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

Could solve equations that baffled men twice her age. But she was also kind, which I failed to teach her." A bitter smile crossed her lips. "That she learned despite I waited as Victoria

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

face hardened. "They never thought her good enough. The Kanes were new money,

from

them."

echoed in my chest. Always being measured and

happened?" I asked, though part of me already

Brake lines cut." Victoria's voice turned to ice. "Police called it an

her knees. "The Prestons celebrated quietly. Their son free to marry the 'right' background. They underestimated

someone from

me shiver again. This wasn't griel

companies failed. Stock prices crashed. Ships lost at sea. Mysterious audits. Computer systems failing. Nothing that could be

Victoria's smile

months later, he jumped from his penthouse. Left a note confessing he'd known about

within two years. Their homes sold. Their treasures auctioned. The

looked at me fully now. "That's the lesson, Camille Revenge isn't about violence or threats. It's about patience. About being smarter. About taking what matters most to those who hurt you," She opened her bag, removing a small wooden chest. Beautifully carved, with silver hinges and lock. About the size of a

us to

box to me. I took it, feeling its surprising

"What is it?"

Victoria's eyes were steady on mine. "For

"You want me

and weakness of your old life. Everything that

my hands, suddenly unsteady on my

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

the carved wood. "And If I'm

this ends now. You go back

you start somewhere new, with a

slightly. There's no shame in that choice. But there's no revenge

forward or back. Choose power or

I opened the box.

Like the future stretching before me, a

hands, I reached for my purse. Inside was all I had left of my old life. The few things I'd grabbed before leaving the house that day, plus what Victoria's people

"Not your 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, Rose watching with that "Your marriage,” Victoria observed. "Your

The sound it made hitting the

Each charm representing some achievement of mine they'd actually

said.

bracelet joined

came next. Me as a

at my wedding, smiling so

Victoria noted. "The stories you told yourself to

into the

my driver's license, credit cards, social security card. The official records

"Who they told you

into the chest.

now, strange lightness spreading

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

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255