On your knees, Mr. Billionaire

004

Camille Blackwell

~•~

It was almost midnight by the time the cab pulled over at my parents’ house. I paid him and got out, dragging my suitcase up the front porch.

I let out a deep breath and rang the doorbell. After a few minutes of not hearing footsteps, I rang the doorbell a few more times, waiting impatiently until I heard a voice from the intercom. “Who’s that?”

I stood in front of the camera. “I-it’s me.” I stuttered. “It’s me, Mom.”

“What are you doing here in the middle of the night?”

I opened my mouth to explain, then stared at the suitcase beside me. I couldn’t explain everything at the moment. “Can you open the door for me first?”

It was silent for a while before I heard the door unlocking. I pushed it open and stepped inside, the lights automatically coming on. Before I could even reach the living room, my mother was descending the staircase, a robe wrapped around her body. She frowned when she saw my suitcase. “What’s going on?”

“I—“ I wasn’t sure exactly what to say. She was treating me like a stranger in my father’s house, but then again, I only ever came home twice a year since I got married; for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was currently June. “I came to sleep over.”

Her gaze travelled down my form. I was still wearing my dress from graduation. She pursed her lips. “Coming back from somewhere?”

I smiled sadly. “I had my graduation today.” I reminded her. I had invited her. I had invited my father, my brother, and my sister as well. The only person who had gotten back to me was my brother and that was only to tell me that he couldn’t make it.

“Oh, that. That doesn’t explain why you have a suitcase with you, Camille. What is going on?”

My tongue poked the inside of my cheek. It was midnight. Most parents would immediately lead me to my old room and allow me to rest before asking questions the next day, but it seemed my mother wouldn’t let me go anywhere until I answered her questions. “Dominic and I are getting divorced,” I told her honestly.

There was silence for a long moment, then I heard her footsteps hurriedly approach me. “What? What did you say?”

Was she seriously going to make me say it again? “Dominic and I are getting—“

THWACK!

My face whipped to the side from the impact of her palm.

“Shut up!” She hissed. “Don’t say that out loud.”

I placed my palm on my cheek, blinking repeatedly as I tried to make sense of what just happened.

“What did you do, Camille?” She cried out. “Did you sleep with another man? Did he catch you? What did you do that made him divorce you?”

Tears rolled down my eyes at her accusation. “I didn’t do anything. He is the one sleeping with other women.”

“So you couldn’t look the other way? You confronted him about it, didn’t you? You’ve always been too stubborn! He’s a man, Camille! He has needs!”

My mouth parted in surprise. She was ready to rain hell on me for cheating but was making excuses for him?

“Oh my god, Camille. Your father worked very hard for this union and you want to ruin it just because you’re jealous? Are you stupid or do you just not care about this family?”

“I—“

“Go back!” She interrupted me before I could say anything. “Now. You can’t spend the night outside without your husband. Go home right this instant.”

“He’s not my husband anymore. I told you we’re getting divorced.”

My mother glared at me. “I will drag you back there if I have to.”

“Mom,” I called out, tears still rolling down my cheeks. “He brought another woman into our home. She was there when I came back from my graduation. He told me to pack my bags and leave and I did. There is nothing to go back to.”

“Then go back and fight for it,” she said without hesitation. “Apologize. Wear something nice. Make him remember why he married you.”

I almost laughed. “He knows why he married me, Mom. That’s exactly the problem.”

“Don’t be smart with me.” She pointed a finger at my face. “Do you know what it cost your father to secure that marriage? Do you know what it means for this family to be connected to the Blackwells? You want to throw all of that away because your feelings are hurt?”

“My feelings—” I stopped and took a much-needed breath. “He doesn’t want me there.”

“Then make him want you! That’s what wives do, Camille. They fight.” She gritted out. “Now turn around, get back in that cab, and go home.”

“I’m not going back.” I decided. I still had second thoughts when I left his house but after seeing the way my mother didn’t even regard my feelings, I knew there was nothing left for me here.

Her eyes flashed. “What did you just say to me?”

“Then you’re not staying here either. I will not harbor a woman who is actively destroying this family’s future.”

I looked at my mother. I wasn’t very surprised by her behavior but it still hurt. She was going to turn me away at midnight with a suitcase, not caring where I went. Before I could respond, the doorbell rang.

“Good. That must be your brother.” She said as she went to open the door.

“Camille,” Marcus called out as he stepped inside. He was dressed in a plain shirt and a pair of pajama pants. It was obvious he had been pulled out of his sleep. “What’s going on? Mom called me and said something is wrong.”

“Your sister is trying to ruin everything.” My mother responded for me.

Marcus looked at me, then his gaze travelled to the suitcase, then to my cheek that was likely red from my mother's slap. I instinctively wiped my eyes and his jaw tightened. “Come on.” He reached for my suitcase. “You can stay with me.”

“She’s going back to her husband,” my mother interjected.

“She’s staying with me,” Marcus repeated, leaving no room for an argument.

My mother made a sound of disgust and turned around, stomping up the stairs without another word. I felt my heart break for the second time that day when she slammed her bedroom door shut.

Marcus placed a hand on my shoulder, steering me towards the door. “Let’s go.”

We took his car. He didn’t ask me anything for the first ten minutes, letting me rest my head against the window and look out.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” he finally asked.

I told him everything. Well, not everything. I only told him about Dominic and Victoria, but I didn’t mention that no one was at my graduation or even congratulated me. I didn’t mention the pregnancy either.

“You need to fight for him, Cam.” He said when I was done.

I turned to look at my brother.

“I know it sounds crazy,” he said quickly. “But Dominic is… he’s proud and he’s stupid and if you just gave it some time—”

“He made it very clear we’re over.” I cut in, hating that everyone thought it was my duty to fight for him. “He threatened to take me to court if I didn’t agree. Besides, I’ve already signed the papers.” I lied.

Marcus pursed his lips and didn’t say anything after that, but the next morning, he still tried to convince me to go back to Dominic.

Dominic, on the other hand, sent me a message through his lawyer.

[Mrs. Blackwell, please be advised that the divorce papers need to be signed and returned within a week. Check your mail for the papers.]