SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan)

Chapter 233

The gardens at Victoria's estate bloomed with late spring flowers as guests gathered under white silk tents for an occasion that felt both familiar and entirely new. Six months had passed since James Whitfield's arrest, six months of healing and rebuilding and learning to trust in love again.

Camille stood in the estate's master bedroom, looking at herself in the antique mirror as Victoria helped her adjust the simple cream-colored dress she had chosen for the ceremony. This wasn't the elaborate wedding gown she had worn for her first marriage to Alexander - this dress was elegant but understated, chosen for comfort rather than spectacle.

"Are you nervous?" Victoria asked, fastening the pearl necklace that had belonged to her own mother around Camille's neck.

"Not nervous," Camille replied, touching the pearls gently. "Excited. Ready. This feels different from the first time."

"Different how?"

Camille turned to face Victoria, seeing her adoptive mother looking healthy and strong for the first time since her cancer diagnosis. The months of recovery had been good for both of them, allowing them to rebuild their relationship on foundations of truth rather than the secrets that had almost destroyed them.

"The first time I married Alexander, I was marrying the man I thought he was. Today I'm marrying the man I know he is - flaws and mistakes and all." Camille's voice carried a certainty that hadn't been there during her first wedding. "I'm marrying someone who has hurt me and disappointed me, but who has also fought for us when it mattered most."

Victoria smiled, remembering her own second chance at love after her husband's death. "That's what real love looks like. Not the fairy tale version where everything is perfect, but the grown-up version where you choose each other despite knowing exactly who you're choosing."

A soft knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Alexander's voice came through the wood, warm with affection and anticipation.

"Camille? I know it's bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony, but I have something for you."

Camille opened the door to find Alexander standing in the hallway, handsome in his dark suit but somehow more relaxed than she had ever seen him. He held a small wrapped box in his hands.

"What is this?" Camille asked, accepting the gift.

"Something I should have given you the first time we got married, instead of surveillance equipment and hidden agendas." Alexander's voice carried both regret for the past and hope for the future.

Camille unwrapped the box to reveal a delicate bracelet made of intertwined silver and gold bands. The craftsmanship was exquisite, but it was the engraving on the inside that made her breath catch: "To new beginnings and honest love - A."

"Alexander, it's beautiful."

"I had it made by the same jeweler who created your engagement ring. But this time, there are no hidden meanings or secret purposes. It's just a gift from your husband to his wife, given with complete honesty about who I am and what I'm promising you."

Camille felt tears starting as Alexander fastened the bracelet around her wrist. The weight of it felt perfect, substantial enough to remind her of his presence but delicate enough to wear every day.

are you promising me?" she

promising you complete honesty, even when the

the couple who had survived so much manipulation and betrayal to find their way

what are you promising him?" Victoria asked

man who had been manipulated into betraying her, who had nearly lost her to his own need for revenge, who had fought desperately to

tested. I'm promising him that I will fight for our marriage instead of running away when things get difficult. I'm promising him that I will love him not just for who he could be, but for who

as he heard Camille's vows. This was what he had always wanted but had been too consumed by grief and manipulation to recognize - unconditional love from someone who saw his

go," Alexander said, stepping back from the doorway. "The guests are starting to arrive, and I want everything to

erasing the past or pretending their first marriage hadn't been poisoned by lies. It was about acknowledging what they had learned and choosing

people who mattered most to them. Her parents sat in the front row, their faces showing pride and relief that their daughter had found happiness again. Senator Alvarez had flown in from Washington to witness the ceremony, his presence a

serving as both mother of the bride and officiant for the ceremony. As the head of the family that had been rebuilt through

with joy. He stood with his best man Stefan, both men looking nervous and happy as

dress that complemented her dark hair. She had been working with Stefan to help plan this ceremony, their own relationship deepening through months of supporting

hands and looked into her eyes with an expression

to witness a first marriage, but to celebrate the renewal of vows between two people who have learned what love really means," Victoria began, Ker voice carrying clearly across the garden. "Alexander and Camille

of them with the pride of a mother watching her children

isn't about finding someone perfect. It's about finding someone worth fighting for, someone worth forgiving, someone worth choosing again and

to choose our love over any need for revenge or any outside pressure. I vow to be the husband you deserve, not just the husband I thought I was." Camille's voice was steady and clear as she responded. "Alexander, I vow to you that I will trust in your love even when my past experiences make trust difficult. I vow

Victoria pronounced them renewed in their commitment to each other, Alexander and Camille kissed with the passion of people

tenderness of those who understood

reception that followed

laughter and the kind of easy happiness that

As the sun began to set

up from his table and approached the small stage where a string

said, his

her conversation

need to say."

reception guests turned their attention to Stefan as he stood on the stage, looking out at the crowd with the expression of someone about to take the biggest

understood what love meant.

and dramatic

affection." Stefan's eyes found Hannah in the crowd, and his voice grew stronger. "But watching Alexander and Camille rebuild their marriage taught me that real love is much simpler and much more difficult than

her heart beginning to race as