Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 803

Lavinia Roberts had no intention of helping her.

In her eyes, Harper Thompson was now a lost cause—dead weight better left behind. The smart move was to cut her loose and protect herself.

Without hesitation, Lavinia jerked her hand away from Harper’s desperate grip, her voice cold and sharp. “Harper Thompson, I never imagined you’d stoop so low. I stood up for you, trusted you, and this is how you repay me? You actually lied to me!”

Harper had been counting on Lavinia to come to her aid. The shock on her face made it clear she hadn’t expected Lavinia to abandon her so ruthlessly—certainly not after everything they’d been through.

“But it was you who—” Harper tried to protest, to remind Lavinia of all the things she’d been made to do.

Lavinia cut her off, her tone fierce and threatening. “Harper Thompson, when you make a mistake, you own up to it. Isn’t that right?”

On the surface, it sounded like a simple enough demand. But the look in Lavinia’s eyes made it clear—she was warning Harper not to reveal the truth. She’d do whatever it took to keep Harper quiet.

Camila Davis narrowed her eyes, reading Lavinia’s intentions in a heartbeat. She knew exactly what Lavinia was trying to do—sweep everything under the rug and walk away unscathed.

But Camila Davis wasn’t about to let herself be made a scapegoat. She didn’t buckle under pressure, and she certainly wasn’t going to let Lavinia manipulate her.

She spoke up, her voice calm but cutting. “Harper Thompson, did you really think Benjamin Torres would be impressed by any of this? He never liked you to begin with. Now that you’re trying to frame me, and the institute already has hard evidence, it’s only a matter of time before Benjamin learns the truth. Everything you’ve done will only make him hate you more.

“But even now, there’s still a way out. If this wasn’t truly your idea—if you were pressured into this—he might still understand. Isn’t that right?”

Lavinia Roberts reacted as if Camila had struck a nerve, her voice rising to a shrill pitch. “Camila Davis, stop trying to stir up trouble!”

But Camila remained unruffled. “Why so nervous, Ms. Roberts? What are you afraid she might say? Let’s be honest—someone like Harper Thompson would never dare pull off something like this at the institute unless she had someone powerful backing her up. Seems to me, someone’s desperate to use her as a scapegoat now that things have gone south…”

She turned her gaze to Harper, who was kneeling on the floor, scrambling to gather her scattered phone and dignity. “Harper Thompson, I can see you care deeply about medicine and your research. But is it really worth throwing away your future to protect someone like her?”

Those words hit Harper hard. A flash of pain and resentment crossed her face—of course it wasn’t worth it. She’d worked so hard to get where she was; her family had always been proud of her career. Now, just to help Lavinia Roberts and further her own ambitions, she’d ended up here.

A wave of regret washed over Harper. If she’d known the investigation team could recover even deleted data, she’d never have agreed to set up Camila Davis. And now, with Lavinia turning on her and trying to pin the blame, Harper felt nothing but regret.

“How ridiculous. Did she really think everyone else was blind?”

“Disgusting. Lavinia Roberts is not just arrogant and entitled—she’s downright manipulative.”

“Whoever ends up marrying a woman like her is in for a lifetime of misery!”

“No kidding. All you young men out there, better keep your eyes open—a woman who plays these kinds of games will only bring chaos to your home.”

“She’s supposed to be a lady from a prominent family, but she stoops to this kind of petty scheming? What a disgrace!”

The scornful whispers were impossible for Lavinia to ignore. Each word landed on her ears like a slap.

Her face was ashen, her jaw clenched tight. How had it come to this? In her mind, Camila Davis was supposed to be the one humiliated and cast out tonight—not her.

So why had everything turned upside down?