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 Ashton. 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?”
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: In Love, Never Say Never (Ashton Fuller and Scarlett Stovall)