"Did you restore this bracelet?"Andres' voice was filled with doubt as he watched Dante descend the staircase. He seemed unhurried and seemingly unfazed by Andres' intensity."Yes," Dante replied with a faint smile playing on his lips, though his eyes carried a depth Andres could not quite read."But this bracelet was restored using Cam's techniques. She and I trained under the same mentor," Dante added calmly.Andres froze.How had Cam never mentioned this to him?He scrutinized Dante's expression, searching for a crack in his composure. Nonetheless, Dante stood serene and unyielding, allowing Andres to examine him as much as he wanted."That's impossible! You're lying!"Andres could not accept the possibility that his brief flicker of hope had been extinguished so quickly. His eyes reddened with frustration as he grabbed Dante's collar, his grip trembling with rage."Shay, escort Mr. Gardner downstairs and make sure he gets some rest," Dante instructed a nearby staff member
After being ordered to return to Saltsburg, Andres spiraled into self-destruction once more. He spent his days drifting between bars, drinking until he was completely unconscious.He avoided going home because the moment silence enveloped him, and his mind was plagued by the image of Camellia's disappointed and hurt expression.One night, he dreamed of her.In his dream, there was no mistaking her for a replacement, and there were no entanglements with Valentina.Instead, he accompanied Cam as they unfolded each wish star from her jar and set out to fulfill every single one.He took her to see the ocean and drove with her along the winding roads of the Galilea route. They even planted a sapling together and watched it slowly grow."Cam, when this tree reaches three feet tall, let's have a baby," he said, resting his chin on her head as he wrapped his arms around her. His heart brimmed with happiness and sweetness.However, in the next moment, Cam suddenly pushed him away with a
"Gemma? She's clearly my Cam!"Seeing Camellia appear before him so vividly again, Andres could not hold back his tears."Cam, I was wrong! I truly know I was wrong! It was my weakness and lack of control. I was despicable! Every mistake was mine, all of it!"I've already dealt with Valentina and made her life a living hell. I've also avenged you against Autumn and your father and made them pay for all the years they hurt you!"Despite everything he said, Camellia remained unmoved. Her eyes were filled with indifference, and she simply regarded him as if he were a stranger.Andres panicked instantly."Cam! I know I was wrong! Yell at me, hit me, or kill me if you want! Just please say something to me. Don't ignore me."Andres' desperate pleas began to draw the attention of onlookers. Dante's expression darkened as he grabbed Andres by the collar and leaned in to whisper sharply."Mr. Gardner, Camellia Shaw is dead. That's a fact everyone currently knows. If you're not afraid of
When Camellia arrived at the Antiquities Bureau, she was greeted by a man with a beer belly and a warm smile.He introduced himself as Cyrus Green, the head of the bureau's sponsorship department."Ms. Gilbert, we'll be relying on you over the coming days," he said politely while extending his hand.Camellia leaned forward to shake his hand and replied modestly, feeling slightly uneasy about his overly courteous manner. She brushed it off, assuming his politeness stemmed from her connections to the Gilbert family and her mentor.Immersing herself in her passion for restoration brought Camellia immense joy.While working, she could lose herself in her craft, leaving behind all the troubles of the outside world.Her colleagues appreciated her quiet focus and often spent hours alongside her, observing her work.Her restoration skills quickly gained their respect. She was not just a privileged young woman with a polished veneer. Her talent was evident, and this earned her genuine ki
Early Friday morning, Dante and Camellia prepared to set off.Camellia sat in the passenger seat, struggling with her seatbelt. No matter how hard she pulled, it just would not budge.Focused on mapping out the route, Dante finally noticed the persistent automated voice repeating, "Please fasten your seatbelt." He glanced over.Camellia's face was flushed red from her efforts, but the belt remained stuck.Dante reached over with one hand to help but found it just as jammed. Without hesitation, he unbuckled his own seatbelt and leaned closer to fix it.The space between them suddenly shrank, and Camellia's face turned an even deeper shade of red. She froze, unsure of how to react, and avoided looking directly at Dante.The air inside the car grew thick with tension. Camellia could hear her own heartbeat pounding louder and faster.With a soft click, the seatbelt finally snapped into place.Breaking the awkward silence, Dante leaned back and retrieved a bag of snacks from the bac
Holding firm to her belief that as long as she did not feel awkward, it would not directly affect her, Camellia quickly averted her gaze and focused on the burial artifacts before her.The most striking piece was a tall greenish-white porcelain soul jar that was over three feet tall. Its top featured a crane, the neck encircled by a coiled cloud dragon, with twelve figurines standing below the dragon.Camellia's eyes lit up with excitement, convinced that this trip was more than worth it.She chattered enthusiastically with Dante, speculating about the era these burial items might belong to and the identity of the tomb's owner.Dante watched her animated expressions with a gentle smile in his eyes, nodding occasionally as she spoke.Before long, the rain began to intensify.Glancing at the darkening sky, Russell urged everyone to hurry back, warning that the mountain path could become treacherous if they delayed.The archaeological team quickly packed up and started their descen
