Chapter 7
1175 Words
Rachel's pov
I sighed for the umpteenth time as the hospital elevator rose to the fifth floor with a soft chime.
I wasn't here to apologize.
Vincent could demand it all he wanted, but I would never give Camilla the satisfaction of hearing me beg for forgiveness for a crime I didn't commit.
No, I was here for myself, to look Camilla in the eye and tell her that I was done playing her game.
The private wing was quiet when I stepped out, my footsteps muffled by the plush carpet. The door was slightly open. I knocked once, then pushed it wider.
Camilla sat propped up against pristine white pillows, looking like something out of a magazine spread. Her dark hair was artfully arranged over one shoulder, and even in a hospital gown, she looked elegant.
Her eyes widened slightly when she saw me before a sly smile curved her lips.
"Rachel," she said sweetly, "I wasn't expecting you."
I closed the door behind me, making sure it was fully shut.
"We're alone," I said.
Her smile never slipped, Camilla's smile didn't falter. "Yes. Vincent just left to handle some business at the office. He's been so attentive." She touched her hand to her stomach. "Even though I lost the baby, he's still taking care of me. Just like Wyatt asked him to."
I walked further into the room, stopping at the foot of her bed. "You can drop the act now. There's no one here to perform for."
She paused, "I don't know what you mean."
"Yes, you do." I kept calm. " It's actually impressive, if you weren't ruining my life with it."
The smile dropped from her lips as she regarded me with disdain.
"Oh, Rachel." She tilted her head, studying me like I was an interesting insect. "I have to say, your acting skills have improved. But mine are still better. Everything is exactly as I wished it to be, wouldn't you say?"
The mask was off.
"Why?" I asked. "Why go through all this trouble? You had Wyatt, the money, the status. Everything you wanted.”
"Had." Camilla emphasized the word. "Past tense. Wyatt's dead, Rachel. Dead. And while he was a nice safety net, he was never who I really wanted."
My hands clenched at my sides. "Vincent."
"Vincent." She confirmed it. "Before I married Wyatt, I was Vincent's lover. For three years, we were perfect together. Do you know what that means? Can you even imagine what Vincent and I had? The depth of feeling, the history, the connection?"
Her words stabbed my heart.
"He proposed to me twice," she continued, "Twice. I turned him down both times because Wyatt was offering more. The eldest son, the controlling shares, the real power. It was just business, you understand. But Vincent—" She sighed, theatrical. "Vincent never stopped loving me."
I forced myself to breathe. To stay calm. "If he loved you so much, why did he marry me?"
"Because I told him to." Camilla smiled. "I couldn't have him pining after me while I was married to his brother. It looked bad. So I suggested he find someone to distract himself with." Her eyes raked over me. "You were perfect. An orphan who looked enough like me to scratch the itch, but with none of my accomplishments. You were a placeholder."
I said nothing.
"Be sensible, Rachel," Camilla said, her voice taking on a patronizing tone. "Leave Vincent on your own. Walk away with whatever dignity you have left because you can't win this. I've known him for years, I understand him in ways you never will and now that Wyatt's gone..." She shrugged delicately. "There's nothing stopping us from being together."
She watched me venomously, thinking her words would leave me broken. I smiled and moved closed to her.
"You're right about one thing," I said. "I can't win this game. But that's because I'm not playing anymore."
She frowned. "What?"
"I filed for divorce." The words felt good coming out. "I'm leaving Vincent. I deserve better than being someone's placeholder."
For the first time, Camilla looked uncertain. "Vincent won't sign."
"Then I'll make him." I leaned forward slightly. "But either way, I'm done. I won't apologize to you for something I didn't do. I won't beg for forgiveness and I definitely won't share a husband with you or anyone else. So you can have him, Camilla. Congratulations, you win."
I turned and walked toward the door.
"Rachel." Camilla's voice stopped me. When I looked back, her expression had turned cold. "You think Vincent will let you go that easily? You think he'll just sign those papers and move on?"
"I guess we'll find out."
I opened the door and walked out without looking back.
Camilla's pov
I sat there for a moment after the door closed, anger simmering under my skin.
Since when did she call the shots? I decide when the game stops.
I pushed the blankets aside and got out of bed. I moved to the door, opening it a crack.
Rachel was down the hallway, and Vincent, Vincent had just stepped out of the elevator. I watched as Rachel approached him, pulling papers from her bag.
The divorce agreement.
"Sign it," I heard Rachel say, "Please, Vincent. Just sign it and let me go."
Vincent took the papers and stared at them. His jaw was tight, his whole body tense.
"Rachel—"
"I went to see Camilla like you asked," Rachel continued. "I looked her in the eye. I'm not going to apologize because I didn't do anything wrong, but I went. Now please, sign the papers."
I watched Vincent's face carefully. Watched the way his eyes moved over the divorce agreement, the way his hand tightened on the papers.
He was hesitating. He still had feelings for her.
Vincent still cared about Rachel, maybe more than he even realized.
No, no, no.
I'd worked too hard for this.. I'd married Wyatt, played the dutiful wife for years, all while keeping Vincent close enough to remember what we'd had. And when Wyatt had finally died in that convenient accident, well. Everything had been falling into place.
I closed the door quietly and pulled out my phone.
There was a contact I'd saved months ago, just in case. I'd paid him well to keep tabs on Rachel, to be ready if I needed him.
Now I did.
I typed out a message quickly:
The target needs to be handled. Permanently. Find an opportunity and make it look like an accident. There's an extra hundred thousand in it if you move fast.
I hit send and watched the message deliver.
Rachel wanted to leave? Fine. She could leave.
But not the way she was planning.
If Rachel disappeared, Vincent would be devastated at first and I would be there to comfort him, just like I'd been doing all along.
Without Rachel in the picture, Vincent's heart would finally be mine completely.
I just had to make sure she was gone for good.
- Writer
