SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan)

Chapter 46

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Chapter 46

Rose point of view

I stared at my phone screen until the words blurred, reading the same headline for the twentieth time. "ROSE LEWIS: THE PRIVATE LIFE SHE DIDN'T WANT YOU TO SEE” Beneath it, that grainy photo of me How? How had anyone found this? I'd been so careful.

My boutique office, normally my sanctuary, felt suffocating now. Outside, I could hear my staff whispering, their usual respectful silence replaced by urgent murmurs. They'd seen the stories. Everyone had.

Three major fashion sites had dropped my spring collection Five influencers had canceled promotional contracts. Two department stores had "postponed" their orders. All within twenty- four hours.

My empire, built so carefully brick by brick, was crumbling beneath my feet.

The phone on my desk rang again. My publicity team, no doubt, with another useless strategy. I'd already released three statements, first denying everything, then suggesting the photos were manipulated, final I ignored the call, returning to my social media feeds. The comments cut like knives.

"Always knew she was fake."

"Poor Camille, no wonder she drove into that river."

"#RoseThoms is right beautiful but toxic!"

Tears stung my eyes. Not from shame, I'd never felt shame for taking what I wanted, but from rage. I'd spent years crafting the perfect image. The talented designer. The grieving sister. The devoted fiancée. All stolen moment captured on film.

The office door banged open. Stefan stood there, still wearing his work suit, face thunderous. He held his phone in a white-

knuckled grip.

"When were you going to tell me?" His voice was dangerously quiet.

I stood, smoothing my skirt, forcing my face into concerned lines. "Stefan, darling. I've been

trying to reach you all day. These rumors are....”

"Not rumors." He stepped inside, slamming the door behind him. "Facts. With photographic evidence."

"It was years ago. Before us. Before..."

“Before us?” He laughed, a harsh sound I'd never heard from him. "According to the date on this photo, you were sleeping with your mentor's husband three weeks after I married your sister."

Ice slid down my spine. I hadn't noticed the timestamp. Hadn't thought anyone would look that closely.

"It wasn't serious," I tried, moving toward him. "A mistake One night that meant nothing."

"And the others? Lord Hartley?

stomach dropped. They knew about Anton too? How much

feeding you these lies?" I demanded, offense as defense. "Who's

destroy what we have?"

we have, Rose? A relationship built on our manipulation of Camille? A future "I never lied to you," I insisted. "I just didn't share every detail of my

stared at me like he'd never

before. "Like where you really were during your 'year in Paris'? Because according to these

calculating damage, planning counterattacks. Who was doing this? Who had the

it looks like," I said,

is with you, is it?" Stefan's voice had gone flat. "Nothing's ever what it looks like. Not your relationship with me while I was

from London just when our marriage was struggling. Not your sudden devotion

you," I hissed, genuine anger flaring. "I loved Camille.

face that night. When they told us her car went off that bridge. You didn't look surprised, Rose. You looked... relieved." My heart stuttered. Had he noticed? Had he seen through my

affects people differently. You know

Stefan said slowly, "is that I'm beginning to

again before I could respond. This

my mother's eyes red-

usually

cold. "We

I'd faced criticism before,

you can see.

now," I said, desperation leaking into my voice. "I'm dealing with a PR crisis,

you were during your 'fashi laugh was sharp, almost cruel. “That's not

you were busy messing around with

my parents' disappointment. He truly had been waiting for me, just as I'd planned. But now be knew I hadn't been doing

and you were on some Russian's yacht? In some lord worst

thinking about you, missing bed?" His voice broke slightly. "You

having fun?"

advocate, always taken my side against Camille, against anyone who challenged

would

are being taken out of

revealing another damning image. Me with Jonathan at a

advance my career," I said, drawing myself up. "Cholces men

to be working in Paris while lounging on criminal

mentors' husbands while claiming to be learning

front stunned me. My parents had never confronted me this way,

are you?" My mother's question sliced through my shock. "Because the daughter we thought we knew

boiling over. "The daughter you chose over your own blood! The daughter you let get away with everything because she was so special, so tal My

never had. Support she never received. And this is how you honor that? By destroying your own reputation? By embarrassing thi "My reputation?" I grabbed a vase from my desk, hurling it against the wall. Water and flowers sprayed across my design sketches, ruining weeks of work. "My entire career is being dismantled by these stories, Stefan moved between me and my parents, hands raised

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