To be honest, I just hoped that Cameron would come to see me even once.
But he never did.
Since the incident, he seemed to have disappeared, or maybe he simply didn’t care about my life or death.
One day, someone knocked on the door. Thinking it was Cameron, I sat up abruptly in bed, only to realize that it was Carter.
He approached me with a cold smirk on his lips. “You’re amazing… You’ve really done something remarkable this time, sacrificing family for justice, and making a contribution to the police.”
I looked at him, gripping the phone tightly in my hand. The first thought in my mind was to call Patrick.
But I couldn’t speak at all.
“I heard you… had a rough time,” Carter sat by my bedside, “a bit withdrawn, and even mute?”
“I know you’ve been through a lot of trauma. Take good care of yourself. Although Jacob Campbell wasn’t a good person, he was still your dad. Nobody wants to experience something like this. You’ve never even killed a chicken, let alone your own dad!”
I felt agitated, fists clenched, pounding on the edge of the bed incessantly, my throat only able to emit a hoarse sound.
I raised my head angrily, wanting to glare him out of the room. But Carter was amused by my appearance. He chuckled, patting my face, and whispered, “Do you know why Cameron hasn’t come to see you?”
“He’s busy getting married!”
I froze, a pang in my chest. But my eyes were dry, not a single tear fell.
“Queenie was also frightened, and Cameron is with her every day,” Carter smirked, “See clearly now, Laura? Open your eyes wide and see who Cameron values most! You killed your own father for him, yet he’s by another woman’s side! Are you still infatuated with him? You’re such a fool!”
My mind went blank. I couldn’t articulate what I was feeling at that moment, as if I had become numb, devoid of any sensation. It was like losing a part of myself… This had become inevitable, and I had no choice but to accept it.
“Are you listening to me?” Carter suddenly gripped my chin, “Laura, you’re not deaf, are you?”
“Cameron doesn’t want you!” He emphasized each word, “Cameron doesn’t care about you! No matter how much you give, you can’t compete with even a finger of Queenie’s! Do you understand now?”
I gave him a cold glance, a faint smile grazing my lips.
Yes, I smiled. I didn’t know why I was smiling, but I couldn’t cry.
Of course, Cameron should be with his fiancée!
Queenie was kidnapped, all because of Jacob Campbell’s fault in the end.
Cameron devoted his entire life to loving and cherishing her. What’s wrong with that?
Why should Cameron come to see me? I’m just a murderer’s daughter, now turned a murderer myself.
I laughed, louder and louder. Miraculously, my voice came back. Carter stared at me in astonishment, slowly standing up, looking at me as if I were a lunatic.
That night, I slept soundly, without sleeping pills or sedatives. I experienced a baby-like sleep, from dusk until noon the next day. It was a long sleep, and when I woke up to see a room full of doctors and nurses, their expressions were visibly relieved upon seeing me open my eyes.
“Miss Campbell, you’ve slept for over ten hours!”
I smiled and opened my mouth, able to speak. “Hmm, feels like I’ve traveled abroad and come back with jet lag.”
“Miss Campbell, your vitals are good, and you’ll recover soon.”
“Thank you.”
“But…” the doctor furrowed his brow, “Post-traumatic stress disorder isn’t easily cured. We still need to closely monitor your condition. Also, we advise against stopping the sedatives immediately, but we’ll reduce the dosage.”
“Okay,” I nodded, “I’ll follow your advice.”
“Miss Campbell, get some rest.”
I watched them leave.
Get some rest? Haven’t I rested enough?
I stretched and walked to the window. The afternoon sun cast a lazy warmth upon me. I cracked the window open slightly, letting in the crisp autumn breeze.
I saw a few hydrangeas in the courtyard, wilting.
I wondered if anyone was taking care of the hydrangeas on the apartment window sill. They were put there by Cameron, who always bought flowers but never knew how to care for them.
I slapped my forehead hard. Why did I have to think of him again? Didn’t I decide to forget him?
