Chapter 157 No Regrets After Trying
Camilla suddenly remembered that Betty had mentioned a pervert near Harmony College who liked to stalk female students, especially at night.
A girl had already been molested by him, but after reporting it to the police, they hadn't caught him.
Thinking of this, Camilla's breath tightened, and she quickened her pace.
But the footsteps behind her also sped up.
Instinctively, she placed her hand near the opening of her bag.
Although she often commuted with Sebastian, there were times when their schedules were completely mismatched due to being busy.
Camilla lived alone, so she used to carry a bottle of pepper spray in her bag.
She didn't expect it to come in handy today.
The footsteps grew closer, and the shadow behind her seemed to be closing in, almost overlapping with Camilla's own shadow.
Camilla instinctively held her breath, her body tensed, and her hand reached into her bag, touching the cold bottle.
Just as Camilla mustered the courage to pull out the pepper spray and strike first, a familiar voice called out, "Camilla!"
She looked up.
It was Marcus, holding an umbrella, standing not far away with one hand in his pocket, his sharp gaze directed behind her.
The footsteps suddenly stopped.
The man seemed to freeze in place, then turned and ran away.
Marcus strode forward, his previously stern expression softening instantly. "How are you?"
Camilla's tense nerves relaxed, and she let out a long breath, realizing that her clothes were soaked with cold sweat and her limbs were weak.
Marcus helped her up and then took out his phone. "Hey, near College Avenue, keep an eye out for a pervert who likes to stalk female students. Let me know if you hear anything."
Camilla was still immersed in her fear and couldn't speak.
Marcus felt a bit of heartache, wanting to hold her and give her some support, but his hand, raised several times, ultimately fell back down.
"Are you okay?"
Marcus seldom spoke so gently to someone else.
Camilla shook her head lightly, her voice a bit hoarse. "I'm fine, thank you."
Seeing her hair and clothes were wet, Marcus took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "Let's go, I'll take you home."
Camilla didn't refuse. She nodded and pulled the jacket tighter around her.
The black suit jacket, still warm, was large and long, enveloping her like a protective shield.
There was no smell of smoke or sweat, just a faint mint scent.
Marcus shared an umbrella with her, matching her pace without urging or comforting her with words.
Because Marcus knew that at this moment, she just needed a little time.
Sure enough, Camilla gradually calmed down.
"Why are you here?" she asked Marcus.
"It's too late. It's not safe for you to come back from the lab alone."
"So you waited for me the whole time?"
"Yes." Marcus raised an eyebrow. "As it turns out, my concern wasn't unfounded, right?"
He chuckled and continued, "Without my waiting, how could I have had my moment to save you? So, you see, God is fair. You get what you give."
Camilla was amused by his words, but she was genuinely grateful for Marcus today; otherwise, the consequences could have been dire.
"Thank you." Sincerely.
Marcus said, "Why do you always say thank you to me? Can't you say something else?"
"Like what?"
"You're so handsome, I'm smitten, let's date, be my boyfriend, something like that."
"You're getting bolder." Camilla laughed.
"I always have bold ideas."
Camilla replied, "Let them be just ideas."
Marcus pretended not to understand her subtle rejection and smiled, "Ideas first, then actions."
"It might not work out." Camilla said deliberately.
"That's okay. As long as I've tried, I won't have any regrets. Who knows, it might just work out?"
Camilla didn't respond.
Marcus walked her to the stairs. "Go on."
"Thank you."
"If anything happens, you can call me. No matter when, I'll be there as soon as possible."
"Okay."
"See, you're brushing me off again. You must be thinking: Okay, I'll agree now, but if something really happens, I won't call him."
Camilla's mouth twitched.
"I know you're very independent and used to living alone, but occasionally, if you need help, I hope you'll think of me. Maybe not the first person, but at least think of me, okay?"
Camilla chuckled, "Okay."
"Go on up."
Marcus watched her go upstairs, only leaving when he saw the light in her room turn on.
Amara had been resting at the villa for over half a month, and the baby was gradually growing up.
During this time, she had been well taken care of, and with Leopold not coming home, no one was there to scold or humiliate her, so her days were quite comfortable.
She even gained 5 pounds.
In contrast, Elodie was exhausted and had to endure Amara's occasional antics.
Although she hadn't lost weight, her face visibly showed signs of fatigue.
She was losing hair, and couldn't sleep well at night.
Whenever Amara had a craving or wanted to do something, she would wake Elodie up, regardless of whether she was asleep.
A few times were okay, but after many times, Elodie was driven to the point of nervous breakdown by Amara. Even when Amara wasn't causing trouble, Elodie would wake up from nightmares.
Then she would be unable to sleep for the rest of the night.
Meanwhile, Amara ate well, slept soundly, and went shopping without restraint, completely unaware of what moderation meant.
Elodie, annoyed, left her at the mall and returned to the villa herself.
When Amara came back and didn't see Elodie, she found her comfortably lying on the couch eating watermelon. Amara immediately sneered. "Leaving me alone at the mall and coming back to enjoy yourself, you're really responsible! What if something happened to me out there? Don't you care about me or your grandson?"
Elodie, who had barely relaxed, was speechless at this accusation. "There are so many security guards at the mall, and Mira is with you. What could possibly happen? I think you have a persecution complex! I'm doing this for my grandson, not for you. If you want me to follow you around 24/7, you're not worth it."
With that, Elodie scoffed, rolled her eyes, and ignored her.
Amara's eyes blazed with anger, her jaw clenched.
But soon, she adjusted her mood and lazily instructed Lisa to wash some cherries for her.
Then she turned and headed to the small pavilion in the backyard to bask in the sun.
"Oh, by the way, Mira, bring me my sunscreen."
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
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