Chapter 49
Present.
Camille POV.
I inhaled deeply as my heart was throbbing harder. I was gripping Conan's hand to ease my tension but it didn't work.
"I never thought that he would invite me to his wedding," I said. My voice was filled with despair and pain.
To be honest, I was not happy with Scott's marriage. That day Maura and Scott were getting married. The ceremony was taking place in a very private place. The whole country was excited about their wedding ceremony. The paparazzi and cameramen roamed around the town with their heavy cameras. There was also press everywhere.
"Well, he is getting married." Conan sighed, squeezing my hand. "I know how you are feeling right now, Cami."
"Well, I am relieved to be free of Maura's slavery. Scott has ended our contract and he told me he would bear all of my brother's medical costs without having me work for him. Now, I can do whatever I like." "Why don't you marry me instead?" Conan asked and I snapped my eyes at him.
"I told you, you deserve better," I said firmly.
"Trust me, I will never find a better person than you, Cami."
"You start again." I sighed in irritation. "I'll help you to find a bea..." Before I could finish myself, nausea hit me as I cupped my mouth and cried out, "Stop the car!"
Conan slammed on the brake. We jerked forward as the car halted to screech. I jumped out of the car and rushed to the side of the street.
"Camille..." Conan approached me. His voice rang with worry. "What happened to you? What did you eat in the morning?"
"Nothing!" I gasped, coughing hard. "I just had a cup of coffee."
"Are you pregnant?" Conan asked, making me freeze in shock. I snapped my eyes at him, watching him in disbelief. What did he just say? Pregnant? Then I realized I had missed my period for the last two months. "Are you alright?" Conan placed his hand on my shoulder, causing me to startle.
"No..." I said blankly and got to my feet, dragging myself to the car. I got inside and slammed the door behind me. I looked at myself in the rearview mirror. A fine line of sweat gathered on my forehead and my hands were trembling due to anxiety.
"Camille..." Conan got inside and cupped my face. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to terrorize you but..."
"It has been a while since my last menstrual cycle. I didn't even notice that."
"When was..."
"About two months ago," I whispered.
"Damn!" Conan's jaw clenched. "Didn't you take contraception pills?"
I closed my eyes and avoided looking into his eyes, feeling embarrassed. "I did..."
"Let's go to the doctor first." Conan buckled up my seatbelt before doing his and drove straight to the hospital.
After a few checkups, the doctor said to wait for an hour. I was clutching Conan's hand, hoping for positive news. "I don't want to get pregnant," I mumbled and looked at him. "I really don't..."
"We're hoping for a positive result, right? Have you ever skipped your periods before, right?"
I nodded. "But never for two months."
"Miss Davidson," the nurse called out my name.
I sprang to my feet. "Cami..." Conan grabbed my hand. "I'm also coming with you."
"Please, don't...if I'm..." I shook my head. "They will assume it is yours."
"Like I ever give a damn," he hissed and came along with me. We entered the doctor's cabin and took seats in front of her.
"Miss Camille Davidson," the old lady smiled. Her smile was strangely pleasant and warm. "Congratulations, you are pregnant." She glanced between me and Conan and through her expression, I could tell she was assuming that it was his baby. "I'm a big fan of you, Conan Arthur."
"I'm pleased to hear that." Conan nodded appreciatively, squeezing my hand.
"You're becoming a father."
"Thanks..." Conan said but I squeezed his hand and prevented him from speaking further.
"I'm not pregnant with his baby." I smiled tightly at the doctor. "We're just friends."
"Oh...I'm sorry." The old lady smiled apologetically. "I'm prescribing you some medicine and your nausea will last a week or two then you will be fine. Your pregnancy will run smoothly as long as you take proper care of yourself. You are eight weeks pregnant. You seem quite weak to be a mother." She scanned me up and down before she scribbled down something and handed the piece of paper to me. "If you need any help, don't hesitate to call me." "Thanks, Doc."
********
We arrived at the venue of the wedding. It was a small, but beautiful seaside resort. The guests were chatting and laughing. I couldn't spot Scott as my eyes scanned every corner, searching for him but he was nowhere in sight. Archie was on the other, talking to a middle-aged woman.
"We're delighted to have you two here," Archie said with a smile, approaching us. Kate was next to him, looking pretty in his pink and purple striped suit.
"We are, too," I mumbled, glancing at Conan who had looked distant ever since he heard about my pregnancy. His expression shone with disappointment.
"Hey, buddy, what's up?" Archie smiled at Conan and shook his hand. "I heard you got a big project."
