SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan)

Chapter 74

The ballroom fell

silent as Camille stepped onto the stage. The crystal chandeliers above cast a glow that seemed to highlight her transformation, her posture straight and confident, her chin raised, her eyes clear and focused. G

She took the microphone from Victoria, her fingers steady despite the hundreds of wide eyes fixed on her. Whispers

rippled through the crowd: "It can't be..." "She's dead..." "How is this possible?"

The faces that mattered most to her stood frozen in shock. Her mother clutched her father's arm, her mouth hanging open. Stefan had gone deathly pale, as if seeing a ghost. And Rose.... Rose's face had drain "Thank you all for coming tonight," Camille began, her voice carrying across the stunned silence. "Some of you knew me as Camille Lewis. Others have come to know me as Camille Kane. The truth is, I am bot She paused, allowing her words to sink in. Camera phones were raised throughout the ballroom, recording every moment. This was not just a private revelation; it would become public knowledge within minute "Eighteen months ago, I discovered divorce papers on my anniversary. My husband, Stefan Rodriguez..." she gestured toward him, and the crowd's eyes followed ".....had decided our marriage was over becau Stefan flinched visibly, taking a half-

step back as if trying to disappear into the crowd.

"What I didn't know then was that this wasn't a recent development. You see, Rose and Stefan had a relationship for years before I ever met him. I was simply a placeholder, a convenient detour on their path to "On the night I signed those divorce papers, something inside me broke. I thought I had lost everything. Little did I know that loss was just the beginning."

She looked directly at Rose now, whose face had shifted from shock to something darker, a mixture of rage and fear.

"After I left, I was attacked in a parking garage. Men who were hired to deliver a message. They beat me until I could barely stand. They told me to leave New York and never come back, that I wouldn't survive a

11

Her mother let out a low moan, covering her mouth with trembling hands.

"I would have died that night if Victoria Kane hadn't found me." Camille turned to Victoria, who stood like a sentinel at the side of the stage. "She saved

me, not just by stopping the attackers, but by showing me that I could transform my pain into power."

Victoria gave her a subtle nod, her face showing rare public emotion.

"The question, of course, is who would want me gone so badly? Who would pay to have me attacked? Who would benefit most from my disappearance?"

Rose, who had begun to back away, looking for

murder," Camille stated, her voice cutting through the

Chapter 74

the person who claimed

to frighten me into leaving

in murmurs. Security guards subtly moved

she screamed, her voice raw with fury. "You had everything! Everything was handed to you while I had to fight for scrap Security moved toward Rose, but Camille raised a hand to stop them. This confrontation had been years in the making. She wouldn't

"But you plotted against me my entire life. You manipulated everyone around me.

you know what it's like to watch someone else live the life you

consequences of her confession. "You were supposed to run away, not die. And when your car was pulled from the river, I "You thought your plan had worked too well," Camille finished for her. "You thought I was dead, and

this

was hollow. "Sister? She was never my sister. She was an

what exactly did you want, Rose?" Camille asked, though she already

your social standing. I deserved it all more

voice, stepping away from Rose as if she were toxic. "You told me Camille left because she couldn't handle us

because it was convenient," Rose shot back. "Don't pretend you're innocent in this, Stefan. You were all too happy to move on with me the minute she was

crumble under the weight of his

she felt nothing but

shame. "Camille, my God... we didn't know. We

but firm. "You never saw me. Not really. And you certainly never saw who Rose truly was, despite all

was weeping openly now. "Please, Camille. Please forgive us. We can be a family

Chapter 74

moment, Camille felt a flicker of her old self, the young woman who had always sought approval, who had always tried to keep the peace.

was now.

not possible," she said. "Camille Lewis

the parking garage. The woman who stands before you is Camille

I am her heir. That chapter of my life is closed

us!" her mother cried,