Chapter 45
As it turned out, Camilla really hadn’t been unfair to Davina after all.
The following evening, Camilla got a call from the hospital. Elise had suffered a fright, her condition had worsened, and she’d been rushed back to the ICU. Camilla barely had time to figure out what had happened when Laura’s name lit up her phone.
It was Calvin on the line. His voice was sharp and urgent. “Get to the police station right now. Do whatever it takes, but get Barnard out of there. This issue has to be covered up, and absolutely nothing can lead back to Barnard p>
Camilla gripped her phone tightly and didn’t answer for a long moment.
Honestly, today’s mess really was Davina’s doing.
Apparently, Davina had decided on her own to visit Elise at the hospital. That’s where she crossed paths with a former employer—someone she used to work for as a nanny. The story, as Camilla had pieced together from the nurses, went like this. While Davina was working for that family, she’d been careless, and their little girl had knocked over a pot of boiling water. The scalds were so severe that the child was hospitalized in the ICU. The parents, furious and heartbroken, had taken Davina to court.
Shortly after that, Barnard stepped in to “fix” things for Davina. To this day, Camilla had no idea what he’d actually done. All she knew came from hospital gossip and snippets from the nurses.
When Davina bumped into that family at the hospital, chaos followed. The parents shouted that she should pay with her life. Barnard showed up and tried to protect Davina, but in the commotion, Elise got scared and was rushed into the ICU herself.
Someone at the hospital ended up calling the police. That’s how the family, plus Barnard and Davina, all wound up at the station.
The whole thing was just… absurd. Camilla could hardly believe it. She’d always thought Davina was a little scatterbrained, but she never imagined she could be so reckless. Making a careless mistake as someone’s nanny was one thing, but to cause that kind of harm and then end up in this mess?
Still, all Camilla could really think about was Elise. With her mother in the ICU, how was she supposed to find the energy or the headspace to deal with Barnard and Davina’s trouble at the police station?
Camilla’s silence seemed to make Calvin even angrier. “Did you hear me? This can’t wait. Before anyone finds out, you need to get Barnard out of there—immediately p>
“Dad, my mom is still lying in the ICU, barely holding on. I don’t have the mindset to handle this right now. Please, could you go yourself?” Camilla finally replied.
She knew that the Carter family didn’t like her much. For years, she’d lived at the Carter Estate, always playing it safe, keeping quiet, doing whatever they said. But this time, Camilla pushed back, her voice firm for once.
Calvin snapped, “Your mother has nurses and doctors watching over her. There’s nothing you can do for her right now. The important thing is to use this chance to get Barnard out. If you really don’t feel comfortable, I’ll have Laura go to the hospital and stay with your mom. This is settled. Barnard is your husband, so it’s your responsibility to bring him home. I don’t want to hear anything else from you p>
He didn’t wait for her to answer. With a few angry words, Calvin abruptly hung up.
Camilla stood out in the hospital hallway, clutching her phone, staring at the “In Surgery” sign glowing by the operating room door. Her mind spun in circles. She didn’t want to go, not at all, but she didn’t really have a choice. For years, the Carter family had footed the bill for her mother’s treatment—Barnard and Calvin had always handled the negotiations. Now, with Barnard sitting at the police station, it would take nothing for Calvin to threaten to withdraw the money for Elise’s care or stop the hospital from treating her. Even if Camilla had a bit of savings now, she could never win that fight.
By the time she got to the police station, nothing had been settled.
Aaron stood waiting outside, looking like he’d just spotted his lifeline. “Camilla, you’re finally here. They won’t agree to a settlement, and things aren’t looking good. What should we do p>
Camilla could only sigh. Her whole body felt drained. “I’ll go in and see what’s going on p>
Inside the mediation room, a young couple was still furious, pointing at Davina and yelling. Next to them sat an older woman in her sixties, probably the grandmother. She stared at the floor, so quiet she barely seemed to breathe.
Davina, on the other hand, just repeated in a small voice, “I didn’t mean for it to happen. I didn’t do it on purpose… I’m sorry p>
Barnard stood between Davina and the family, shielding her. There was an obvious flicker of impatience in his eyes. “Why are you still making such a big deal? Didn’t we agree already? We gave you a million, you signed the settlement, and that should’ve been the end of it. Why are we still talking about this p>
The young man exploded. “A settlement? Are you kidding me? My daughter is still in the ICU! What kind of settlement is that?” He jabbed a finger at Barnard, voice shaking with anger. “You tricked my mother into signing those papers behind our backs while my wife and I were gone. What are those even worth? You people are heartless. My wife and I trusted you with our child, and now she’s in the ICU because of you. And you think a million settles it? Dream on p>
Listening to this argument, Camilla finally understood the whole story. The way Barnard had “fixed” things for Davina was by convincing an elderly woman—without her son or daughter-in-law there—to sign the settlement for the family.