Chapter 436
But he was out of his mind that day. Was Lance too? Did he really not remember anything? Why did he keep it from her for so long?
And all this time, what was going through his head when he stayed by her side?
With the truth ripped open, Camilla felt nothing but an overwhelming sense of betrayal.
“Say something, Camilla. What exactly is going on between you and him?” Elise pressed anxiously, sensing something deeply wrong from Camilla’s reaction.
“I don’t know,” Camilla said.
Before, she could be absolutely certain of Lance’s sincerity. But now, she couldn’t tell what else was mixed in with it. Maybe Lance really did love her, but perhaps that love wasn’t as pure as she had thought.
“This is your own life, how can you say you don’t know?
“Weren’t you always the smart one?
“What happened to you these past few years? How did your life turn into such a mess?
“First you get played by the Carter family, and now you don’t even have Jasper’s paternity straightened out. Camilla, what is wrong with you?” Elise demanded. Every word felt like a heavy blow, suffocating Camilla under the mounting pressure.
Yeah, how did her life become such a mess?
Camilla wanted to know that, too.
Maybe it had been a mistake from the very beginning.
From the start, when she was so desperate to build a nest egg and fell for Barnard’s repeated manipulations—getting involved with him was her first mistake.
She hadn’t stayed true to herself, and this was her punishment.
Jasper looked back and forth between them before murmuring, “Grandma, Mom’s upset. Can you please stop yelling at her p>
Elise was worked up.
But more than that, she was terrified.
She had lived her whole life walking on eggshells. She was so afraid of Camilla being deceived and abandoned again, terrified that the vicious online rumors would drown them once more.
Unable to calm down, Elise snapped at her daughter again. “You just don’t listen anymore. Didn’t I tell you we should just live a quiet life? I told you to stay away from those wealthy families, but you never listen. You have to get burned before you learn your lesson. What am I supposed to do with you p>
Camilla’s mind was already a chaotic mess. Exhausted by the incessant nagging, she sighed. “Mom, maybe things aren’t as bad as you think. Just calm down and give me some time. Let me process this, okay p>
“You think I’m nagging? Camilla, I’m doing this for your own good. Your father is gone, and it hasn’t been easy for us to get to where we are now. I just want a peaceful life, is that too much to ask?” Elise cried.
Whether it was Tessa’s constant sabotage or the massive gap in their social standing, Elise had tolerated it all. She endured it because Camilla kept insisting that Lance was sincere, and Elise herself had seen how much he cared for her daughter.
But what if even Lance was playing her?
What was the point of holding on to this relationship then?
“Those billionaires aren’t meant for ordinary people like us. Listen to me, Camilla. Break up with Lance,” Elise insisted.
Despite the overwhelming storm of emotions raging inside her, hearing the words ‘break up’ triggered a sudden, fierce resolve in Camilla. “Mom, I don’t even have the full story yet. It’s too early to talk about breaking up. Let me ask Lance about it face-to-face first p>
Lance wasn’t like Barnard.
She couldn’t just condemn him without a trial. At the very least, she needed answers from him directly.
Even if it ultimately led to a breakup, she refused to let these unanswered questions fester in her heart forever.
“You—! Camilla! Why are you so blind? Do you have to humiliate yourself? What am I going to do with you?” Elise clutched her chest, her breathing growing ragged.
She had never realized her daughter could be so stubbornly devoted in love, willing to charge blindly into the dark fueled by nothing but blind faith.
“Even if you don’t care about yourself, think about Jasper! Are you going to drag him into this mess just for the sake of your so-called romance?” she gasped.
Camilla argued firmly, “It’s exactly for Jasper’s sake that I need to find out what his true intentions are. I have to know the truth before I decide if this relationship is worth saving p>
“You… you Elise gasped for air. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed heavily onto the sofa.
Terrified, Camilla frantically grabbed her phone to dial 911, shouting for Jasper to grab his things and stay close.
It all happened so fast, leaving her no time to process.
From the shocking revelation of Jasper’s paternity to her mother’s collapse, Camilla hadn’t had a single second to catch her breath.
With the staff off for the holidays, she was completely on her own. She had no choice but to bring Jasper along to the emergency room.