Fragments of a Broken Woman

CHAPTER 14

The three of us were completely absorbed, going over every detail—figuring out how to make everything look real.

A knock on the door snapped us out of it.

Someone was looking for us.

I stood up to open it, but Camille reacted faster. She grabbed Stephan by the arm and pulled him close, wrapping herself around him as if they were in the middle of a romantic scene, casually “watching” the movie with me.

Everything had to look convincing.

I assumed it would be my mother… or someone from the staff. At that hour, my father and brother would still be at the company.

But it wasn’t.

The shock hit instantly.

When I opened the door… I saw him.

Elijah Hall

A knot tightened in my stomach.

—Hello… aren’t you going to invite me in?

—Y-yes… of course —I stammered, stepping aside.

The moment he walked in, his gaze swept across the room… until it landed on Stephan, who still had Camille in his arms, their closeness convincingly intimate.

—Russo… I didn’t know you already had a girlfriend —Elijah said with a mocking smile.

—And I didn’t know you were back. What brings you here? —Stephan replied calmly.

—Me?… —he shrugged—. Seems like someone forgot my fiancée lives in this house.

My breath caught.

—Oh, I remember… —Stephan said—. But I think someone else is the one forgetting things.

The tension sharpened instantly.

—Come on, Russo… how could I forget her? —Elijah said, stepping closer to me—. Look at her… that hair, those eyes… that figure.

His gaze moved slowly over me, deliberate enough to make my skin prickle.

—Hard to ignore… don’t you think?

I fought the urge to step back.

Stephan smiled.

That controlled, unreadable smile.

—Of course.

Camille squeezed his hand subtly.

A warning.

Stay in character.

—Why are you here? —I asked, forcing my voice to stay steady.

—Your mother invited me to spend the afternoon —he said lightly—. I thought we could go out… maybe grab something to eat.

—I see…

Before I could come up with an excuse, he continued—

—Well then… I think it’s time you say goodbye to your friends. So we can go out alone… don’t you think?