Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 420

After he finished listening, Mr. Morris was equal parts furious and heartbroken, thumping his cane on the hardwood floor with a sharp *thud-thud*. “That Jordan Smith, honestly, he’s just the worst! You better keep Lillian away from him as much as you can!”

“Yeah, I’ll do my best,” Camila Davis nodded.

If she could, she’d keep them apart for the rest of their lives.

That evening, when Camila and her daughter were leaving, Lillian hugged a big tote full of treats and snacks. “I’m bringing these home for Daddy!” she declared.

Camila couldn’t help but laugh, but she let her do as she pleased.

When they got home that night, Sarah Brown was there, too.

Lillian had always been close with her, and today she was especially generous, sharing her candy and cookies with Sarah.

Sarah’s heart just melted. She scooped the little one up and showered her with hugs and kisses.

Lillian giggled in her arms, but didn’t forget to ask, “Mommy, when is Daddy coming home? I want to give him some of my snacks!”

Camila felt a headache coming on.

She couldn’t bring herself to be harsh with her daughter, so she just soothed her gently, “Daddy’s away on a business trip, honey. He probably won’t be back until the weekend. You have to be patient, okay?”

Lillian’s little face fell, her disappointment plain as day. “Then… can we video call him?”

Camila hesitated.

Sarah, who’d already heard what happened from Susan, saw Lillian’s tiny, sad face and felt like her heart was breaking.

This time, she was firmly on Team Lillian.

Sarah nudged Camila. “Come on, just call him. Mr. Williams adores Lillian—he’d love to see her, even for a few minutes.”

Camila didn’t really want to. Once or twice was fine, but what if Lillian’s situation dragged on? Was Dennis Williams just supposed to be “Daddy” forever? They weren’t even really close—letting her daughter call him that felt wrong, and what if Dennis found someone in the future? It’d be hard to explain.

Plus, Camila didn’t want to give Lillian false hope.

What if Mr. Williams eventually moved back to Cabinda—who would answer her calls then?

After thinking it through, she gently refused, “Daddy’s busy right now, sweetie. We’ll call him when he’s not so busy, okay?”

Lillian knew better than to push when Mommy said so, so she nodded reluctantly. “Okay… maybe later.”

Relieved, Camila waited for her daughter to get sleepy.

But as the minutes ticked by, it was clear: Lillian was waiting, too. She lay in bed, eyes wide open, glancing at the clock as it neared ten.

Every few minutes, she’d whisper, “Is Daddy done working yet?”

“Not yet, honey. When Daddy’s finished, he’ll call you himself.”

Dennis chuckled softly. “I see… Well, I am busy, but if you ever want to chat, you can always call, okay? I can’t come home this week, but I always have a few minutes to talk.”

“Really?” Lillian’s face broke into a huge grin.

She immediately grew serious again, “Daddy, don’t work too hard, okay? If you get too tired, Mommy and I will be worried…”

Dennis’s eyes softened, and he shot Camila a teasing look. “Oh? Is that true?”

Camila shot him a look right back—*Don’t you dare drag me into this! I never said that!*

But Lillian just nodded eagerly. “Yep, it’s true!”

Dennis didn’t push his luck further. Instead, he smiled. “Okay, I promise I’ll take care of myself. But Lillian, you have to do the same. You’re a little kid—you need to sleep early. Staying up this late isn’t good for you. You want to grow tall, don’t you?”

“Okay, Daddy. I will!”

She was obedient as ever. “Are you coming home soon?”

“I’ll be there Saturday,” Dennis promised.

That was all Lillian needed to hear. Her whole face brightened. “Yay! Then you get some sleep too, Daddy! Goodnight—mua!” She blew him a big kiss, then turned to Camila, “Mommy, aren’t you going to say goodnight and give Daddy a kiss too?”

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