Chapter 21
Julian saw what was happening and quickly walked over, deliberately clearing his throat twice.
He couldn’t believe it. Brittany’s eyes were clearly open, but why was Camilla already acting like they were planning a funeral?
He couldn’t help but roll his eyes a little.
“Ms. Jaeger, Mr. Ford is here to see you.” Julian raised his voice slightly.
Callum exhaled in relief, his eyes darkening slightly.
Camilla spotted him standing elegantly and composed in the doorway. She rushed over, wiping her tears.
“Mr. Ford, thank god you’re here! Britty nearly died. If we’d been two minutes later, the doctor said I would’ve had to bury my daughter… Please, you have to talk to her. She can’t keep doing this. My heart just can’t take it.”
She shook her head dramatically, her face full of sorrow.
“I want to speak with Brittany alone,” Callum said, his eyes fixed on the pale–faced woman lying on the hospital bed.
He stepped closer, his voice cold. “Why would you do something so stupid?”
Brittany’s eyelashes fluttered before she slowly opened her eyes.
The moment she saw him, she gave a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. The tears, however, came streaming down.
“My career… It’s over,” she whispered, voice thin and broken with despair.
“I’m public enemy number one. Everyone hates me. What’s the point of living like this?”
She cried even more, and her voice choked with emotion.
“I didn’t want to make things harder for you. If I’m gone,
it’ll be easier for you and everyone.”
She paused, looking at him with eyes filled with tears. Her voice dropped even lower, thick with sorrow and longing.
“I just… couldn’t let go of you.”
Callum’s heart twinged, like it had been struck. It wasn’t hard, but enough to shake him. That cold, sharp edge inside him softened in an instant.
His voice came out quieter and gentler that even he didn’t notice the shift. “I told you I’ll handle it.”
He met her eyes and said firmly, “When have I ever not taken care of you?”
Those words were like a lifeline, In an instant, the dying flame in Brittany’s eyes flared back to life.
She grabbed his hand tightly, desperate for affirmation. “Callum, you really… You really mean it? You’ll help me?”
The hope she’d buried deep surged back like a tidal wave, threatening to drown her.
Callum looked at her, a quiet sigh rising in his chest. “Don’t ever do something that stupid again,” he said.
He gently pulled his hand away and adjusted her blanket. The motion wasn’t exactly tender, but it carried a kind of firm care that didn’t invite argument.
“I booked your favorite restaurant. We’ll have dinner tomorrow night.”
Brittany immediately understood.
He was going to make it public. He was going to stand by her and clear her name.
She could barely believe her ears. Pure joy exploded in her chest, but she forced herself to keep that fragile, tearful expression on her face.
She nodded, looking sweet and shaken, like a frightened little bunny.
This was it. She had escaped death–literally and figuratively.
As long as Callum was willing to speak up for her, who cared about the hate? The losses? None of it mattered anymore.
This disaster might just turn out to be her lucky break.
She reached for his hand again, this time with a touch of girlish playfulness. “Callum, you’re so good to me. I’m really lucky to have jumped into the sea that day and saved you.”
She paused deliberately, watching his reaction. When he didn’t respond, she went on, her voice trembling with calculated emotion.
“You know… I was about to go under, too, but I kept thinking that I had to save you. I couldn’t let anything happen to you. Thankfully, you woke up in the end. Everyone laughed at me for giving you CPR along with my first kiss…”
Every word hit right at Callum’s deepest guilt.
It was emotional leverage–carefully delivered. And sure enough, his thoughts drifted back to that day.
The ice–cold seawater and the suffocating, near–death panic. Then he was pulled out, struggling to open his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Brittany’s face, soaked with seawater, but still breathtakingly beautiful.
江
