Chapter 012

“Cole," Camila whispered as she gently reached out to touch his hand.

His chest rose and fell in a steady, unsettling rhythm. The last time she'd seen him like this, they were kids, and he'd accidentally eaten a peanut butter sandwich at school. The memory flashed before her eyes: the frantic rush to the hospital, the suffocating fear, the helplessness.

Now history had repeated itself.

She looked around the room, expecting to see Rachel, but she was nowhere to be found.

Shouldn't she be right by his side?

Just then, the door swung open, and a chorus of voices shouted.

"SURPRISE!"

Camila snapped her head toward the doorway. Rachel stood there, grinning, surrounded by Cole's friends and a scattering of unfamiliar faces. A man holding a violin stood out in the crowd.

Before she could process the chaos, they began to sing, "Happy birthday to you..." with a man playing the violin along with them.

Camila blinked, turning to Cole only to find him seated upright, grinning from ear to ear. It was the kind of smile he wore when he’d pulled off a particularly elaborate prank as a kid.

Camila remained frozen; the cheerful "Happy Birthday" melody grated on her ears.

*Birthday?*

She'd been halfway across the world, panicked, convinced her brother was dying, and they were throwing a *surprise party*!

The singing stopped, and the room erupted into applause and cheers. Camila's gaze darted around the room, taking in the sea of smiling faces before returning to her brother's reassuring smile.

"Happy birthday, sis," he said, spreading his arms out for an embrace.

Camila didn't move, didn't respond; she just sat there like a statue carved. Her gaze, fixed on Cole, was cold, devoid of the warmth that made Cole’s smile drop immediately. In fact, all smiles around her faltered, and the room seemed to hold its breath.

Silence took over, everyone exchanging awkward glances and grimaces, waiting for someone to speak.

Cole finally let out a sigh.

"Camila....listen—"

Camila raised her hand, silencing him. She shot up from the bed, grabbed her purse, and brushed past the stunned guests, bumping into some of them.

"Camila..." Cole scrambled out of the bed, rushing toward her. Meanwhile, Rachel, already at the door, had quickly grabbed onto Camila's arm.

"Camila... Wait—"

"Take your hands off me," Camila spat, her voice laced with a venomous coldness that made Rachel flinch.

She wrenched her arm away, the force of her movement almost sending Rachel stumbling.

She turned her icy gaze to Cole, who had just reached them. "And you," she pointed at him, "don't even bother."

"Camila, please, just listen," Cole pleaded, his voice cracking. "We didn't mean to—"

"You didn't mean to what? Make me believe you were dying?" she interrupted, her voice rising. "You didn't mean to play with my emotions like this? You knew exactly what you were doing."

She glanced back at the room, where the stunned guests were still watching. "I appreciate you all for the well wishes," she said, "but did you all think this was a good idea? You all thought this was funny?"

She turned back to Cole, her eyes blazing. "Don't you dare come after me."

She pushed past them, her shoulder brushing against Cole's, and walked out the door. She didn't look back. She didn't want to see their faces. She didn't want to hear their apologies. She just wanted to leave, to escape the suffocating atmosphere.

"I told you guys this was a bad idea," someone behind her said, and another chimed in.

"No one thought she'd overreact like this."

Their voices faded behind her as she walked down the hallway, gripping her purse like she would rip it off at any moment.

How could he play with her emotions like that?

She ran like a madwoman from the airport, only to see a twisted joke.

How could Cole do this? Trick her into returning to the one place she dreaded, the place where old wounds were still fresh? He knew her triggers, her fears. And yet he forced her to come anyway.

For a birthday? It wasn't like they were never going to celebrate birthdays again.

How could he be so selfish?

She reached the elevator and slid inside, but then memories of her earlier encounter with Lawson came flooding back.

All thanks to Cole, she saw her ex-husband again. A man who brought nothing but pain to her life. The man she had fought so hard to forget as if he didn't exist.

She stepped out of the elevator and rushed out of the hospital. She didn't know where to go, but for now, she needed to clear her head before preparing to return to Australia.

As she stormed through the hospital's main entrance, she accidentally collided with someone.

"Watch it!" a familiar voice exclaimed.

Camila blinked, her vision clearing, and found herself face-to-face with Lawson. Again.