Chapter 7
Camelia’s POV
By the time the doorbell rang that evening, my mom was practically glowing with excitement.
“Camelia, make sure you seize this chance!” she said, nudging me toward the door. “Kennard is Mr. Hubbard‘ s son- not only is he handsome, but even his name sounds perfect with yours.
I gave her a skeptical look, not knowing how to react to her eagerness. Still, I reluctantly went to open the door.
When our eyes met, I suddenly felt awkward.
Kennard Hubbard extended a hand toward me, his smile warm and confident.
“Camelia, it’s nice to see you again.”
I assumed he was referring to our brief encounter on the plane. But over dinner, as
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he chatted with my mom, the conversation took an unexpected turn.
“Back when we were kids, I was messing around with my dad and accidentally bumped into Camelia,” he said, smiling at the memory. “I thought I’d caused a disaster and rushed to apologize, but she just stood up, brushed herself off, and ran off without a word.”
He chuckled softly, clearly amused by the memory.
My mom, however, suddenly looked a little sad as she glanced at me.
“That’s right,” she said. “Camelia’s father passed away so early. She was so considerate, even as a child, always trying to avoid making me worry.”
I blinked, confused about how the conversation had veered into such
sentimental territory.
Then, to my utter shock, my mom blurted out, “Kennard, what I want most now is
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for you and Camelia to get married soon. Maybe even have a baby-”
“Mom!” I slammed my hands onto the table, cutting her off before she could continue.
I understood her desire for me to settle down, but Kennard was practically a stranger–barely an acquaintance. Clearly, her suggestion was completely
inappropriate.
“Mom, are you that desperate to marry me off?” I snapped. “If you don’t want me around, I can move back out and live on my own.”
“”
With that, I got up and stormed back to my room, slamming the door behind me.
It wasn’t that I was truly angry at her–I knew her intentions came from a good place. But the way she was acting… it felt like she couldn’t wait to get rid of me.
All over a man? Seriously? I could take care of myself just fine.
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The thought made my throat tighten, and before I knew it, tears were threatening to spill over.
Just then, a knock on my door interrupted my pity party. When I opened it, I found Kennard standing there. His smile was still polite and calm as if nothing awkward had just transpired.
I sniffled, feeling embarrassed. “Sorry you had to witness that.”
But he simply shook his head. “It’s fine.” Then, with a faint smile, he added,
“You didn’t cry when you were a kid. How come you‘ re so quick to tear up now that you‘ re grown?”
His words caught me off guard, and for some reason, I suddenly felt the urge to open up. Maybe it was curiosity, or maybe I just wanted to test him.
“Kennard, did you know I’ve been divorced?” I asked, my voice steady.
“And… I lost a child?”
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I studied his face, waiting for a flicker of judgment or surprise. But instead, he simply shrugged, meeting my gaze without hesitation. “I don’t mind,” he said. “If anything, I regret it.”
His sincerity piqued my interest. “Regret what?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
He held my gaze and said quietly, “I regret not coming back to you sooner. Camelia, I was a coward. When I saw Darell propose to you, I didn’t have the courage to stay and watch you be happy. So, I ran off. But if I hadn’t run so far, maybe… maybe you wouldn’t have had to go through all that pain.”
His guilt caught me off guard. But the truth was, my pain had nothing to do with him.
I reached out, placing a hand on his arm.
“That’s enough,” I said softly, cutting off his self–blame.
After that day, I stopped minding Kennard‘ s presence in my life. And with
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such a convenient “shield” around, my mom finally stopped nagging me about blind dates.
