trembling lips, he managed to utter one word. “Camila…”
That single word was filled with remorse, as if he was begging her to reconsider. But all he received was a deeper wave of disgust from her.
Camila’s patience had run out. A flicker of madness flashed in her eyes. Without warning, she slammed her head forcefully
into the wall.
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Chapter 21
The wound that had just begun to heal immediately split open again, and blood pured out, streaming down for face and staining her features in a grotesque, terrifying way.
With blood covering her face, she turned her gaze toward Owen. There was no trace of pain in her eyes, only a firm resolute determination. “Will you let go or not?”
Owen stood frozen, shocked by her sudden act of self–harm.
“You won’t let go, will you?” Camila slammed her head into the wall again. The dull, sickening sound of her head hitting the wall echoed down the hallway, each thud landing like a hammer blow to Owen’s heart.
His face went pale, and he almost lost his balance. “You’re insane?” His voice trembled. “Is this really what it takes for you to escape me–hurting yourself?”
Camila seemed to be in a frenzied state. As long as Owen wouldn’t let go, she kept slamming herself into the wall. Blood splattered onto the floor, forming pools that were almost too gruesome to look at
Her face grew paler with every passing moment as the blood continued to pour from her head.
Owen was tormented by her madness, the pain seeping deep into his bones, as if it were coming from his very soul.
“Why don’t you care about yourself?” His voice was raw and shaking as he desperately pulled her into his arms, almost as if he were trying to absorb her into himself. “Why do you have to hurt yourself just to punish me?”
She thought, ‘Care for myself? How ridiculous. If caring for herself had done any good, she wouldn’t be left deaf and crippled
“Let me go, or I’ll crash into the wall until I die right here in front of you, Camila threatened, struggling with whatever strength she had left, trying again to smash her head against the wall
Her energy was almost gone, but her stubbornness remained. Every time she struggled, it pulled at her wound, and fresh blood poured from her forehead, running down her face and dripping onto Owen’s arm. The warmth of it felt like scalding lava, burning through him.
Owen watched in horror, his voice breaking. “Camila, please… don’t.. I’ll let go. I’ll let go right now…”
His hands slowly loosened, and an unbearable feeling of reluctance gnawed at his chest, as if a thousand ants were eating away at his heart.
When Camila was no longer supported by him, her body swayed slightly. But just before Owen could move to steady her, she used all her strength to stay upright.
“Don’t touch me. Stay away from me, Camila said coldly, her voice unwavering. “We’re done. Let’s part ways and never see each other again.”
With those words, she limped toward the hospital exit. Her staggered steps were like broken drumbeats, each one striking deep into Owen’s heart.
He didn’t dare to get too close, but he couldn’t bear to let her walk away alone. So, he kept a careful distance, following her every step.
Camila didn’t want to go home yet. There, she would face the endless insults from the Jackson family. Instead, she sat on a bench outside the hospital, her gaze distant as she stared at the cars passing by.
Owen stood a short distance away, his eyes never leaving her. The blood on her forehead was so stark, it almost burned his
eyes.
Suddenly, he stopped a woman passing by and spoke to her. The woman looked surprised at first, then nodded and hurried
away.
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Chapter 21
A little while later, the woman returned, carrying a bag. She walked straight up to Camila and softly said, “Miss, your head is bleeding a lot. Let me help you clean it up.”
Camila glanced at the disinfectant, cotton swabs, and gauze in the bag, her heart giving a slight stir. She turned and looked
behind her.
Owen quickly stepped out of sight.
Camila looked around but didn’t see him. She gave the woman a small, appreciative smile. “Thank you”
Owen quietly stepped back into view, watching as Camila sat still, letting the woman tend to her wound. A sigh of relief escaped him, but his heart only ached more..
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