Chapter 22
After Mia had the bath ready, Camilla soaked in the hot water, massaging the acupuncture points on her legs.
She calculated that with two more sessions, her legs would be fully recovered, and it would be time to return to the company.
As Camilla was getting dressed and coming out of the bathroom, she heard noises downstairs. She went to the window and saw Charles’s car pulling in.
When he got out of the car, Charles was visibly taken aback by the garden full of yellow roses. Just by looking at his back, Camilla could imagine his expression–shock and anger.
Camilla didn’t mind at all. In fact, she felt a bit of satisfaction. For all the years she had loved Charles, she had always put him first, almost forgetting her own preferences. Now, it was time for her to live for herself.
Her gaze shifted to Lucius and Cecilia, and her eyes softened. She picked up her white cane again and opened the door to go downstairs. As she reached the living room, Charles strode in.
“Charles, you’re back,” Camilla greeted him as gently as ever.
Charles’s face was far from pleasant. His first words were accusatory.
“Why did you pull out all the tulips in the garden without discussing it with me?”
Camilla felt a cold laugh inside. His anger was only because she had removed the flowers that his first crush loved the most.
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She innocently batted her eyelashes and threw the blame back at him. “I called you this morning and mentioned that I wanted to have the garden trimmed. Didn’t you say I could decide on matters at home?”
Charles was left speechless. He had indeed said that on the phone, but he hadn’t expected Camilla to replace all the tulips with yellow roses.
Charles had assumed that when Camilla mentioned trimming the garden she simply meant removing some weeds. After all, the tulips that filled the garden had been planted by Camilla herself on their wedding day.
Seeing that Charles was silent and visibly upset, Camilla stepped forward, feeling her way to his clothing and tugging at the corner of his shirt. She deliberately asked in a pitiful tone, “Charles, are you angry?”
Her question made it difficult for Charles to express his frustration, even if he wanted to.
“Of course not, how could I be angry with you?” Charles forced his voice to sound gentle as he touched Camilla’s face. “Why do you suddenly want. to plant yellow roses? Weren’t you always fond of tulips?”
Camilla felt a wave of irony.
Back in college, she had once mentioned to Charles that she liked roses. At the time, Charles hadn’t said anything, but later she overheard him on the phone with a friend, disdainfully describing roses as too gaudy.
Since he didn’t like them, she had never brought it up again.
In the years she had loved Charles, she had humbled herself to the point of losing herself. Now, it was time to find herself again.
“I like roses now,” Camilla said calmly.
Charles frowned, re–evaluating the woman in front of him. She still had the same face, looking just as she had before.
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Chapter 22
Yet Charles sensed that something about Camilla had changed. At the very least, the old Camilla would never have contradicted him.
“Daddy,” Cecilia ran over at that moment, grabbing Charles’s hand and shaking it playfully. “I’m so sleepy. I want to drink some milk and then go to bed.”
Camilla immediately said, “Cecilia, Lucius, let me warm up some milk for you.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Camilla realized she had been too eager. She was still pretending to be blind.
She nervously squeezed her white cane. Upon sensing Charles’s. scrutinizing gaze, Camilla’s back stiffened involuntarily.
But Charles said nothing. He released Cecilia’s hand and turned to Lucius. “Lucius, take Cecilia to your room first. I’ll bring the milk up later.”