At the moment the knife pierced Jacob Campbell, I also killed my past self.
I took a deep breath, feeling something restless stirring in my chest, a dull ache spreading throughout my body. It was only now that tears streamed down my face.
Cameron was by Queenie’s side, never leaving.
They were getting married.
They were the perfect match.
I wiped away my tears and called Yasmin, asking her to bring me the photo album.
The album was filled with photos of Cameron and me, all secretly kept by myself. Cameron didn’t like taking pictures, so there were only a few in the album.
I pulled out one. It was from my eighteenth birthday when he bought me a cake and impulsively took a photo with me.
Another was from his college graduation, wearing his gown, standing among a group of classmates. I quietly sneaked into the frame, standing in the farthest corner.
And then…
At Carter’s wedding, where he was the groomsman standing by Carter’s side, his smile seemed incredibly forced.
I brought out all these memories, regardless of whether they were good or bad, and from then on, it had nothing to do with me.
Downstairs in the lawn, there were workers smoking. I borrowed a lighter and quietly returned to my hospital room.
I lit one photo on fire, the sparks flickering softly. Suddenly, I understood how the little match girl must have felt. In the glow of the flames, it seemed like I could see something different.
I lit another photo, and this firelight illuminated my future.
I would be independent, strong. I would leave Cameron.
I would meet him on a quiet afternoon, greet him softly, and by then, he would stir no ripples in my heart.
I would wish him happiness in his marriage…
Suddenly, a piercing alarm sounded, followed by commotion in the hallway. Someone forcefully burst open my door and dragged me out from the billowing smoke.
“What are you doing? Are you trying to burn down the entire hospital?”
“Quick, get all the doctors! Miss Campbell hasn’t recovered, her condition has worsened!”
“We need to transfer her to a specialized psychiatric hospital!”
What?
I was taken aback. “What are you talking about? I’m not mentally ill, I just have PTSD…”
“Miss Campbell!” The nurse looked terrified. “Look at what you’ve done!”
Someone brought a fire extinguisher. Foam sprayed onto the sparks, and only then did I notice that the curtains I’d ignited, the wooden cabinet, and the walls were all blackened by smoke… If the alarm hadn’t gone off, the whole hospital might have burned down.
“No…” I was terrified. “I didn’t mean to, I was just burning some photos!”
But they didn’t listen to my explanation at all.
“Really, listen to me… I was just saying goodbye to the past by burning a few photos. My mind is clear, I know exactly what I was doing!”
“Saying goodbye to the past? Knowing what you’re doing?” The doctor’s face turned pale. “Miss Campbell, hearing you say that makes me even more worried! No sane person would say goodbye to the past by burning down a house!”
“It was an accident.”
“Run some tests on her first!”
I was taken to undergo various tests.
I felt like a plague-ridden beast, causing people to pale at the mention of my name.
“I’m alright, aren’t I?” After the examination, I sat on the hospital bed, feeling like these doctors and nurses could control my fate.
“There’s no abnormality in the data,” the doctor took off his glasses, his gaze extremely distrustful. “But based on your behavior… Miss Campbell, I suggest you still go to a specialized psychiatric hospital.”
“There’s no need!” I was getting angry, standing up and glaring at him. “Since the data is normal, what right do you have to say I have a mental illness? I’m not staying here, I want to go home!”
“You’d better accept a professional examination.”
“I’m not going!”
I pushed through the crowd towards the door, but the doctor had someone grab me. Several male attendants came up with bandages ready to tie me up. I screamed, struggled, and even bit one of them. At that moment, I felt like a complete lunatic.
“Get away, what are you doing! Don’t touch me!”
“Miss Campbell, it’s better to go to a professional facility…”
“Get lost!”
But I couldn’t match their strength at all.
Soon I was bound up.
They pushed me towards the car as if I were a beast. When they opened the car door, I stubbornly pressed my feet against the door frame, still resisting with all my might.
Then a commanding voice came, “Let her go!”