Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 566

There were a lot of things Camila Davis could believe, but this? She definitely had her doubts.

Dennis Williams’s voice was laced with a teasing warmth. “Ms. Davis, you’re already this strict with me? What happens down the road—are you planning to go all drill sergeant on me?”

Camila felt herself flush, caught off guard by his playful implication.

She hurried to protest, “No, I’m not trying to boss you around. I just... I don’t want you to get the short end of the stick because of me. I’d hate for you to pay any sort of price—”

Dennis just grinned, eyes twinkling. “Honestly? If helping you means I need to give a little, it’s worth it. Besides, I don’t make deals that leave me in the red. And with your skills? One day the folks at the research center are going to thank me for bringing them such a rockstar. Just wait till you get there—you ready for the hard work?”

Camila picked up on the undertone instantly. He really had sacrificed something for her. But judging by his attitude, it wasn’t anything major. That helped her relax, just a bit.

She nodded, firm and determined. “I’m not afraid. I know I can handle it. I won’t let you down!”

Dennis’s smile widened. “That’s what I like to hear. I’ll be waiting in Cambridge for you. When you get to the institute, I want a front row seat to watch you climb all the way to the top.”

Something fluttered in Camila’s chest.

For the first time, she realized: when someone genuinely cares about you, they don’t demand you sacrifice yourself or twist into something you’re not. If anything, they inspire you to be your best self.

And suddenly, she found herself genuinely looking forward to Cambridge.

Sure, her career was calling, her dreams were there—but so was he.

She wanted to see Dennis Williams face-to-face. She’d tell him everything she was thinking, straight to his face.

It seemed Dennis was thinking along the same lines, because his voice turned gentle. “Once you know your timeline, wrap up things in Philadelphia as soon as you can. I’ll be waiting in Cambridge.”

“Okay.” Camila’s lips quirked in a smile. “So… goodnight?”

“Yeah. Goodnight.”

His reply was full of that soft, easy warmth.

Camila hung up, sweetness lingering in her chest. She lay back, rolling across the bed twice before finally settling down enough to drift to sleep.

She slept better than she had in ages.

She knew she was about to dump a lot more work on him—and it didn’t feel right to keep him in the dark any longer.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” she said, getting right to the point.

She explained about the offer from Cambridge and her decision to go.

“It’s a huge opportunity, and I can’t pass it up. So, I’m going to need you to take on more of the day-to-day at the Smith Group. I’ll still handle the big-picture stuff, but the little things—I’ll need you to cover for me.”

She hesitated, embarrassed. “I know it’s not really fair dumping all this on you. So, I was thinking we could revisit the year-end profit-sharing. You deserve to be compensated for all the extra work.”

Walter’s face froze in shock. He’d known she was ambitious, but the idea of her leaving Philly… He didn’t want her to go. Their relationship hadn’t really gone anywhere yet.

If she left, would they still have a chance?

He couldn’t help it. The question slipped out: “So you’re going to Cambridge—just for the research institute? There’s no other reason?”

Camila blinked. “What else would it be? Of course it’s for the institute! It’s a national-level research center, Walter. People spend their whole lives just trying to get their foot in the door!”