Chapter six

CHAPTER SIX

Camellia felt her heart racing as Amy approached the door, unable to shake off her sense of discomfort.

Noticing her tension, Amy glanced over and offered her a reassuring smile.

As Amy reached the door, and opened it,she came face to face with an angry looking woman. “ when do you intend to repay me ? Do you plan on living in my house without paying for the rest of your life ?” The woman demanded angrily.

“Ma’am Jane, I assure you that I will repay you soon” she responded with a calm demeanor.

Old Ma’am Jane’s expression turned into a tight scrowl, her eyes narrowing as she glared at Amy. “ Do I seem like I run a charity here? You need to settle your debt quickly, or I’ll have no choice but to kick you out,” she warned, giving one last piercing look at Amy before storming away.

With the door shut behind her, Amy exhaled In relief and returned to her seat next to Camellia, a touch of embarrassment coloring her cheeks.

“Sorry you had to see that, she’s been on my neck for weeks now” Amy said with a serious expression.

Camellia’s face reflected a blend of concern and curiosity. “ How much do you owe her ?”

Amy hesitated before answering, “ Just a few months’ rent. I’ll repay her soon. You don’t need to worry about it,” she said offering a reassuring smile.

Camillia nodded silently, but her thoughts were far from calm. “ How is Amy going to cover the rent ? What will happen if she can’t pay on time?”

Fear gripped Camellia, as Amy’s home was her last hope. If Amy were evicted, she would have nowhere else to turn to,leaving with no option but to return to her family.

Noticing the anxiety on Camellia’s face, Amy said. “ you shouldn’t really dwell on it. I’ll settle it as soon as I get paid.” She smiled gently.

Gently resting her hand on Camellia’s shoulder, Amy inquired. “So?”

Understanding what Amy was implying, Camellia sighed deeply. “ That’s it. I was abandoned by my family and locked away without a proper investigation. For a crime I know nothing about” .

“I wasn’t even given the chance to prove my innocence, as I was wrongly accused, beaten, cursed, neglected and forced to eat whatever trash I was given, forced to sleep on the cold ground with rags on and in total darkness” Camellia was in so much tears when she finished talking, and Amy who was trying so hard to fight back the tears that threatened to spill down her own eyes, quickly engulfed her in a warm hug while giving her gentle pats on her back.

“It’s okay, it’s all over now” Army reassured her.

Camellia pulled away from the hug. her gaze fixed on Amy,fear clearly etched on her face.” That’s exactly what I thought when I was released_I thought I was free. that I could start anew and leave my past behind. but these people won’t let me; they’re still chasing me”. She said quickly, panic evident in her voice as she appeared utterly devastated.

“What? Why? Who are they?” Army asked. Various thoughts racing through her mind.

“I don’t know who they are, but…” Camellia hesitated as she grasped a small bag and tipped out its content.

Inside were numerous sheets of white paper and several files.

“What are these?” Army asked, staring blankly at the papers in disbelief.

Camelia remained silent as she bent down to pick up one of the papers, unfolded it and handed it to Amy,which read…..

“I’ll haunt you until you die…murderer”

“What the hell?!” Army gasped in shock.

Camellia continued to retrieve more papers,passing them to Amy, who was increasingly astonished.

“Who wrote all of this?” Army managed to ask, her hands trembling as she read the final note.

“Freedom? you’ll never get it, welcome to the world where I’ll finally destroy you”

“I have no idea, I received them all from prison” Camellia responded.

“What do we do now?” Army asked. Her voice filled with worry and urgency.

“I met a mysterious man who urged me to uncover the truth” Camellia replied.

“ what truth?” Army questioned

“Honestly, I can’t say for sure. But I truly didn’t kill Eric and would never wish harm upon him. Even after he broke my heart, I can’t deny that he was a good person,” Camellia said in response.

“ I believe you, and I trust you. While I didn’t have a close relationship with Eric, I recognized he was a wonderful guy by the way he treated you and loved you. It still baffles me why he suddenly decided to break up,” Amy remarked.

“ I don’t know, and I really don’t care!” Camellia said,her anger evident in her eyes.

An uncomfortable silence enveloped the room as they both fell into their own thoughts. Amy struggled to process everything she had just learned, while Camellia was lost in reflection on Eric’s death.

At the smith’s mansion

Lucia sat beside her father in the living room, her eyes red and puffy from crying.

“Dad, you need to go see her. Please just bring her back home,” Lucia pleaded, gripping her father’s arm.

“ I asked her to return, but she refused. So, let’s leave her be for now,” her father replied.

“ We all need to go see her and ask for her forgiveness; we all let her down,” Lucia said, her tone turning serious.

“I don’t care!” Mr. Smith shouted, rising to his feet.

“Dad!” Lucia exclaimed in disbelief.

“You already asked Amy to go pick her up, so we don’t need to worry anymore. She’s safe now, and Amy won’t betray her like we did right?; “ Mr. Smith replied calmly before turning away from Lucia and walking towards his study.

Left alone in the living room, Lucia resumed her tears, muttering softly to herself.

“I hate this, I hate all of you”