C07
His voice trembled slightly, but the anger in his eyes shifted into something far worse–confusion.
Seeing him like that, Naomi’s lips curled into a smug, mocking smile. “But she lost! Ha! Totally lost! Both you and
Aaron picked me! I win! I’m the one who came out on top!”
Damien shook his head slowly, staring at her as though she were a total stranger. “You’re insane. How did you
become like this?”
With that, he stood up and gripped her chin, his fingers tight, his gaze like a knife. “I won’t let you get away with
this. I have ways to make you wish you were dead.”
Naomi’s face went pale. She bit her lip, her voice shaking. “No! You can’t! You promised! You swore you’d protect
me forever!”
But Damien wasn’t listening anymore. Without a second thought, he slapped her across the face, the sound of it
echoing through the room.
“I promised to protect the Naomi who’d go hungry just to buy milk for a stray cat–not this cold–hearted,
venomous woman in front of me now.”
In one quick movement, he seized her by the throat, his grip tightening as his voice dropped to a deadly whisper. “Didn’t you feed Camille’s liver to a stray dog? Bet they’d be happy to have that again.”
The video froze at that moment–Damien standing over Naomi, his anger palpable, his expression bloodthirsty.
Then, the camera shook violently, and I could hear Hayden’s voice in the background. Maybe he tried to stop it,
but the video cut off, leaving me staring at the screen, my emotions completely numb.
I didn’t feel anything as I stared at the frozen image. No anger, no sadness–just emptiness.
Then, another message popped up on my phone. It was from Hayden.
[Camille, I’m not sending this to ask for your forgiveness. I just need you to know–we were wrong. Naomi will pay for what she did. And… I’m sorry. Truly sorry.]
If apologies could heal wounds, the world wouldn’t be full of broken hearts.
I didn’t respond. Without a second thought, I took the SIM out of my phone and tossed it in the trash.
When I opened my eyes again, the plane had already touched down at McMurdo Airport.
It wasn’t much of an airport–just a basic runway, a small strip of land built three kilometers west of McMurdo Station during the 25th Antarctic expedition.
This was my tenth time here. The familiar cold bit at my skin as I stepped off the plane, the wind slicing through
me like a blade.
The cold…
It was a comfort a reminder of something I had known my entire life
10:31 AM
Left at the Altar, Chased by Lies
It was a comfort, a reminder of something I had known my entire life.
Dr. Adams was waiting for me as I climbed into the car headed for McMurdo Station.
“Camille, it’s good to have you back,” he said with a smile, but there was something behind his eyes–a trace of
worry.
I shook his hand, offering him a polite smile in return.
But he frowned slightly, his expression filled with a quiet sadness.
“You’ve built a new life for yourself. You didn’t have to come back to this dangerous place.”
I glanced out the window, my eyes tracing the vast white landscape as it stretched out before me.
“Last time, you said I should be brave like my mother,” I said quietly, my voice distant. “And I realized… nothing else really matters.”
Dr. Adams was silent for a moment, and then he sighed as if he understood the weight of my words.
“Your mother was the most remarkable person I’ve ever met,” he said, a note of respect in his voice. “She knew how to separate love, family, and work like nobody else. Rational, strong… but…” He paused, as if unsure how to
finish.
I picked up the silence, finishing his thought. “I’m not like her. But… I want to be.”
He didn’t press me further. Instead, he just turned his gaze out the window, leaving me to reflect. We sat in companionable silence, both lost in our thoughts as we made our way toward McMurdo Station.
Before long, we arrived at McMurdo.
“Camille, it’s been a long journey. Get some rest first,” Dr. Adams said, his voice gentle. “We’ll go over the plan
tomorrow.”
“Alright,” I replied, nodding. “I understand.”
I knew this place well. It felt like home in a way, even though everything had changed.
I declined Dr. Adams’s hospitality and made my way straight to my quarters.
This room…
It used to be my mother’s room. After she passed, it became mine.
I unpacked my things into the cabinet, the familiar motions grounding me. Then, I lay down
on the bed, letting
the stillness of the station settle around me. For the first time in what felt like forever, I allowed myself to just be–no rushing, no distractions, just the quiet hum of the station and my thoughts.
It had been a long time since I’d slept so soundly.
I didn’t even realize when I’d drifted off.
