Chapter 6
It took her a while to regain control of her trembling fingers and try to make a call. However, when she opened her contact list, she froze. She did not know who to call.
Jameson? He no longer deserved her trust.
There were no direct flights to South City, so she booked a rideshare and took a connecting high-speed train, doing everything she could to reach there by 5:00 pm.
The sky was gloomy and heavy with a sense of foreboding.
Camille did not waste a second. She rushed straight to the cemetery—straight to her grandmother’s grave.
When she arrived, Sylvia was already bending down, reaching behind the tombstone and pulling out the urn.
Camille’s mind went blank again. She screamed, “Don’t you dare touch my grandma!”
She sprinted toward Sylvia.
Sylvia turned her head slightly with a strange smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
Just a second before Camille’s hands could reach the urn, Sylvia let go of it. The urn hit the ground with a sharp crack and shattered into pieces.
Camille dropped to her knees, frantically trying to scoop up her grandmother’s ashes. However, the cold wind blew in gusts, scattering the powdery remains between the gaps of her fingers, little by little.
“Grandma! Grandma!” Camille’s voice broke into a hoarse, heart-wrenching cry.
It was all her fault. She was blind and fell for the wrong man.
However, why punish her grandmother? Why not her instead?
She would have rather died and have her own ashes scattered!
Why did she ever meet Jameson?
Why did she follow him to South City?
She sprang up, having lost all sense. Her eyes were bloodshot as she lunged toward Sylvia. “Sylvia! Give me back my grandma!”
Sylvia let out a startled cry and fell to the ground, but even then, there was a mocking smirk on her face.
Before Camille could lay a hand on her, her wrist was seized. The slap she raised never landed.
Tears rolled down Sylvia’s cheeks. “Jameson! Ms. Fields just appeared out of nowhere. I was so scared! I didn’t mean to drop the urn. I’m sorry…”
Jameson did not hesitate for a second. “Sylvia, it’s not your fault.”
At that moment, something inside Camille broke. Even the searing pain in her soul vanished.
She turned her head and looked at the man she had once loved with everything she had. Her voice was hollow. “Let go of me.”
Jameson, suppressing his anger, replied, “Camille, Sylvia didn’t do it on purpose…”
Camille felt nothing but disgust. She could not bear another second of his touch.
She struggled with all her might. Her bones felt like they were being crushed, but still, she could not break free.
So, she turned her head and sank her teeth hard into his arm.
Jameson did not fight back. He just grew angrier. “Camille, I know you’re hurting. But Sylvia already said she’s sorry. What more do you want?”
Camille bit down even harder.
Tears she thought had long dried up began to fall again.
Jameson glanced at Sylvia, who lay on the ground, and tried to reason with Camille. “I’ve already picked a new plot for your grandma. It’s more spacious and upscale. Don’t do this anymore, Camille. Let’s gather what’s left of the ashes and give her a proper burial.”
Camille stared at him for a few seconds. Then, she let go and took a large step back, turning to collect the remnants of the ashes on her own.
When Jameson tried to help, she shoved him aside. “I don’t need you!”
Not in this life and not in the next. She never wanted to see him again.
Jameson frowned. “Camille, you…”
Sylvia suddenly coughed up blood and whimpered, “Jameson, am I dying?”
Jameson quickly said over his shoulder, “Camille, I’ll take her to the hospital and come right back!”
He rushed off, carrying Sylvia in his arms and leaving the cemetery behind.
Camille ignored them.
She carefully gathered what was left of the ashes, picked up the shattered pieces of the urn, and left.
That night, she took her grandmother’s ashes back home and laid her to rest again. She kneeled before the new grave with her eyes swollen red.
“Grandma, don’t worry. I’ll forget Jameson and live my life well.”
Then, she rose and headed straight for South City.
She went to Ryan’s place and waited for him to come downstairs so that they could go to the airport together.
Her phone vibrated. When she looked down, she saw that it was a message from Jameson.
[Camille, I’ll be home tonight. I know that everything that has happened lately is my fault. But I have my reasons. I’ll explain it all in person. I promise I’ll change. It won’t happen again.]
[I’ve prepared a surprise for you. I know you’ll love it. Please wait for me at home, okay?]
Ryan looked over. “Camille, who is it?”
Camille gave a faint smile. “A scam text.”
She blocked Jameson’s number, ensuring he could never contact her. Then, she powered off her phone.
She helped Ryan out of the car and walked straight toward the airport security checkpoint without looking back.
