Chapter 16
The paparazzi had a field day, splashing photos of them at various events all over the trending searches. Clueless netizens were cheering them on, urging Cameron and Greta to tie the knot already.
Cameron, however, ignored the online chatter about marriage, showing no signs of setting the record straight.
Nellie was unfazed and cool as a cucumber, promptly telling Milana, (I can’t stand articles like this. Please don’t send them my way anymore.]
[Nel, are you really over Cameron?] Milana asked, tom between love and exasperation for her friend.
Every time Nellie swore she’d steer clear of Cameron, she’d end up running back to him the moment he sweet talked her.
[My love–stricken days are over. I never want to see Cameron and Greta again in my life. Don’t mention them to me anymore.]
Milana replied: [Nellie, I hope you mean it this time.]
After getting her paycheck for the month, Nellie set aside a few hundred euros for next month’s essentials and saved the remaining thousand euros.
She bought books and dove into her studies whenever she could. Burning the midnight oil, she soaked up inspiration from this fashion mecca like a sponge. Nellie was making great strides.
In the end, hard work paid off. Nellie got into the top fashion school in Milan, enrolling as a fashion design student. Howeber, the eye-watering tuition fee on the acceptance letter felt like a punch to the gut.
Eight thousand euros a year?
Sure, it might be a bargain for some, but for her–someone struggling to make ends meet–It was a fortune.
Her account held just over four thousand euros, and in this foreign land where she knew no one, borrowing money wasn’t an option.
Nellie sat on the cold floor of her rented room, her mind racing through the night. At dawn, she slowly got up, walked to her safe, and took out the platinum ring she’d brought from home, adorned with tiny pink diamonds.
It was Cameron’s engagement gift to her. She’d planned to keep it as a reminder of those painful times, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Clutching the ring, Nellie headed to a jewelry pawnshop.
The shop owner lit up at the sight of her ring. “The diamonds are small, and the band’s thin, but it’s a major brand’s piece. I’ll take it.”
Nellie couldn’t help a bitter smile. The ring was just a promo item, a freebie Cameron got when he bought Greta’s ridiculously expensive birthday present. He’d used it to propose to her on a whim.
“How much?” Nellie asked, pushing away the unpleasant memories. She was focused on the here and now.
“Four thousand euros,” the owner offered.
“Deal,” Nellie replied without hesitation.
With this money added to her savings, she finally had enough for tuition.
After collecting the four thousand euros, she left the ring behind and walked out without a backward glance.
By the time she made her way home, night had fallen.
Nellie hurried down the street towards her rented place. As she crossed the Milan Grand Bridge, where the streetlights were few and far between, she heard faint gasping sounds in the shadows.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she froze on the spot, feeling small and fragile. It took her a while to steady her nerves before she dared
to trace the sound.
Behind a bridge pillar, she discovered a young man in distress. When she got a good look at his face, Nellie was utterly stunned.
