Chapter 4 Beginning of an end

~ Unknown POV ~

The night sky glittered with stars as he stood on his rooftop balcony, the city lights sprawling beneath him like fallen constellations. A half-empty glass of whiskey dangled from his hand, the ice long melted. The wind tugged at his shirt, but he barely felt it. His mind wouldn't stop turning.

On his phone screen, the video of the abandoned bride dominated the news. The clip had already gone viral, spliced, remixed, memed, and dissected. Yet he wasn't interested in the spectacle. He was interested in her.

She hadn't cried, not at first. Not in public. Not until the very last second, when her knees gave out and her world visibly shattered.

"Interesting," he muttered to himself.

"Camilla Baker." He tested her name, tasting the weight of it. The faint smile that touched his lips vanished the moment he saw her father's face. Those same eyes stared back at him...haunting him once more, though this time it wasn't just physical. That look of fear and confusion... he wanted more of it.

He wanted to be the reason for that fear.

His lips curled into a slow, humorless smile as he raised the last of his whiskey. Fate had finally handed him leverage, and this time, he would use it.

A low, sharp laugh broke free from his chest, echoing into the night as his grip on the glass tightened.

He pulled out his phone and dialed his PA. It rang a few times before she finally answered.

"Get me a meeting with John Baker," he ordered, ending the call without another word.

--

~ Camilla's POV~

"No... no." My fingers trembled as I stared at the file the house help had delivered that morning.

My name. Bold across the top, right beneath the words Marriage Contract.

And in my father's handwriting.

This couldn't be real.

Mother had gone to the grocery store. Father hadn't spoken to me since the scandal, the wedding that never was. I knew he was furious, but this?

Tears spilled as I pressed the papers to my chest. My life already felt ruined, and now this contract was supposed to fix it?

I reached for my phone and dialed Olivia.

"Hi... can you come by after work?" My voice cracked.

She hesitated. "Cam... I've got a lot to finish today. I don't think I'll close early."

"Oh. Okay." I sniffled, staring down at the file. "It just feels like you've been avoiding me."

"Camilla, that's not true. I've just been busy. Wait... are you crying?"

"It's the same job you've had for weeks. You haven't called, haven't replied to my texts..." My throat tightened and the words tumbled out with the tears.

She sighed. "Calm down. I'm coming, okay?"

Fifteen minutes later, Olivia burst into my room. She wrapped me up without a word, her arms tight around me.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, cupping my face. "I shouldn't have left like that last week. I didn't know what to say to you."

I shook my head. "I just feel so alone. George cheating, the wedding... I just need closure."

"It's been two weeks, Camilla. You have to let him go. He's not worth it."

"It's not that easy," I whispered. "I even tried finding out who that woman in the picture was. The one that came blurred. Someone sent it to me for a reason... I need to figure it out."

Olivia pulled back, eyes flashing. "You what? Cam, we talked about this."

"Relax, I just... I need to know why he chose her over me." My voice shook. "Maybe it'll make sense of everything."

"To what end? It won't change what happened." She dropped my hands and paced.

"I know. But maybe it'll save me from what's coming." I slid the file toward her.

Her brows furrowed as she read, her mouth twisting. "What?! Camilla, this is insane."

"I know my Dad hates me now... but this is too much." My sobs broke again.

"Hey," she said softly, pulling me close again. "We'll figure this out. But stop chasing what's gone, it'll only hurt you more."

We sat on the bed in silence. My chest felt hollow, my head heavy.

"You want a drink?" she finally asked.

"Sure."

She came back with whiskey and glasses. We clinked and drank. The burn stung, but it dulled the ache a little.

"That's heartbreak doing its part," Olivia said with a crooked smile. "Whiskey just plays backup."

A weak laugh escaped me.

We drank, talked, even laughed over old memories. Then the silence came again.

"Do you think I wasn't enough?" I whispered.

"Don't." Her voice was firm. "You gave everything. He's the fool who didn't see it."

I leaned against her shoulder, tears dampening her sleeve. "I feel so stupid."

"You're not. You're human. And humans love the wrong people sometimes. That's all."

I nodded, clutching the glass in my hand.

"What are you going to do about the file?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know. Dad hasn't spoken to me in weeks, and the first thing he does is send this."

"Maybe... maybe it's for the best," she muttered.

I turned my head sharply, but she looked away.

Silence hung between us.

"Where's the whiskey?" I finally whispered.

She poured another round, and we clinked glasses again, slower this time, sadder.

"Thanks for being here."

"Always," Olivia said. "You break, I break. That's the rule."

I smiled faintly. "Best friends."

"Best friends."

But inside, a storm brewed.

If my parents thought they could trade me off like a pawn, they had another thing coming.

Just... not tonight