Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 600

Camila Davis paused, her fingers hovering over her mug of coffee, and glanced at him.

“What’s up?” Dennis Williams asked, eyebrows raised in confusion.

She hesitated for a couple of seconds before saying, “There’s something I haven’t asked you yet. My mentor mentioned you turned down that marriage your family arranged. Did that… cause you any trouble?”

Dennis looked up, a small smile playing on his lips. “Trouble in what sense?”

Camila’s tone was serious now. “I mean, all sorts of trouble. It was an arrangement your family elders set up, right? I’m guessing your folks and the other family must have had a pretty good relationship. For people like you, from old-money families, keeping all those connections must be tough, right? Was there a price to pay for saying no?”

From her words, Dennis could sense the worry behind her questions.

She was always so cautious with him, as if she was afraid her presence might bring him some kind of burden.

As a psychologist, Dennis understood this kind of thinking all too well. He’d seen patients like her before—people who had never really been cared for, so they never quite trusted that good things could actually happen to them. Years of telling themselves they didn’t deserve it, until that belief became second nature.

If he said it didn’t tug at his heart, he’d be lying.

His eyes softened, and his voice grew gentle but firm. “No trouble at all. That engagement never should have existed in the first place. I was never going to agree to it, with or without you in the picture. Camila, remember this—no one can force me to do anything I don’t want to do. And as for any fallout? Doesn’t exist. Here in Capeport, no one’s bold enough to give me a hard time. Those family ties you’re thinking about? Trust me, everyone still wants to stay on my good side. Even without the engagement, nobody’s about to walk away from a partnership with NextGen Technologies or The Collins Group.”

“In business, it’s all about profit,” he continued with a matter-of-fact shrug. “These big, old families? They’re only loyal to their own interests. So, really, there’s nothing for you to stress about.”

Camila just stood there, stunned. She’d thought about all of this so much—felt like each issue was a boulder blocking their path. She’d convinced herself that unless they cleared them all, she could never get close to him.

But apparently, to Dennis, none of it even mattered. He was reminding her she didn’t have to worry about any of it.

Was it just because he was so high up the social ladder that he could be so fearless?

Her wide-eyed expression finally made Dennis chuckle.

“Camila,” he said, taking a step closer, “I made the choice to bring you here, away from Harrisburg. I changed your career path, brought you into my life. I never really asked if you wanted that. So now, I’m asking—will you give me a chance? Let me stand by your side, be with you?”

Up until last year, Dennis never would have imagined himself in this position. In Capeport, everyone knew Mr. Williams wasn’t exactly a ladies’ man. Women in his life were few and far between. He’d never let anyone get close, much less let himself fall for someone.

At first, his connection with Camila had only been because of Lillian—because of her illness. Something about the little girl had made him want to help, to use his skills as a professional.

But as he spent more time around Camila, he saw her strength, her kindness, and all the pain she’d been through. At first, knowing she was married, he kept his distance—never crossing any lines.

But the more he saw her being treated unfairly, the more he found himself wanting to step in, do something, protect her if he could. And even then, he tried to hold back, to respect boundaries.

Then, when she got divorced, he let things take their own course. As their relationship grew, he realized what he really wanted.

So when Dennis came back to Capeport, he was sure of one thing—he wanted her in his life.