Chapter 113
When I came back to the hospital, everything felt wrong.
The quiet I was used to was gone–replaced by flashing red–and–blue lights, the heavy beat of boots stomping through the halls, and nurses whispering frantically behind clipboards. Police swarmed the entrance. I paused at the double doors, unsure whether I had just walked into a crime scene or a war zone.
Then I saw him. Cameron.
Standing near the front desk, talking to two officers. His hair was a mess, his shirt slightly wrinkled–a rare sight for someone so obsessed with control. His jaw clenched, hands restless. He looked like a man on the edge of collapse.
And when his eyes met mine, everything stopped.
“Alicial” he rushed toward me, pushing past the police and grabbing me into a tight hug
I stood still in his arms, unmoved, my face expressionless.2
“Where were you?” His voice cracked. “God, I thought–did someone take you? Did something happen?”
He pulled back, cupping my face. “You disappeared in the middle of your session. No one knew where you went. I thought something- someone “I
I smirked. Just a little. And said nothing.
He blinked, confused, his brows furrowing as I stepped back, free from his hands. Then, without a word, I turned and walked past him, straight out of the hospital and toward the estate E
He followed, of course.!!
He always did now!
When we got back to the estate, the atmosphere shifted. He wasn’t worried anymore.
He was angry.8
“Why are you acting like this?” Cameron’s voice was sharp, pained. “I’ve done everything I can to prove to you that I’ve changed! I’ve apologized. I’ve taken care of you. I pushed Sofia away. I’ve done more begging in these past weeks than I’ve done in my entire life-”
I turned to face him slowly.
And then I laughed.
Once.
Twice.
Then again and again, until it filled the marble–floored hallway with an eerie echo that made even the guards freeze. Cameron’s mouth parted slightly. His body stiffened.
or a scream.X
He had heard my voice for the first time in weeks–and it wasn’t a sob or
It was laughter.”
“You” he began, but the words died in his throat
I wiped a tear from my eye, still chuckling. “You looked so pathetic, Cameron. Begging. Crying. Like a lost dog.”
He flinched, taking a step back, “Why would you do that to me?”
I stared at him–cold, steady X
“Why?” My voice rose, the laughter dying. “Because it was fun to watch you squirm, After all those years you left me to rot–after chaining me in a basement, after forcing yourself on me, after killing our child–you thought you could cry your way back into my life like some tragic hero?“%
His face crumpled. “Alicia–“%
“No,” I snapped. “Don’t say my name like that.”
The tension in the air thickened. His eyes darkened, jaw clenched.
“Tim trying,” he said through his teeth, “I’m trying, Alicia. Every single day, I’ve been trying to prove to you that I’ve changed.”
“You can’t fix this,” I said. “Some things aren’t fixable.
His temper flared, briefly breaking through the mask. “What do you want from me?”
I paused, breathing heavily.
This was it. This was where I could destroy him with the truth.
But instead
I softened. My expression fell into something smaller, more fragile. I tilted my head and let the anger drain from my voice until it trembled with something that almost sounded like pain.
“I was scared,” I whispered. “I didn’t know if you were being real or just preparing to hurt me again.”
He blinked, stunned at the sudden shift!
“I didn’t want to believe you’d changed,” I continued, each word slow and delicate. “So I tested you. Because I needed to protect myself. I had to “1
Cameron’s stance broke. The anger vanished like a storm retreating into still water
Flinderstand” he said olaska
“I understand,” he said quietly. “And I’m sorry I gave you every re
reason to be afraid.”
I looked at him, let my bottom lip tremble just enough
“I just needed to know if I could trust you again,” I said.
He reached for me, gently this time. No force. No command. Just.. Cameron. The man who had once only taken–now begging to be allowed to give.k
“You can,” he said. “I swear on everything. Alicia. This–everything now–is real, I would never lay a hand on you again. I’d never hurt you ogain“:
His voice was maw, desperate. Almost sincere
“If you could accept me again, even a little… I’ll prove it every single day for the rest of my life.”
I lowered my eyes, and this time, I let the tears fall freely.
Let my shoulders shake as I whispered, “Okay..”
Just a single word
He stared at me, shocked. Hope blooming in his chest.X
“Just promise me,” I continued, choking on the words. “Promise me you’ll never hurt me again.”
“I promise.”
He didn’t hesitate.
He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me
And I let him!
This time, I melted into the embrace–rested my cheek against his chest, let my fingers curl weakly into his shirt like I needed him.
I felt his breath catch
I felt his hands tremble.
I felt him believe it.X
And that was the sweetest part.X
Because while Cameron held me like something he wanted to protect-
I was already rewriting the ending
Letting him fall back in love with the very girl he once broke. Letting him taste the illusion of forgiveness. Letting him think he could have a future with me.. only to be left broken.
11:27 AM c d