When Andres heard Camellia's decision, it felt as if something had pierced straight through his heart, leaving him on the brink of losing consciousness from the pain.Nevertheless, he did not blame her for her decision. After all, he was the one who wronged her first. He had no right to expect her to prioritize him again.Tears slipped silently from the corners of his eyes. A fleeting, almost maddened thought crossed his mind: why had the boulder not just killed him outright?Perhaps if it had, Camellia would never be able to forget him for the rest of her life.The boulder was quickly moved, but for Camellia, those few minutes felt like an eternity.Though Dante was gravely injured, he mustered the strength to force a faint smile at Camellia."Don't worry," he whispered.Camellia's eyes widened in alarm as she noticed a tear in Dante's shirt, revealing a deep wound on his chest that blood flowed out of relentlessly.Her gaze darted to the sharpest edge of the boulder, stained
Andres's eyes turned red instantly. His heart felt like it was being sliced apart and torn into shreds.He wanted nothing more than to storm into the room, shout that it was not allowed, and take Camellia away forcefully. He would hide her up for a lifetime if necessary.Nevertheless, he could not. He could not bear for Cam to hate him even more.She only said she wanted to be with Dante, not marry him. Maybe she was acting out of guilt or gratitude. Perhaps she did not even love Dante at all.Yes, that had to be it—Camellia surely did not love him.Convincing himself of this, Andres asked the caretaker to wheel him back to his room. He needed to figure out how to win back her forgiveness and, eventually, her heart.Inside the room, Dante's mind went blank. He had not expected Camellia to confess to him at such a moment.At first, a wave of immense joy surged through him, but he slowly withdrew his hand as reason returned."Cam, you don't have to—""No." Camellia cut him off f
Everyone was stunned by what they were witnessing.A man disguised as a waiter suddenly appeared, daring to disrupt Dante Jenkis' wedding."Cam, I'm begging you! Don't marry him. You have no idea how much it hurts me to see you holding another man's hand," Andres pleaded.He barely managed to say one sentence before the security team grabbed him by the arms. He struggled fiercely, with veins bulging on his forehead.Onstage, Camellia looked at Andres' chaotic display with a cold, unfeeling gaze. Not a single emotion rippled in her heart.Dante, however, could not suppress his anger. His face darkened as he watched Andres calling out Camellia's name in front of everyone. He moved to storm down the aisle with his fists clenched, ready to knock Andres out.Nevertheless, Camellia held him back, calming him just enough to signal for security to drag Andres away.Seeing that Camellia remained unmoved, Andres let out a heart-wrenching cry. With a sudden burst of strength, he broke free
The aftermath of their abstinence breaking in such an overwhelming way taught Camellia a painful lesson—never underestimate the stamina of a man like Dante. Her aching limbs and trembling legs were evidence enough."You provoked me first," Dante said smugly, pulling Camellia back into bed as she tried to sneak away.Wrapping an arm possessively around her waist, he effortlessly brought her back into his embrace, and the two found themselves entwined once more.After breaking down the invisible barrier between them, Dante seemed to transform into an entirely different person. The once gentle, composed, and scholarly man had vanished, replaced by someone clingy, domineering, and unapologetically intense.Even Ellis could not help but complain, grumbling that Dante now had a wife and no longer cared about his father.However, Ellis was not wrong. Once they moved in together, Dante took over every aspect of Camellia's life.Every morning, he woke early to prepare breakfast for her, c
Dante's arms instinctively encircled Camellia, and their gazes locked as she looked up. The air between them grew heavy with unspoken tension, and even their breaths seemed to heat the space.After a long pause, Dante lowered his head, and his chin brushed lightly against her hair.He simply held her, saying nothing, but his silence spoke volumes.Camellia's eyes flickered with an unidentifiable emotion. Ever since they had gotten together, apart from the one kiss Dante had given her when she first confessed, their relationship had lacked further intimacy.They were closer than friends but had not yet reached the depth of a truly intimate couple.She recalled the last time she had gone home to retrieve fresh clothes for him. Upon returning to the hospital, she overheard a heated argument between Dante and Ellis.She had not caught much of their conversation but could sense that the fight revolved around her. It was rare to see Dante so visibly agitated, and she suspected he still