"I hope they will accept me." Conan grinned. "Director wants me to be his male lead but the production company doesn't want to hire me. They want to sign Scott as their male lead."
"Cami..." Kate came near me. "Maura wants to see you," he whispered so that no one could hear him.
I hesitated for a moment before giving him a nod, "Yeah, sure." I turned to Conan who was talking to Archie. "I'll be right back."
Conan frowned but he didn't ask me where I was going and let me go. I could feel his body tense when I got away from him. He glanced at him over and over again during the conversation. "Conan..." I called out and he quickly turned to me as if he was waiting for me. I ran to him and kissed his cheek. "I'll be fine. I'll be back, okay."
Conan sighed and nodded.
"Girl, he wears his heart on his sleeve. Look how worried he is about you," Kate grinned, elbowing me teasingly.
"Why is Maura calling me?" I asked with raised brows.
"I don't know..."
I exhaled sharply before knocking on her room's door. "Come in..." she shouted and we walked inside. She looked stunning in her white wedding gown. Her makeup artist tucked the veil in her hair before stepping back from her. "You look mind-blowing, woman." Kate laughed. "I hope Scott will like you in this get-up. At least one day you can pretend to be an angel."
"Leave!" Maura gritted her teeth out and looked at me. "Hey, how are you? Long time no see."
"I'm fine. You look beautiful."
"Thank you," she plastered a smile and turned to her makeover staff. "Now, you may go."
"Okay, ma'am." They nodded and left the room, leaving us alone. Nervously, I moisten my dry lips, my breath went uneven.
Maura crossed her arms, watching me from head to toe. "Look at our positions, Camille. Where are we?" She walked up to me. "Did you think fucking him would change his mind? Do you still think he loves you? Do you know what he loves fucking you? He fucked your life and fucked your mind. Oh God, Camille. How could you think so highly of yourself? You sent me those mean texts. Those fucking photos. Jesus Christ..." She laughed and laughed and laughed. "I couldn't help myself. You are kind of funny, aren't you? He fucked you because he was bored. I wonder how he was feeling while he was inside you. Maybe disgusting..."
"Stop it, Maura."
"Accept it or not he just took advantage of you, Camille Davidson. Scott will never ever love you. He got what he always wanted, wrapping you around his finger. He fucked up your life, now he fucked up your mind, soul, and body." "Shut up!" I growled, clenching my hands into fists. Angry tears gathered in my eyes.
"Well, I called you here to inform you that your brother died yesterday and his body will be kept in the hospital until you arrange for his funeral..."
"What did you just say...?" I cut her off sharply when her words were processed in my head.
"Your brother has died..."
"No way!" I yelled, stepping back and shaking my head. "You are lying..."
Maura smirked. Her expression was joyful to see me in a state of disbelief.
"Didn't Scott tell you about your brother's critical condition?" she scoffed. "You trust him, right sweetheart?"
"I need to see him." I wiped my tears away and headed to the door.
"You will never meet him, dear, because he is dead."
"Don't you fucking dare to talk about my brother like that!!!" I snarled, charging at her and shoving her away roughly. "You did that. You were the one who was taking care of his medical costs."
"I'm sorry for your loss," she sneered. "You deserve that, bitch! Nobody wants to be around you, not even your fucking family. First, your mother left you, then your father, and now your younger brother. Your sister and youngest brother might leave you one day..."
Before she could finish herself I smacked her cheek hard.
"Shut up!" I gritted my teeth. She cupped her cheek, watching me dumbstruck for a few beats.
"You fucking bitch!" She shouted when she got her voice back and pushed me away. I stumbled and landed on the floor roughly. She grasped a knife from the fruit basket. "I should have done this before..." and she ripped my arm with a sharp knife. I winced in pain and caught her hand to stop her. Her eyes burned with rage.
"Maura, stop it!!" I cried out when she slashed my other arm. I managed to catch her wrist and rolled her off me. "Stop it!!"
"I'll kill you!" she rasped and was about to stab a knife in my stomach but dodged and twisted her wrist which caused stab her chest. "Ahh!!" she screamed out in pain, making me freeze, horrified.
"Maura!!" Archie called out, pounding the door harder. But when he did not get a reply he threw open the door. My eyes went round when I found Scott, Conan, and Kate standing at the doorway with Archie. "Maura!!" Archie screamed out when his eyes landed on her sister.
Startled, I threw away the knife which was stained with Maura's blood. I watched my bloody hand and then Scott whose eyes were on it. His expression was blank, but his eyes told the whole story. I knew his mind was flashing the night I killed Samuel.
