Chapter 7

Since I felt completely uncomfortable being here, I decided to just leave. That’s right, I chose to go home. I’d much rather sleep in my own room at home and spend my vacation reading novels than have to constantly feel heartbroken at this villa.

That very night, I immediately packed all my belongings into my bag. However, as I was walking through the outdoor lobby on my way to find the exit, I was forced to stop in my tracks. There, I saw Javier and Adriana having a heated argument near the parking area.

My appearance, dragging my suitcase, immediately caught their attention.

“Where are you going?” Javier asked, cutting off their argument and glaring at me.

“Home,” I replied, my jaw clenched, trying to sound as casual as possible.

“It’s late at night. There won’t be any public transportation around here, Camila,” Javier retorted, his voice rising in disapproval of my unilateral decision.

“I can find my own way,” I said coldly, then resumed walking, ignoring his warning.

However, after just a few steps, he grabbed my wrist.

“Javi, where are you going?!” Adriana screamed hysterically when she saw Javier snatching the suitcase from my hand.

“You wait here. I’m taking Camila home right now,” Javier ordered without looking back at his fiancée.

“This is our vacation, Javier! Why do you want to go home? There are plenty of other people who can take her home if she’s so stubborn about going back. There’s Pedro and the others, too! Don’t be like this, Javier. When else will we get to vacation together?” Adriana screamed, her beautiful face flushed with anger.

“I can’t just entrust Camila to them like that,” Javier replied coldly and firmly. “You wait here. I have to take her home.”

“You really have changed, Javi! You don’t care about me at all anymore!”

Hearing the heated argument caused by my presence, I could only let out a heavy sigh. Honestly, for God’s sake, I didn’t want him to drive me home at all. I didn’t want to owe him a favor or be stuck in the same car with him again tonight.

“Just stay with your boyfriend. I can go home on my own!” I snapped, trying to yank my hand free from Javier’s grip.

“See, she said she can go home on her own, right? Besides, why does she have to go home this late anyway? Just go home together tomorrow morning,” Adriana chimed in, joining in to corner me into giving up on my plan.

I fell silent, looking back and forth between the two people in front of me. Realizing that insisting on leaving would only cause the argument between them to escalate further, I finally decided to give in.

“Fine, I’ll just go home tomorrow,” I said, then turned around to go back inside the inn, leaving Javier and Adriana behind.

As soon as I got inside my room, I immediately shut the wooden door tightly. However, just as I was about to lie down on the bed, my door was suddenly shoved open roughly from the outside. I was startled to find Adriana already standing there.

She closed the door behind her with a soft thud, then stared at me with an intensely sharp and hate-filled glare—a stark contrast to the friendly, coquettish facade she usually put on in front of everyone.

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you? You deliberately staged that ridiculous drama so Javier would shift all his attention to you and ruin our vacation? You did it on purpose, didn’t you, Camila?!” she accused me relentlessly, stepping forward to intimidate me.

“I didn’t do that. I just wanted to go home because I’m uncomfortable here,” I protested, trying to keep my voice from trembling.

“Liar! I know everything, Camila. I know you like Javier, don’t you?”

Thud!

Adriana’s words instantly made all the air in my lungs vanish. My heart was pounding wildly. I never expected this sexy woman to sniff out the darkest secret I’d hidden deep in my heart.

I tried to shake my head as naturally as possible, hiding the panic that was nearly breaking down my defenses. “What are you talking about? Don’t make things up.”

“I can see it very clearly in your eyes, Camila! What if Auntie found out about this disgusting secret? How would she react if she knew that the orphan she took in out of pity actually dared to fall for her own biological son?” Adriana sneered with a condescending smile that cut deep.

I clenched both my fists tightly at my sides. My fingernails dug into my palms until it stung, holding back the surge of rage and overwhelming shame at having my background so thoroughly insulted.

Adriana stepped even closer, her face mere centimeters from mine. “Don’t you ever, even once, try to take Javier away from me, Camila. If you dare to do so, I swear I’ll make your life a living hell for the rest of your days. You’re just a loner with nothing in this world. It would be all too easy for me to destroy you until there’s nothing left of you. Remember that well!”

After spewing such a cruel threat, Adriana turned and walked away, slamming my bedroom door so hard it produced a thunderous, echoing bang.

I stood frozen alone in the middle of the room, which suddenly felt so cold. My body was shaking violently. All this time, I’d felt I’d been very careful to hide these forbidden feelings from everyone.

But how did Adriana find out? How could that woman read my heart so well that she dared to make such a cruel threat?

Those questions kept swirling in my head, leaving behind a new fear that slowly began to creep in and grip my chest so tightly.

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