Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 1257

Camila Davis paused, just for a second, then snapped herself back to reality. She knew exactly how worried everyone out there was about her. She didn’t want Dennis to get even more anxious or to figure out what had happened, so she quickly locked the bathroom door and started cleaning up the blood.

Dennis was still waiting outside. He’d been listening to the water running for a while, and when Camila still didn’t come out, he knocked on the door. “Camila, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, really. I’ll be out in a minute,” she called back, trying to keep her voice steady.

Inside, she pressed a cold, damp towel to her nose, waiting until the bleeding finally stopped. She checked the bathroom carefully, making sure there wasn’t a single spot of blood left before she opened the door.

Dennis was right there, looking worried. The second he saw her pale face, he hurried to her side. “Are you sure you’re okay? You look a little off.”

“I’m okay. Just tired, I guess. I think I just need some sleep.”

He smiled and nodded. “Then let’s get you to bed.”

Dennis didn’t ask any more questions and helped her to their room. Camila lay down, closing her eyes, but her thoughts wouldn’t settle. The memory of the blood was still fresh, and she couldn’t shake the worry. Maybe it was just a fluke, she tried to reassure herself. Maybe it wasn’t the medicine, maybe she was just stressed or overheated or something simple.

Her mind kept spinning with anxious thoughts until, finally, she drifted off into a restless sleep.

The next morning, after breakfast, Camila went to the research institute for her usual checkup. As soon as Dennis stepped out for a moment, she found Jarvis Peters and quietly told him what had happened.

“I’m not sure if it was because of the N-1,” she whispered. “Other than the nosebleed, I don’t feel anything else weird. Please, don’t tell Dennis yet.”

Jarvis looked concerned. “I won’t say anything to him for now, but we can’t hide this from Mr. Williams. He needs to know everything to help you.”

Camila nodded. She understood. Mr. Williams wasn’t just her mentor, he was the best doctor any of them knew, and if there was going to be an antidote, he needed all the facts.

Soon, Mr. Williams was called over. When he heard about Camila’s nosebleed, his face turned serious. He did a full exam, running another round of tests, watching her carefully before finally speaking.

“There are mild signs that the drug is affecting you,” he said. “The nosebleed is likely one of the symptoms. We’ll need to keep a close eye on you, but don’t panic just yet.”

No one really knew what would happen next, since it was a symptom none of them had seen before. Camila tried to keep her spirits up. “I get it. I’ll pay attention and let you know if anything else happens. But please, let’s keep this from Dennis for now.”

“Help! Somebody help me!” Professor Keri shrieked.

The first punch knocked out one of Keri’s teeth, blood splattering as he tried to get away. But Mr. Williams caught him and kept swinging. The rest of the team was frozen in shock for a second, then rushed over to break it up. By the time they pulled Mr. Williams off him, Keri was bleeding in several places.

“Why are you fighting? What happened?” someone shouted as they tried to get between them.

The director, Abner Young, heard the commotion and hurried in. Professor Keri looked awful, one eye swelling shut already.

The moment he saw Abner, Keri called out, “I don’t know what’s gotten into him! He’s totally lost it!” His words came out garbled, thanks to the missing tooth.

Mr. Williams glared at him, eyes red. Hearing Keri talk back only made him angrier, and he clenched his fists, ready to go after him again.

“Hey, hold him back!” Abner called, jumping in.

The lab was cramped and full of people. It was no place for a confrontation. Abner got everyone to separate them, then led Mr. Williams out and into his office.