SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan)

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

CAMILLE'S POINT OF VIEW

The black car moved through morning fog, tires humming gainst wet roads. I stared out the window, watching trees blur into gray mist. Victoria sat beside me, her face a mask of calm, but her fingers tapped a n

"Where are we going?" I asked, breaking the silence that had stretched between us since we left the mansion Thirty

minutes ago. The papers making me

officially Camille Kane had been signed at dawn, the ink barely dry. Victoria's eyes stayed fixed on the passing landscape. "To meet someone important."

The car turned onto a narrow road lined with tall iron gates and stone walls. A cemetery. My stomach tightened. "Sophia?" I whispered.

Victoria nodded once, sharp and quick, like admitting pain "Today marks ten years since I lost her."

The cemetery was empty of visitors, kept private by security guards who nodded respectfully as our car passed. Ancient trees created a natural cathedral over graves that dated back centuries. This was no ordi

Our driver stopped at the end of a curving path. "We walk from here," Victoria said, gathering her bag and stepping out without waiting for help.

I followed her along a stone path that wound uphill toward secluded corner overlooking the city. The grass here was greener, the flowers fresher. Clearly tended with special care.

We stopped before a white marble headstone, simple yet elegant. Quality that whispered rather than shouted.

SOPHIA ELIZABETH KANE

BELOVED DAUGHTER

TAKEN TOO SOON

1990-2013

Below those words, a single line of poetry: "Some souls are too bright for this world."

Victoria placed white lilies by the stone, her movements practiced yet tender. I hung back, feeling like an intruder on this private grief.

"Come," she said, not looking at me. "She would want to meet you."

I stepped forward,

uneasy. What do you say to a grave of someone you never knew? Someone whose death made your

new life possible?

Victoria knelt despite her expensive sult, uncaring about grass stains or dirt. "Hello, my darling," she said, touching the carved letters of Sophia's name. "I've brought someone to meet you." just cold.

The wind picked up, sanding, fallen leaves dancing around 1 zipped my jacket higher, shivering from more than

"Tell me about her," I said. "The real story, not the public rsion."

Victoria was

quiet so long I thought she wouldn't answer. When she spoke, her voien

Chapter 10

that baffled men twice her age. But she was also kind, which I failed to teach her." A bitter smile crossed her lips.

Preston. Old money, old connections. Handsome, charming, seemed perfect. His family owned shipping companies

never thought her good enough. The Kanes were new

They came from generations

them."

of rejection echoed in my chest. Always

happened?" I asked, though part

on a mountain road. Brake lines cut."

to marry the 'right' background. They

someone from

again. This wasn't griel anymore, but

Mysterious audits. Computer systems failing. Nothing

Victoria's smile

"Oliver married the girl they chose. Three months later, he jumped from his penthouse. Left a note confessing he'd known about the

Their treasures auctioned. The Preston

taking what matters most to those who hurt you," She opened her bag, removing

to why

held out the box to me. I took it,

"What is it?"

were steady on mine. "For

"You

of your old life. Everything that

the chest in my hands,

need to be while clinging to who you were," Victoria continued. "The woman they hurt, they used, they

the carved wood. "And If I'm not

this ends now.

help you

Her voice softened slightly. There's no shame in that

moment pressed down on me. Step forward or

I opened the box.

interior was lined with dark blue velvet. Empty, waiting. Like the future stretching before me, a

purse. Inside was all I had left of my old life. The few things I'd grabbed before

style, dear, but it's what a Rodriguez wife should wear." I stared at it, remembering the day Stefan had slid it onto my finger,

box. The sound it made hitting

for my sixteenth birthday. Each charm representing some achievement of mine they'd actually noticed. So few compared to Rose's overflowing trophy shelf. "Your

said. "Your deepest

bracelet joined

came next. Me as

so hopefully. A family Christmas, all of us posed perfectly for a card no one would remember

noted. "The stories you told yourself to

into the

credit cards, social security card.

"Who they

the chest.

strange lightness spreading through

produced a small silver key. "Are you certain? Once locked, this chest will be buried here,

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