Andres's eyes turned red instantly. His heart felt like it was being sliced apart and torn into shreds.He wanted nothing more than to storm into the room, shout that it was not allowed, and take Camellia away forcefully. He would hide her up for a lifetime if necessary.Nevertheless, he could not. He could not bear for Cam to hate him even more.She only said she wanted to be with Dante, not marry him. Maybe she was acting out of guilt or gratitude. Perhaps she did not even love Dante at all.Yes, that had to be it—Camellia surely did not love him.Convincing himself of this, Andres asked the caretaker to wheel him back to his room. He needed to figure out how to win back her forgiveness and, eventually, her heart.Inside the room, Dante's mind went blank. He had not expected Camellia to confess to him at such a moment.At first, a wave of immense joy surged through him, but he slowly withdrew his hand as reason returned."Cam, you don't have to—""No." Camellia cut him off f
When Andres heard Camellia's decision, it felt as if something had pierced straight through his heart, leaving him on the brink of losing consciousness from the pain.Nevertheless, he did not blame her for her decision. After all, he was the one who wronged her first. He had no right to expect her to prioritize him again.Tears slipped silently from the corners of his eyes. A fleeting, almost maddened thought crossed his mind: why had the boulder not just killed him outright?Perhaps if it had, Camellia would never be able to forget him for the rest of her life.The boulder was quickly moved, but for Camellia, those few minutes felt like an eternity.Though Dante was gravely injured, he mustered the strength to force a faint smile at Camellia."Don't worry," he whispered.Camellia's eyes widened in alarm as she noticed a tear in Dante's shirt, revealing a deep wound on his chest that blood flowed out of relentlessly.Her gaze darted to the sharpest edge of the boulder, stained
Holding firm to her belief that as long as she did not feel awkward, it would not directly affect her, Camellia quickly averted her gaze and focused on the burial artifacts before her.The most striking piece was a tall greenish-white porcelain soul jar that was over three feet tall. Its top featured a crane, the neck encircled by a coiled cloud dragon, with twelve figurines standing below the dragon.Camellia's eyes lit up with excitement, convinced that this trip was more than worth it.She chattered enthusiastically with Dante, speculating about the era these burial items might belong to and the identity of the tomb's owner.Dante watched her animated expressions with a gentle smile in his eyes, nodding occasionally as she spoke.Before long, the rain began to intensify.Glancing at the darkening sky, Russell urged everyone to hurry back, warning that the mountain path could become treacherous if they delayed.The archaeological team quickly packed up and started their descen
Early Friday morning, Dante and Camellia prepared to set off.Camellia sat in the passenger seat, struggling with her seatbelt. No matter how hard she pulled, it just would not budge.Focused on mapping out the route, Dante finally noticed the persistent automated voice repeating, "Please fasten your seatbelt." He glanced over.Camellia's face was flushed red from her efforts, but the belt remained stuck.Dante reached over with one hand to help but found it just as jammed. Without hesitation, he unbuckled his own seatbelt and leaned closer to fix it.The space between them suddenly shrank, and Camellia's face turned an even deeper shade of red. She froze, unsure of how to react, and avoided looking directly at Dante.The air inside the car grew thick with tension. Camellia could hear her own heartbeat pounding louder and faster.With a soft click, the seatbelt finally snapped into place.Breaking the awkward silence, Dante leaned back and retrieved a bag of snacks from the bac
When Camellia arrived at the Antiquities Bureau, she was greeted by a man with a beer belly and a warm smile.He introduced himself as Cyrus Green, the head of the bureau's sponsorship department."Ms. Gilbert, we'll be relying on you over the coming days," he said politely while extending his hand.Camellia leaned forward to shake his hand and replied modestly, feeling slightly uneasy about his overly courteous manner. She brushed it off, assuming his politeness stemmed from her connections to the Gilbert family and her mentor.Immersing herself in her passion for restoration brought Camellia immense joy.While working, she could lose herself in her craft, leaving behind all the troubles of the outside world.Her colleagues appreciated her quiet focus and often spent hours alongside her, observing her work.Her restoration skills quickly gained their respect. She was not just a privileged young woman with a polished veneer. Her talent was evident, and this earned her genuine ki
"Gemma? She's clearly my Cam!"Seeing Camellia appear before him so vividly again, Andres could not hold back his tears."Cam, I was wrong! I truly know I was wrong! It was my weakness and lack of control. I was despicable! Every mistake was mine, all of it!"I've already dealt with Valentina and made her life a living hell. I've also avenged you against Autumn and your father and made them pay for all the years they hurt you!"Despite everything he said, Camellia remained unmoved. Her eyes were filled with indifference, and she simply regarded him as if he were a stranger.Andres panicked instantly."Cam! I know I was wrong! Yell at me, hit me, or kill me if you want! Just please say something to me. Don't ignore me."Andres' desperate pleas began to draw the attention of onlookers. Dante's expression darkened as he grabbed Andres by the collar and leaned in to whisper sharply."Mr. Gardner, Camellia Shaw is dead. That's a fact everyone currently knows. If you're not afraid of