A Love Rewriting

Episode4: Revelations in the Garden

CAMILLE.

Bella was strutting around the house like a princess, with her head held high, flaunting a brilliant 14-carat diamond engagement ring that Mr. Raymond had mailed. She would show it to anybody who would take a glance at it and go on and on with relish, telling people how everything was just "so perfect."

Meanwhile, despite all this talk of him, Mr. Raymond was in hiding. I heard whispers that he was in Asia finalizing a major deal, but it was of little consequence to me. Time blurred for me. Days went by in the same gray haze. A month passed, and I retreated further into myself.

I hardly left my bedroom, avoiding the garden when I used to love the beauty of it, or the loud laughter of Bella, or the passive-aggressive remarks of Celinda. I could not stand the judgmental stares of household staff, the quiet disappointment in my father's eyes, or Bella's smug triumph.

My birthday passed, unmarked. I lay all day in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as the heavy weight of my ruined hopes smothered me. What was supposed to be my escape, my marriage, now felt farther away than ever, an impossible hope. Mama's dream for me was destroyed; Papa was disappointed with me; and Bella had taken the only thing that could have restored hope.

Dad did try talking to me, after a few days of cooling off his anger. But I kept avoiding him, brushing off his attempts to reach me. He's not the man I once knew anymore, I fumed in bitter thoughts, the betrayal way too deep.

Two months went by, and preparations for the wedding were in full swing.

It had taken forever, but finally Mr. Raymond returned to the country, and there was a dinner planned where the family was to be formally introduced to him. I refused to attend and stayed locked in my room as Dad sighed at me to "act mature."

I overheard snippets of the evenings from my bedroom wall: Bella's shrill laughter, Celinda's fawning remarks, and the deep rumble of Mr. Raymond's voice as he spoke. The sound curled my stomach for some reason. Night after night, I missed the dinners. But I couldn't avoid him completely. Sometimes, I would hear his voice in the hall as he walked with Bella; the sound of their footsteps would echo.

I resented it all, their happiness, their plans, and the man now so seemingly interwoven into my family. Finally, one night, I had had enough. In my mirror a wan, hollow-eyed ghost stared back at me, and then I knew I must fight back. I would face them all tonight.

I dressed simply but with no carelessness, brushed my golden hair until the rich gleam showed through, and then went downstairs. As I stepped inside the dining room, everything went silent.

Bella had frozen mid-sentence, her mouth hanging open. Celinda turned to me, thinly veiling her disdain, while Dad didn't even bat an eyelid. Mr. Raymond, who sat at the right hand of my dad who was at the head of the table, finally looked at me.

I ignored the tension that radiated around me and took a seat, placing piles of food onto my plate. I started eating, and the deafening silence persisted around me, my actions very deliberate and calm.

Celinda cleared her throat awkwardly. "So, as I was saying, the flower arrangements should complement the silver table settings. Don't you think, Mr.Raymond?"

"Yes, of course," he said in a low, gruff voice. But his eyes didn't leave me.

I could feel his gaze, yet I refused to look up. I ate in silence, my attention on my plate. Moments later, he spoke directly to me.

“Camille, I suppose?," he rumbled in his deep voice, "how have you been?"

My fork paused in mid-air, and I finally looked up to meet his eyes. There was something flickering in them and a strange, unsettling sense of familiarity settled in me.

"I've been fine," I said evenly, though my heart pounded. This was the man I was supposed to marry.

Raymond's gaze lingered, studying me. He opened his mouth to say something else, but Bella interjected with a bright, forced laugh. "Oh, Raymond, don't bother her. Camille's been keeping to herself lately. She's not much for company these days."

I clamped my mouth shut, holding in the stinging retort that sprang to my lips. I ate the rest of my meal in silence, ignoring the digs Bella and Celinda continued to shoot my way, then rose wordlessly from the table.

I stepped out into the garden, taking deep breaths of the cool evening air. The familiar scent of flowers soothed my nerves a little, though my chest still felt tight. I wandered aimlessly, my mind churning with thoughts.

"Camille."

I whipped around at the sound of his voice. Mr. Raymond was standing some feet away, his long body outlined against the soft twinkling of the garden lights.

"What do you want?" I asked him, folding my arms over my chest.

"I was taking a walk," he said, his voice even, "and I wasn't expecting to run across you. I thought you’d retired for the night.”

I turned away, my shoulders stiff. "Well, you found me. Now you can leave."

He didn't move. "You've been avoiding me. Have I perhaps offended you in some way?"

I let out a harsh laugh. "Why would I care enough to avoid you?”

Raymond moved closer, and with the action, the scent of him wafted toward me, a familiar, faint scent. Smoky pine wood. My heart stopped. My eyes flew to his face, taking in sharp features and a piercing gaze. Recognition slammed into me like a freight train.

"You," I whispered, my voice trembling.

His brows furrowed. "What?"

“You were there that night”, I said, my voice rising. “The night it all fell apart. You're the man from the club. You came into the room and you…you were gone the following morning. At Club Euphoria.”

Raymond bristled, his eyes darkening. “Impossible.”

“No, it's you”, I insisted, stepping closer. “The scent, your eyes, everything. You were the one in that room with me. You walked in and met me and…”

His jaw clenched, and he stepped backward. “You're mistaken.”

Before I could answer, Bella's shrill voice cut through the night. "What are you doing?"

We turned to see Bella storming toward us, her face twisted with fury.

"You just can't help yourself, can you?" Bella spat at me. "Trying to ruin my engagement out of spite?"

My chest tightened with anger. "That's not what I'm doing. I just realized—"

“Liar!” Bella screamed. “You’re just jealous, trying to take what’s mine!”

I stared at her, seeing the flicker of fear behind Bella’s rage. “You know I’m telling the truth,” I said coldly.

“Enough!” Bella shouted, her voice breaking.

Footsteps approached, and Dad and Celinda appeared. “What’s going on here?” her father demanded.

"Camille's trying to ruin everything!" Bella cried, her accusing finger pointed.

Dad turned to me, his eyes unyielding and tired. "Explain yourself."

My gaze shifted to Raymond, who stared at me with a mixture of shock and something I couldn't place. I took a deep breath, locking eyes with him.

"You know it as much as I do," I murmured.

His lips parted to speak, but I didn't wait. I turned on my heel and strode away, leaving them all behind in the garden.