Chapter 201

The night was quiet. Dakota gently wiped Cameron's body with a towel, then sat by his bed.

"Dakota, aren't you tired sitting like this?" Cameron asked, looking embarrassed.

"Not at all," Dakota replied, shaking her head and gazing warmly at him. "You don't need to worry about me. If I get tired, I'll lie down on the sofa. You have to rest well so your wounds heal quickly."

"Okay, I'll listen to you," Cameron replied with a gentle smile. Dakota's smile deepened. This was her first time taking care of Cameron, and after spending the day together, she felt they had grown closer.

"Oh, Cameron!" Dakota suddenly remembered something. "So did Ms. Jones also put together the big event down by the waterfront for you?"

"Yeah," Cameron nodded. This time, he didn't hide anything.

"Wow!" Dakota's heart skipped a beat. Though she had been mentally prepared, hearing Cameron admit it still shocked her. What was their relationship in the past? Laura rented out the entire waterfront just to hold this grand event for him! Could they have been a couple? Could Cameron be the man in that photo?

These thoughts caused Dakota's gaze toward Cameron to change; a hint of sadness was hidden in her shock. With such an outstanding woman as Laura by his side, he probably no longer needed her. Dakota felt her heart tremble.

At that moment, Cameron seemed to notice something. He whispered, "We're just ordinary friends. After the event, she'll return to Leving, and we probably won't see each other again. This time, her organizing the event for me is like concluding some things from our past."

A tremor ran through Dakota's heart. The sadness in her eyes quickly disappeared as she looked at Cameron. "Ms. Jones won't come to Yrando anymore?"

"Yes," Cameron reassured her.

"Then won't you miss her?" Dakota hesitated before asking. People tend to become more sensitive late at night. Usually, she wouldn't ask such abrupt questions.

"It would be a lie to say I won't. After all, once someone exists in a person's life, their traces are hard to erase," Cameron said. "But it's only occasional thoughts," he continued, "just like you and me. If you were to go far away from me one day, I would never forget you."

As he spoke, Cameron glanced at the dark sky outside, where the stars intertwined like the complex trajectories of life. Dakota's heart fluttered, and a smile reappeared on her lips. She felt her important position in Cameron's heart at that moment. That was enough for her.

"Dakota, let me tell you a story," Cameron said, his gaze softening after seeing Dakota's smile.

"Sure," Dakota replied, her face lighting up.

"The story is a bit long, so I'll take my time to tell it, and you can listen slowly. Once upon a time, there was a kid who lost his mom when he was little and ended up wandering alone. People looked down on him because he suffered from an illness. The employees in the shop bullied him, and the customers often scolded and hit him. But the boy endured it all. He had a reason to live. Until one day, he accidentally spilled tea on some customers. The customer scolded him, and the boss kicked him out of the shop, withholding his month's wages. It was a winter with heavy snowfall. The boy had to sleep on the streets, hungry and cold. He wore only thin clothes, his body turning purple from the cold. He wanted to ask passersby for some food, but they all looked at him with disgust; some even kicked him as they passed by. The boy went hungry, his consciousness becoming fuzzy in the icy snow. He gradually lost hope in life, thinking that maybe dying would be better than living with no dignity. But just at that moment, a girl appeared and saved him. [The promotional material for FindNovel.net has been removed.] The girl was wearing a bright red cotton coat. She saw the freezing boy and didn't hesitate to give him her bread. She also gave him her scarf. At that moment, the girl became a beacon of light in the boy's heart."

Cameron's gaze was filled with nostalgia; the girl in the story was Dakota herself.

He looked at Dakota and intended to continue, but she had already fallen asleep, her head resting on the edge of the bed. She hadn't slept well last night, and the exhaustion of the day had taken its toll on her. A gentle warmth filled Cameron's eyes. He gently stroked her head.

"Cameron, I won't leave you" Dakota mumbled in her sleep as she felt his touch.

Cameron was taken aback. The warmth in his eyes deepened.

"I won't leave you either," he whispered.

With that, Cameron turned off the lamp. The hospital room was filled with silence.