Chapter 3
After Camryn noted the date, she politely said her goodbyes.
On her way home, Xavion’s call suddenly came through.
“Are you out?” His tone sounded usually urgent.
Startled, Camryn was about to respond when he cut her off.
“Wherever you are, come to One Hospital in the city center immediately.”
In all the time they’d been together, Camryn had never seen him this frantic. She hesitated for a moment but ultimately asked the driver to turn around.
As soon as she arrived at the emergency room, she saw Xavion standing there, perfectly unharmed.
If he was fine, who…
Before she could ask what was going on, a nurse appeared and guided her into a room next door.
“O-negative blood, correct?” she asked Camryn, who nodded in confusion.
The nurse quickly inquired about her health and, without much explanation, inserted a large needle into her arm.
Camryn let out a soft hiss at the sharp sting of pain. It was only then that she realized they were drawing her blood.
As the blood flowed into the bag, the nurse struck up a conversation with her.
“So, miss, what’s your relationship with that handsome guy outside? His girlfriend got into a car accident near the airport and was rushed here. He was so panicked he practically lost it and even pulled strings to call the hospital director in.
“Our blood bank is critically low, and he made endless calls before finally bringing you in. You can really tell how much he loves his girlfriend.”
Hearing this, Camryn felt her heart clench violently.
It was as if a pair of hands had reached into her chest and squeezed with unrelenting force. Even though the hands had already been unclenched, she still couldn’t catch her breath, the pain lingering like an open wound.
So, Xavion had called her here to donate blood to Zara Joel?
The thought hit her like a blow. Leaving aside that this was a cruel reminder of her position as a stand-in for Zara, Xavion knew Camryn had severe anemia.
Had he forgotten? Or had he simply decided Zara’s life was worth the risk to hers?
After the donation, she sat in the chair for a full 30 minutes before she felt stable enough to stand. During that time, Xavion didn’t come to check on her or ask if she was okay once.
There was no doubt that Xavion was still by Zara’s side.
After all, Camryn was just a stand-in. How could she possibly deserve his compassion?
Smiling bitterly, she leaned against the wall and stepped outside. The moment she did, she noticed the lights in the operating room had gone out.
The doctors wheeled the patient out, and Xavion, looking frantic, hurriedly followed, pushing the bed into the hospital room.
Camryn watched him sit beside the bed through the window, tightly gripping the pale hand, his face full of worry and fear.
Camryn felt her chest tighten.
From what she remembered, Xavion always seemed detached and calm, as if nothing could have affected him, no matter what had happened.
After five years of knowing him, this was the first time she had seen this look on his face.
So, this was what it looked like when he truly loved someone.
Xavion didn’t come home for the next four or five days.
Even though Camryn knew he was at the hospital, she never contacted him.
During this time, she did three things.
The first was to submit her resignation letter.
The second was to take out her suitcase and begin packing.
The third was to mark the date she would leave on the calendar.
As the days passed and her departure neared, the confusion in her heart gradually settled.
Xavion finally returned on a sunny day after the rainy season ended.
The moment he stepped into the house, he noticed something was wrong. He frowned when he saw the boxes.
“Why did you bring back all the stuff from the office?”
Then, his breath faltered when he spotted the suitcase in the room. “Why are you suddenly packing your things?”
Finally, his gaze landed on the calendar, which had a circle drawn around the 30th. He turned to her and asked, “What is this circle on the 30th?”
Camryn paused upon hearing the three questions. She didn’t hide anything. “I found a job I’m more interested in, so I resigned. I’m packing because I’m leaving for a place far away. The 30th is the day I’m leaving.”
Camryn took a deep breath, preparing to tell Xavion that she was leaving and that they needed to break up.
“Do you have a moment? There’s something important I need to talk to you about. I—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Xavion’s phone suddenly rang.
Xavion quickly pressed the answer button when he looked at the screen and saw Zara’s name.
Zara’s playful voice soon came through the speaker.
“Xavion, thank you for taking care of me these past few days. My friend is throwing me a welcome-back party. Want to come join us?”
Xavion was about to agree but then seemed to remember something. He turned to Camryn. “You said you had something important to talk about. Is it urgent?”
He couldn’t have made his intentions any clearer.
Camryn shook her head, “It’s not important. If you have something to do, go ahead.”
Zara, hearing the unfamiliar tone, chuckled in surprise.
“Is that your girlfriend? Bring her along, then! She’s the one who gave me her blood, right? I haven’t properly thanked her yet.”
When Xavion heard the mention of blood donation, he froze. Instinctively, he covered the receiver and stepped aside.
The conversation continued out of Camryn’s earshot. By the time Xavion returned, he was already ushering Camryn out the door. Before she could even speak, he had eagerly led her to the car.
On the way, he briefly explained what had happened a few days ago.
“The person who called just now was… a friend. She got into a car accident when she returned to the country. The hospital had a shortage of blood. I called you since you have the same blood type as her. It was an emergency. I didn’t have time to explain it properly. Did you not message me these past few days because of that?”
“No, I’ve just been resting because of anemia,” Camryn spoke in a calm tone as if it didn’t matter.
Xavion’s heart tightened as he noticed her pale face. Guilt suddenly rushed over him.
How could he have forgotten about her anemia?
Just as he was about to apologize and ask what kind of gift he could get to make it up to her, Camryn had already closed her eyes, giving the impression that it didn’t matter to her.
In the end, Xavion, too, fell silent.
