Reborn From Oblivion

Nellie looked at Greta with a casual shrug and said, "If you want him, he's yours." It was like he were some item on a shelf, ready for anyone to take home. Greta was thrilled and pulled Cameron into a tight hug, but her happiness vanished quickly when she noticed him stiffen up like he'd turned into a statue. Puzzled, she glanced at Cameron, only to see him staring at Nellie with a look that was downright chilling. "Nellie, have you lost your mind? Do you even realize what you're doing?"

Nellie had once loved him so much it was suffocating. She had ditched her dream job to care for him and choked down bitter herbal teas every day in hopes of having his child. Her love was so consuming that she had become the butt of jokes in the whole Capital, known as the 'Lady of Unrequited Love.'

Yet here she was, that same Nellie, talking about passing him off to someone else like he was yesterday's news.

"My fever's gone, and my head's clear now. I know exactly what I'm doing," Nellie said calmly.

Cameron eyed her warily. "Aren't you going to regret it?" he asked. Nellie glanced at the matching rings on Cameron and Greta's fingers and let out a small, knowing smile. "Mr. Dawson, the ring on your left hand is a perfect match with Greta's. If she's the one you love, why on earth would you think I'd want you? My standards aren't sky-high, but loyalty is non-negotiable. I'll find a good man who truly loves me and settle down. A guy like you, with one foot out the door, is not worth losing sleep over. Once I'm back on my feet, we're getting divorced."

Cameron looked down at his ring, a flicker of guilt crossing his eyes. "It's not like that. Your sister and I just accidentally bought the same style of ring. They're not couple rings." With that, he slipped the ring off and tucked it into his pocket.

Greta stared at Cameron, trembling, tears welling up in her eyes. Overwhelmed, she ran out sobbing. Cameron watched her leave, his face hard as stone, fists clenched tight.

Finally, he said, "Nellie, you need to take care of yourself right now. It'd be heartless to leave you like this. Once you're better, if you still want a divorce, I'll go along with it." Then, he dashed after Greta.

Nellie stared at the IV drip, letting go of any pretense of strength. Her body was too weak for bravado. Once she was out of the hospital, she was determined to end things with this man. She had no room in her life for someone whose heart was split in two. The next morning, as Nellie drifted in and out of sleep, she heard the nurses gossiping. "The girl next door tried to jump last night. Cameron spent all night on the roof with her, talking her down with every promise under the sun."

"I don't get what Cameron sees in her. She's got health problems and isn't exactly a catch, but he treats her like she's priceless. To get her a kidney transplant, he even tracked down her sister. Now that she's got a new lease on life, she doesn't appreciate what he's done for her."

"If you ask me, Cameron is blind. He brought this on himself. The real victim here is the girl in this bed. Poor girl got used by those two lovebirds, and now that her sister got what she wanted, she's ditching her and trying to snag her man. She is about to lose everything, and she doesn't seem to have any fight left in her."