Love's Cunning Ruse novel Chapter 370

Noblewood Retreat had been a home filled with laughter and joy, but ever since Phoebe disappeared, a cloud of gloom had settled over the quaint Victorian house. Ivan had been particularly morose, and each day when Julie and Kieran returned home, his first question was always, "Did you find Phoebe?"

Their answers, invariably tinged with disappointment, had ceased to bring him any hope.

Today, he decided not to ask. Instead, he sat alone on the floor, meticulously setting up a line of dominoes. Julie squatted down beside him, attempting to engage him in light conversation to lift his spirits.

Kieran glanced back at Shannon and asked, "Is Camilla back yet?"

Shannon shook her head, "Nope, still out. She's probably scouring the town for Phoebe. She's been burning the candle at both ends lately, but still no word on the kid?"

Kieran nodded and gestured for her to get back to work.

Unbeknownst to them, Ivan had crawled into Julie's lap. Holding a pair of dominoes, he said with a hint of guilt, "If I had just gone to the bathroom with him that day, he wouldn't have gone missing."

"It's not your fault," Kieran's voice came from behind them.

Startled, Ivan turned and carefully asked Julie, "Mom, can I sleep with you tonight?"

"No," Kieran's firm voice cut through the room.

The little boy, with an innocent look, questioned, "Why not?"

"Because without your mom by my side, I can't sleep well," Kieran said, half-joking.

Julie, chuckling, attempted to lift Ivan but found she didn't have the strength. Instead, she took his hand and said, "Ignore your dad's nonsense. I'll stay with you tonight."

As Ivan followed Julie to his room, he cheekily stuck his tongue out at his dad, then turned back to Julie, putting on an air of maturity, "Mom, won't Kerry feel lonely and lose sleep over this?"

"No, he won't."

Kieran was speechless.

It wasn't until late evening that Camilla returned, just as Alison was lighting the last of the candles. Kieran had just come out of Ivan's room after tucking the mother and son into bed.

Camilla, clad in faded jeans and flat shoes, her hair in a disheveled state, looked worn and weary.

"There's still no sign of Phoebe, is there?" she said, disappointment clear in her eyes. She changed her shoes and slumped onto the couch, her eyes red-rimmed, "Kieran, Phoebe has autism. He's been missing for so long... What if something terrible has happened..." Her voice broke into sobs.

Kieran walked over and handed her a couple of tissues.

Caught off guard by his sudden gesture, Camilla's sobs stopped abruptly.

It took her a moment to accept the tissues from Kieran's hand, quickly changing the subject, "How can the police not find a trace of a seven-year-old child who disappeared in a public place after all this time?"

Camilla looked up at Kieran with sorrowful, tear-filled eyes.

"Camilla," Kieran suddenly said her name with a hint of significance.

Camilla looked up, puzzled, as he continued, "Come with me."

Hesitating, she followed Kieran into the music room.

There, a grand piano stood, with a black velvet bench.

Confused, Camilla cleaned her tears and asked, "Kieran... why have you brought me...?" Before she could finish, Kieran suddenly closed the door and locked it.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she frowned deeper, "Kieran?"

"Have a seat," Kieran said softly, pointing toward the bench. Camilla hesitated but finally settled onto the bench.

With a nod, Camilla continued, "I wonder if you recall it at all. The night before the competition, you encountered a girl with acute appendicitis in the hotel, and you rushed her to the hospital…"

"That was you?" Clearly, Kieran had no recollection that the girl he'd helped that night was Camilla. He did remember the events of that evening, though.

After the competition, he had planned to fetch his luggage from the hotel and fly back home, but in the elevator, he met a girl, who was suddenly hit with a severe appendicitis attack. He ended up carrying her to the hospital, missing his flight back as a result.

Seeing Kieran's expression, Camilla frowned, "Seems like you've forgotten. When my appendix ruptured, causing peritonitis, I nearly died. If you hadn't got me to the hospital in time…"

She said with a light smile, "Actually, I also played in the same competition that day. But you were before me; you didn't even wait for the awards ceremony to finish before you left, and I performed right after you."

"Oh? Is that so?" Kieran remembered rushing to the airport to book a flight back from Vienna to Whispering Pines. Even with the shortest flight time of twelve hours and five minutes, and accounting for the seven-hour time difference with China, he could have made it back for the graduation party if he had booked right after competing. Julie had texted him, urging him not to miss the graduation if he could make it.

He had confidently told Julie there was no way he'd make it back in time.

Ironically, he had booked the ticket, hoping to surprise her with his return at the graduation party. But because he'd stopped to help Camilla, he missed his flight.

Now that Camilla brought up the incident, Kieran slowly pieced together the memory of the girl with a pale face in pain—it bore a resemblance to Camilla. But Camilla had grown, her features more defined, and since Kieran hadn't really looked closely at the girl then, he had failed to recognize her.

Later in Poland, because they both had won awards and Camilla had approached him first, he remembered that as their initial meeting.

Suddenly, Kieran turned to Camilla, "Speaking of which, because I saved you, I missed my wife's graduation ceremony."

Camilla's expression subtly shifted, not quite as bright, but she forced a smile regardless.

Kieran, as if oblivious, continued, "The reason I didn't attend the award ceremony was that I was busy trying to get a flight. I had timed it so I could be there before the graduation party started, planning to surprise her…"

"Sometimes plans just can't keep up with changes," Camilla laughed, though her thoughts were darker, What's meant to be missed will always be missed. From that moment on, Kieran and Julie weren't supposed to be together.

Kieran gazed at Camilla, his eyes deep as he peered into her clear ones, and asked, "Camilla, besides Simonson, have you ever truly loved someone else? So deeply that you felt you couldn't live without them?"