Chapter 7 - What Camille Knew

Camille came back three days later.

Not to the front door.

To the servants’ entrance.

I opened it.

She stood in a black coat with no makeup.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then she said, “Is Adrian here?”

“Yes.”

“Will he see me?”

“I don’t know.”

She looked past me.

“I deserve that.”

I let her inside.

Not because I forgave her.

Because Adrian had asked me to stop making decisions for him.

A lesson everyone in that house needed.

He met Camille in the breakfast room.

Dominic sat in the library with Henry.

I stayed near the doorway.

Adrian did not ask me to leave.

Camille noticed.

“I brought something.”

She placed her phone on the table.

Adrian did not touch it.

“What?”

“A recording.”

His face tightened.

“Of who?”

“My father.”

She pressed play.

Rafael’s voice filled the room.

“You will marry Adrian before Dominic changes the trust.”

Camille’s recorded voice answered.

“I’m not marrying him for you.”

“You don’t have to. You only have to keep Dominic away until the signatures are done.”

Adrian stared at her.

The recording continued.

Camille said, “What signatures?”

Rafael answered, “Beneficiary restructuring.”

Then the audio stopped.

Adrian looked at her.

“When was this?”

“Two months ago.”

“You knew he wanted Dominic away.”

“Yes.”

“And you still lied to me.”

“Yes.”

No excuses.

That mattered.

Not enough.

But it mattered.

Adrian’s voice was quiet.

“Why?”

Camille looked down.

“Because I thought your father had abandoned you.”

“He hadn’t.”

“I know.”

“You met him.”

“Yes.”

“You looked him in the face.”

Her eyes filled.

“Yes.”

“And told him I wanted nothing to do with him.”

“Yes.”

Adrian stood.

For a second, I thought he would leave.

Instead, he turned toward the window.

Camille kept talking.

“My father showed me medical notes. He said Dominic was unstable. He said reopening the past would destroy you.”

“You believed him?”

“At first.”

“And later?”

She swallowed.

“Later I stopped believing him.”

Adrian turned.

“When?”

“The hotel.”

The same hotel in Henry’s photograph.

Camille looked at him.

“Your father asked me one question.”

“What?”

“Whether you still hated thunderstorms.”

Adrian’s face changed.

Camille continued.

“He remembered sitting with you under the dining table when you were six.”

Dominic had told nobody that.

Adrian knew it.

“So you knew he remembered me.”

“Yes.”

“And you still kept him away.”

Camille cried then.

Quietly.

“I was afraid.”

“Of losing me?”

“Of what my father would do if I helped Dominic.”

Adrian stared.

There was the truth.

Not love.

Not greed.

Fear.

But fear could still betray people.

Camille opened her bag.

She removed a folder.

“My father kept copies of trust correspondence at his office.”

She slid it across the table.

“I took them yesterday.”

Adrian opened it.

Inside was an email from Victor Vale.

Six weeks earlier.

Before Dominic returned publicly.

The message was short.

KEEP THE OLD MAN AWAY UNTIL AFTER THE WEDDING.

Adrian stopped.

Victor knew Dominic was back.

Recently.

Not sixteen years ago.

Recently.

Camille whispered, “My father and Victor were still working together.”

Adrian looked at her.

“Why give me this?”

“Because my father chose himself.”

Her voice broke.

“I’m done choosing him.”

Adrian closed the folder.

“You understand this doesn’t fix us.”

“I know.”

“You understand I may never trust you again.”

“I know.”

He looked at the engagement ring on the table between them.

Camille had brought it back.

Not on her finger.

In a small box.

Adrian pushed it toward her.

“Keep it.”

She shook her head.

“I can’t.”

“It belongs to you.”

“No.”

She looked at him.

“It belonged to who I was supposed to become.”

Then she stood.

At the door, Adrian spoke.

“Camille.”

She stopped.

He did not ask her to stay.

He only said, “Thank you for the recording.”

Her shoulders shook once.

Then she left.

Adrian watched the closed door.

I thought the hard part was over.

It wasn’t.

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Because Henry entered a minute later holding a new police report.

Victor had disappeared.