Chapter 297

The afternoon meeting was in full swing when Camille's phone buzzed with an incoming call from Chloe.

Her finger moved automatically to decline the call before she even processed the name.

The moment the screen went dark, it lit up again with the same caller ID. Camille's brow furrowed, but she still didn't answer.

This time, Chloe didn't call back.

Camille refocused on her presentation.

Five minutes later, her phone rang again - Damien's name flashing across the screen.

She pressed her lips into a thin line and powered off the device completely.

Only after the meeting concluded an hour later did she turn her phone back on.

The first thing she saw was a text from Damien: Chloe fell down the stairs at school. We're at St. Catherine's Hospital.

Her blood ran cold.

Grabbing her purse, she sprinted from the conference room toward the parking garage.

En route, she called Damien for the room number. He picked up on the first ring and directed her to the pediatric wing.

When the elevator doors opened on the VIP floor, she practically ran to the designated room.

Inside, she found Damien seated beside the hospital bed where Chloe lay.

Her daughter's face was ghostly pale, a white bandage wrapped around her forehead. Chloe's eyes lit up weakly when she saw her. "Mommy-"

Camille rushed to the bedside. "What happened? What did the doctors say?"

Damien answered calmly, "Mild concussion. Nothing too serious."

She exhaled sharply in relief.

"Have you eaten?" Damien asked suddenly.

She hadn't. The marathon meeting had run through dinner time. Camille shook her head.

Without another word, Damien pulled out his phone and placed a food delivery order.

Chloe, who hadn't seen her mother in weeks, immediately curled into Camille's arms without speaking.

Camille stroked her daughter's hair gently. "Try to sleep if you're tired, sweetheart."

"Okay," Chloe murmured.

She clung to Camille's hand as her eyes fluttered closed, but her forehead remained creased with discomfort. It took nearly thirty minutes before her breathing finally evened out in sleep.

Just then, the food Damien ordered arrived. "You should eat," he said, offering the takeout bag.

Camille recoiled slightly. "I'll order my own."

Their eyes locked for a tense moment before Damien set the food aside. Camille pulled out her phone to place a separate order.

As Chloe slept, the room fell into heavy silence.

Damien stepped out to take a business call that lasted nearly twenty minutes. When he returned, he took the chair opposite Camille.

She could feel him wanting to talk, but deliberately focused on her phone screen instead.

The message was clear. Damien acknowledged it with a faint, knowing smile before retreating into his own silence.

Night deepened around them as they maintained their separate vigils.

When Damien finally broke the quiet, his voice was firm. "I'll stay tonight. You should go home and rest."

Camille's gaze remained fixed on Chloe's sleeping form. She didn't move.

Damien studied her for a long moment before adding, "Be angry with me all you want. But from now on, answer Chloe's calls - even if you won't answer mine."

The unspoken warning hung between them: Their daughter needed her mother, regardless of whatever stood between them.

Camille froze - so he knew she'd been deliberately ignoring their daughter's calls?