SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan)

Chapter 212

Chapter 212

Alexander sat alone in his darkened penthouse, staring at his bruised knuckles. The skin was split where his fist had connected with Stefan's jaw, dried blood marking the moment when he had completely lost control of himself. His hand throbbed with each heartbeat, a physical reminder of how far he had fallen from the man he used to be.

The silence in the apartment was deafening. No sounds of Camille moving through their shared space, no gentle humming from the kitchen as she made coffee, no soft breathing beside him in bed. The emptiness pressed against him like a weight he couldn't escape.

His phone lay on the coffee table, screen dark and silent. No messages from Camille. No calls from anyone who cared whether he lived or died. The isolation was complete, and Alexander realized he had built this prison himself with his choices, his obsessions, his inability to see past his need for revenge.

He replayed the scene at Kane Industries over and over in his mind. The way Stefan had placed his hand on Hannah's shoulder - such a simple gesture, but Alexander had seen betrayal where there was only friendship. He had seen manipulation where there was genuine connection. His jealousy had twisted reality into something ugly and threatening.

The look on Camille's face when the security guards led him away haunted him. Not anger, which he could have understood. Not hatred, which he probably deserved. Just profound sadness, as if she was watching someone she once loved destroy himself beyond recognition.

And maybe that's exactly what she had been watching.

Alexander stood up and walked to the bathroom, studying his reflection in the mirror. The man staring back at him looked like a stranger. Hollow cheeks, bloodshot eyes, stubble that spoke of days without proper self-care. When had he become this person? When had his grief for his uncle transformed him into someone who could punch an innocent man in a jealous rage?

He splashed cold water on his face, the shock of it bringing momentary clarity. The events of the evening began to replay in his mind, but this time he forced himself to see them without the filter of his paranoia and pain.

Stefan and Hannah had been working together, sitting close because they were sharing documents. The way Hannah had immediately rushed to tend Stefan's injury wasn't the reaction of someone helping a married woman's lover - it was the response of someone who cared deeply about the injured person.

"Stefan and Hannah," Alexander said aloud to his reflection. "Not Stefan and Camille."

The realization hit him like another punch, this one to his chest rather than his face. He had been so consumed by his assumption that every man in Camille's life was trying to win her back that he had completely misread what was actually happening.

Alexander returned to the living room and slumped onto the couch, his mind churning through other moments when his jealousy might have blinded him to reality. How many times had he interpreted innocent interactions as threats? How many times had his need to see enemies everywhere prevented him from seeing the truth?

His laptop sat open on the side table, displaying the last encrypted message from the Guardian: *Phase Three will proceed as planned. Victoria Kane and her allies must face consequences for their interference with justice.*

water in his veins. The Guardian's language had always been cold, calculated, focused on destruction rather than justice. Tonight, seeing Stefan and Hannah's obvious care for each other, seeing Camille's genuine sadness at his behavior, Alexander began to wonder if he had been fighting for

the court documents? What if the evidence Alexander had received about Victoria's crimes was deliberately

the pages worn from months of reading and rereading. The entries that had

I built. She planted those

Richard Pierce take the blame? The financial records Stefan and Hannah were investigating might hold answers that

banks are calling in our loans.

Meridian's financial stability after the factory accident. Maybe Victoria's

let her win. I won't let her destroy what

final entries. The pain was real, the desperation genuine. But pain and desperation didn't always lead to accurate

message from the Guardian: *Your emotional attachment to your former wife is compromising the mission. If you cannot maintain focus on justice for your uncle, perhaps

shifted from supportive ally to

*I need to see the original evidence again. The documents about Victoria's crimes. I

provided. Your uncle's journal speaks

an answer. I want to see

Victoria Kane was responsible for destroying his life. Are you now saying he was wrong? Are you betraying

flare in his chest, but this time it wasn't directed at Victoria or Stefan or even Camille. It was directed at the faceless person who had been pulling his strings for months, who seemed more interested

want to honor my uncle's memory by making sure we have the facts right. If

longer this time: *Facts are what we make them, Alexander. Justice is what we decide it should be. Your uncle trusted you to avenge his

are what we make them.. Justice is what we decide it should be. Those weren't

thought about the timing of the Guardian's first contact. The night before his engagement party to Camille, exactly when Alexander

wanted

for Camille into a

Victoria.

destroying both

walked to the

his life had