CAMILLE
I paced back and forth, my heart a wild drumbeat in my chest. How had I ended up here? I had seen it coming, hadn’t I? From the first time Ethan’s eyes lingered on me longer than necessary, from the subtle shift in his tone when he spoke my name. I knew, but I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to acknowledge his feelings for me but I should have stopped it earlier.
Ethan had asked me to marry him. A question so simple, yet so utterly terrifying. I didn’t want this. I didn’t want him—not in the way he wanted me. Marriage? A husband? The mere thought of it made my chest tighten with fear. I had always imagined myself as something else—a free woman, unbound by the constraints of expectations, of men.
"Lisa," I called out, my voice trembling more than I intended.
"Yes, M