"I didn't..." I paled as I pushed my body backward away from wounded Maura. "I didn't do that..." my voice was unrecognizable.
"Call an ambulance!" Archie approached his sister and kneeled and grabbed her hand. "You'll be fine, okay? Don't worry we will save you, sis."
Scott stepped up to Maura and kneeled next to her, scanning her trembling body. His eyes flickered with fear as he watched her blood oozing from her chest.
"Sh..." Maura pointed her shaky finger at me and Scott followed her, looking at me with the same eyes he looked at me eight years ago.
He sprang to his feet and grasped my forearm roughly. "Scott, listen..." I protested but he grabbed my neck, anyway.
"Say one more word, I'll kill you!" He said threateningly. The moment these words came out of his mouth I believed that man had never loved me.
"No, this time you will listen to me!" I fought and tried to break his grip on my neck.
He squeezed me harder, making it nearly impossible for me to breathe. Scott was staring at me hard. I didn't break eye contact and stared at him back.
"Leave her!" Conan yelled and ripped Scott's hand from my neck.
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I gasped for breath and rubbed my neck which was scorching from his tight grip.
"Take her away from my sight before I harm her!" Scott barked and spun around, heading to Maura.
"Are you sure you want to believe her?" I asked with my trembling voice.
Scott paused before turning to me. His expression was cold and blank. "I saw what you did. You just stabbed her."
"You never saw the whole scene, Scott. You did exactly the same eight years ago. You believed what your eyes saw." I closed my eyes, breathing heavily. "You didn't know that your brother was a rapist, he raped me repeatedly. Your brother was a murderer. He murdered my baby. Your brother was a fucking psychopath, he..."
"Just shut up!" Scott shouted, turning to me with a snarl. "Just shut the fuck up!" he charged at me and seized my forearm before dragging me out of the room.
"You don't know the truth, Scott. That was the truth..." I winced when his nails dug into my skin. We passed through the crowd of people in the hall. The musician stopped playing music, guests stopped chattering and dancers froze the moment we entered. Scott didn't stop to drag me through the hall until we reached the exit gate.
"Get the fuck out of my life!" He shoved me out of the gate. I stumbled and fell to the floor.
I tried to hold back my tears, looking at him with a sad smile. "The person who raped me was no one but your brother, Scott."
Scott clenched his fist, glaring at me. "If you ever love me, Camille. I want you to leave me and my life forever. I will be very happy if you leave this fucking city for your own sake. What we have done in the past was just a mistake." "Was it a mistake?" I smiled bitterly. "Yeah, it was a mistake."
Without sparing me another glance he walked away, leaving me broken. I heard cameras snapping and clicking my pictures but I didn't attempt to hide my face and wipe my tears. I stayed there for a while, staring at my bruised knees. "Camille." Someone grabbed my shoulder and raised me to my feet.
"Can you take me to the hospital?" I asked Conan and looked at him with my blurry vision. I was surprised by his wet eyes. "What? Your eyes..."
He sighed sharply. "How could you?" he stopped midway through his sentence and wrapped his arm around my body. I closed my eyes, squeezing out my tears. "Life is so fucking unfair to you. So fucking unfair!!" I felt cameramen gathered around but we stayed like that.
********
By the time we reached the hospital, Natalie had taken Clarence's dead body.
"Our brother would have been alive if Scott hadn't stopped the medical costs." Natalie burst into tears. "He was getting better suddenly..." she shook her head. "He took his revenge, Cami. He killed our brother because you killed Samuel. You should never have trusted that idiot."
"Cami..." my eleven-year-old brother Caden, hugged my legs. His eyes were red and puffy and he looked weaker than before. I didn't know when was the last time I met my siblings. Natalie was eight months pregnant and Caden grew up a little.
I stayed strong for them. Conan was with me throughout Clarence's funeral.
"What's next?" Conan sat next to me in front of my brother's graveyard. "Can you lend me a few bucks? I am going back to my grandmother's place with my siblings."
"You are pregnant and your sister is about to give birth. Can you stay until your due date?" Conan asked.
"I just can't stay here for even a day. Natalie can stay if she wants but I won't..."
"Then I am coming with you."
"Are you being serious, Conan? You have got your life here."
"I want to take care of you."
"I will be fine, trust me. I will..." Before I could finish myself Conan pulled me into a kiss.
"Shut up! I'm coming with you. We will move there together."
I kissed him back. "I want you to come with me, Conan. I want you to stay with me forever. And I will never let you go. People are going back and forth in my life but you will stay still with me. You will stay with me, right?" "I promise." Conan broke into a smile and kissed my head. "It's our baby. We will grow it together."