Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 825

A sharp pain lanced through Camila’s heart.

Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around Dennis, holding him tightly. In that moment, all other thoughts vanished. All she wanted was to give him a warm, comforting embrace.

“It must have been so hard, being born into a family like that. Was your childhood just as you described?”

“It was,” Dennis confirmed without hesitation.

As the eldest son of the Collins family, he had displayed astonishing talent and intelligence from a young age, a fact the family had not overlooked. From the very beginning, they had groomed him to be the heir. His childhood was a relentless schedule of learning—academics, skills, social etiquette. There was never a moment for himself. Even his sleep and meals were strictly regulated.

It wasn't until he broke ties with the family and resolutely joined the military that he finally escaped their control.

His tone was calm, but hearing his story made Camila’s heart ache. Compared to her own childhood, Dennis’s sounded impossibly difficult. Although her days had been filled with studying medicine, she had loved it, so her youth was one of fulfillment and happiness. It was no wonder the Dennis of today seemed capable of anything, as if nothing could defeat him. He had endured things most people never would.

Camila hugged him tighter, whispering comfortingly in his ear, “It’s all in the past now.” She patted his shoulder gently, as if she were soothing Lillian. The softness in her voice seemed to dismantle the formidable armor he wore.

His expression remained serene; the past no longer had the power to affect his mood. To him, the Collinses were irrelevant. However, the shares that belonged to his mother had to be recovered.

A playful, enigmatic smile touched Dennis’s lips. “Not necessarily.”

“Huh?” A renewed sense of alarm pricked at her. She stared at him, confused. What did he mean by that? Did he still have to go through with it?

Just as she was about to press him, Dennis turned and glanced out the window, changing the subject. “This doesn’t look like the way to your house.”

Camila followed his gaze and realized he was right. “This looks like… the road to Eagle’s Peak Estate. Why is the driver heading this way?”