Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 1258

When the door finally clicked shut, Abner looked at Mr. Williams with a tired sigh. “You’re not a kid anymore. Why are you still so hotheaded? Weren’t we supposed to have Professor Keri help us with the antidote? If you go and beat him to death, what are we supposed to do then? Just tell me what happened.”

Abner knew Mr. Williams never lost his temper for no reason.

Mr. Williams’s face was still dark with anger, but in front of Abner he managed to keep it together. He told him about Camila’s latest condition.

Abner listened in silence, then let out a long breath. Camila was Mr. Williams’s only apprentice. He’d watched her grow up. Their bond was just like father and daughter. If any dad saw their child like this, how could they possibly stay calm?

Abner tried to talk him down. “I know you’re angry. I know you’re worried. But neither of those things will help right now. If you hurt Professor Keri, you’ll only slow us down.”

Mr. Williams took a deep breath. “I know, but I can’t stand it. That old bastard could use his talent to save people, but instead he’s making poison. He deserves a good punch, honestly.”

Abner kept coaxing him. “No one’s saying Professor Keri deserves sympathy. If this were any other time and you wanted to go after him, I wouldn’t stop you. But right now, we still need him. Just hold on a little longer. As for Camila… I believe she’ll pull through. We’re all fighting for her, working on the N-1 antidote. You have to trust our team.”

After Abner said all that, Mr. Williams finally calmed down and went back to focusing on the antidote.

***

When Camila got home with Dennis, her mood was heavy. She knew medicine. A nosebleed wasn’t just some little thing. Her mentor was probably just saying comforting words so she wouldn’t worry.

She had no idea how much time she had left.

She had all this medical knowledge. So why was it useless now? Why couldn’t she help herself when it mattered most? Maybe this was what people meant when they said a doctor couldn’t heal themself.

With whatever time she had left, what could she do for her family? It felt like nothing she did would be enough.

All she could do was spend more time with them—with her parents, her child, and the man she loved.

After coming back from the institute, Camila changed her usual routine. She stopped hiding away at home with her books. Instead, she started going out for walks with her parents and taking Lightning with them.

Later, when Dennis got home for dinner, Lillian brought it up right away. Dennis agreed without even thinking. He took them both out to buy a frame, turning it into a little evening walk.

As they passed a shop, Camila noticed all the colorful yarn displayed in the window. She suddenly remembered the scarf Audrey had given Walter.

For a moment, Camila zoned out, thinking maybe she should knit scarves or gloves for Dennis, Lillian, and her parents. If she was gone, something she made might give them a little comfort.

Could she really finish so many in such a short time?

She didn’t know how much time she had left, or if she’d be able to knit something for everyone. Still, she bought the yarn.

Dennis saw her with all those skeins and took the bags from her, grinning. “Thinking about knitting scarves all of a sudden?”

Camila didn’t tell him the truth. She just smiled and said easily, “I get bored at home. Besides reading, there’s nothing else to do. Audrey made a scarf recently, so I thought, why not try it too? I could knit something for all of you. Plus, knitting doesn’t take much energy, so Mom and Dad won’t worry about me getting too tired.”