Chapter 59
Cameron stood at the door for what felt like forever, his face set in a permanent scowl. Eventually, he had no choice but to head back home to the Capital with Greta in tow.
After shaking off the travel fatigue, Cameron returned home. But instead of going to the Dawson family’s sprawling mansion, he opied for the smallest of his properties–the modest apartment that had once been his and Nellie’s home.
This place was just 960 square feet, which was a decent spot for anyone else in that area. But as the heir to the Dawson family, with billions in assets and countless luxurious estates, choosing this as their home was a clear sign of how little he thought of Nellie.
Back then, Cameron figured that for a girl who’d grown up without love and was used to surviving by scrounging around, the life he offered was a gift.
She used to seem so content.
But when did she start wanting to break free from the illusion he’d crafted for her?
Cameron sat by the window, a cigarette in hand, lost in memories that washed over him like waves.
“Honey, it’s our anniversary today. Can you come home early, please?” Nellie would always cautiously watch for his reaction.
“I’m tied up today.”
“Is it something at work?” she asked, her voice trembling as she tried to mask her disappointment.
*No, I need to spend time with your sister.”
“Honey, just for today, could you be with me, please?” She clung to his wrist, desperation in her grip.
He shrugged her off. “You can celebrate on your own.”
He returned home in the dead of night, barely flinching at the leftovers in the trash. From that day on, she never cooked for him again. Whenever he came home hungry, the maid was the one to prepare his meals.
Then there was that time right after she got her driver’s license. He had her deliver some documents to a client, and she ended up rear–ending someone on the highway, with the car breaking down halfway. She called him, crying, “Honey, I got into an accident.”
His first thought was about the documents not reaching the client on time, and he snapped at her, “Nellie, can’t you get anything right?” Nellie’s voice cracked with tears. “You didn’t even ask if I was hurt.”
“You’re better off dead,” he retorted.
Nellie pleaded, “Can you help me…”
Before she could finish, Greta’s voice chimed in, “Cameron, I’m thirsty.”
“I’m coming right up, Greta.” Cameron’s voice turned gentle.
Then, he rudely ended the call. “Handle your own mess.”
Looking back, Cameron felt a pang of guilt, like a feather brushing against his heart. Back then, Nellie was barely out of her teens, inexperienced and probably overwhelmed by these incidents. As her husband, he hadn’t been her rock
Is that why she’d become so independent now, and why she found the courage to leave him?
Cameron shook his head. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.
Nellie had always looked up to him as her savior and treated him with respect. She was grateful for everything he’d given her. Her shift happened after she went through hypnotherapy…
It was the therapist who changed Nellie.
Cameron picked up his phone and made a call. Matt’s voice soon came through.
“Yes, sir?”
“Find someone for me. He was Nellie’s therapist. Spare no expense to bring him here,” Cameron’s voice was chilling. “Understood, sir.”
And so, the search began.
