Chapter 96
Camille POV.
"Yes, I do..." He smiled sadly and turned around. My heart was screaming to stop him. Stop him before I can't see him again. I didn't know why I felt this strange feeling inside me. I wanted to stop Scott but my legs seemed rooted in the same spot. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't process it in my head. All I could see was a gloomy man slowly vanishing from my life. Scott paused and glanced at me and my heart wrenched to see so much pain in his eyes. He thought I betrayed him. I took advantage of him. A slow smile appeared on his lips as he tried to be strong. The moment I looked at him, I felt he was shaking. I knew I had broken him. He just fell apart. I swallowed thickly and stepped inside before closing the door behind me. My back slid against the expensive wood as I curled my body, shaking harder.
Damn it, I was crying for him.
It was supposed to be a happy day, but it turned out to be the worst ever. It felt like I was a terrible person. Although I did wrong, I gave him what he deserved. That's what he deserved. I hurt him because he deserved it. My breath was shaky as I covered my mouth with a hand to keep my tears from spilling out. It was difficult not to cry. It was all I could do to cry for a man who had only given me pain.
Pain and hurt and regret.
"Mom..." Colette appeared, and I quickly wiped my tears away before she caught me crying. "Are you crying?"
"No..." I looked at her, forcing a smile. "I...um..." I bit into my lower lip and kept smiling.
"Are you missing Colbey?" Her delicate hand brushed away my tears. "I'm also missing him." I wrapped my arms around her body and hugged her tightly. Her small body was giving me more comfort than anybody had ever given me. I sniffed at her hair, squeezing my eyes. "When are we able to meet him?"
"I don't know," I mumbled. "He has always been busy." I hated to lie to my daughter. Her father had just driven straight from Boston to meet her but I didn't let him. I wanted him to feel how much pain I had endured four years ago. This was when he threw me out of his life when I was carrying Colette in my womb. He refused to listen to me and I refused him to meet my daughter.
I did nothing wrong.
I cupped the back of Colette's head and kissed her hairline. We stayed like that for a while before the doorbell rang and interrupted our peaceful moments. I gently put her aside and stood up to answer the door. Conan and Rika were standing at the doorway.
"Hey, are you okay?" Conan asked with concern when he noticed my red and puffy eyes.
"Yep." I stepped back, letting them inside.
"But you don't look like one." Rika frowned. "Have Scott visited you?"
I nodded and looked at Conan. "Why did you give him my address?"
"I don't even understand why I gave him your address?" Conan sighed, letting his fingers run through his hair in frustration. "He just wanted to see Colette one last time. I felt a little pity to see him like that. Anyway, I was not like him. Cold and cruel."
"I didn't let him meet her." I glanced at Colette who just ran away in the backyard to play with Cooper.
"But why?" Rika exclaimed.
I frowned to look at her with a surprised look and sighed. "I just didn't let him."
"He is her father, Cami. How could you do that? Isn't it enough what Conan did to him and now you?" Rika accused me and fell on the couch in despair. "I feel sorry for poor Scott."
"You should not have to..." Conan said grimly.
"I betrayed him for you!" Rika gritted her teeth, glaring at Conan. "We took away all of his wealth. What more could you expect? Can't he even meet his own daughter?"
"He treated Camille even worse." Conan ran his fingers through his hair and stepped up to me. He gently grabbed me by my shoulders, looking into my eyes. His eyes were softer. "You did nothing wrong, Cami. You did what you were supposed to do. It was all our plan."
"But I never asked you to take everything. We planned to own his studio, but you..." I sighed in disappointment, brushing him away from me. I was mad at him for doing things on his own. "You should have told me, Conan. You can't do everything by yourself, can you?"
"I knew that you would never let me do that, that's why I didn't ask you in the first place."
"And you..." I pointed to Rika. "You kept cooperating with his evil plan."
"I thought it would make you happy. Now, I can see how happy you look." Rika laughed sarcastically.
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"I'm happy!" I growled, rushing upstairs. Dashing into my room I locked the door and curled into bed. I needed to be alone. I needed to be alone with his thoughts. I needed some time to process everything in my head.
*********
My sleep was interrupted by a muffled voice outside the room. I looked around and found Colette comfortably sleeping next to me. Her favourite stuffed toy was under her arms. I was relieved to see her relax. She couldn't fall asleep since the day we left Scott's place. She cried her eyes out for him but I told her he wanted us to leave his house. As cruel as I felt, I had to tell so many lies to my daughter to get her away from Scott. This was the only way to rip her away from her father. She was becoming accustomed to him. I leaned forward and kissed the side of her head. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but I was helpless. I know you'll forgive me and understand my circumstances when the right time comes."
I got off the bed and checked the time on my phone. I had been sleeping for eight hours. I peeked out of the window and saw a beautiful sunset. It was evening. I stepped into the bathroom and splashed cold water onto my face. I looked terrible with my puffy eyes and red nose. I couldn't forget Scott. His touch, his scent, and his voice. I felt like he was still somewhere near me. It had been merely hours since I last saw him and I had already started to miss him. "Shit!" I sighed and stared at myself in the mirror. "Stop thinking about him!" I scolded myself. "You should have patted yourself on the back for what you just accomplished. You stayed strong for your daughter. You just stayed strong for yourself. She doesn't need a father like him. He was cruel. He treated you badly. He took advantage of you. He killed your brother. He murdered my family's happiness. He took whatever you were left with, so why do you keep thinking about him? Why the hell are you wearing this pathetic look? Move on, Cam. Just move on." I smiled but it didn't reach my eyes.
Damn it!
I'm not happy.
I'm sad.
I hate this version of me.
I just hate how much his pain bothers me.
I sighed and dragged myself out of the room.
"Okay, what about this..." I paused on my track when I found Rika and Conan in the living room. They were on the couch watching TV but they were not really watching TV. Conan's fingers ran across Rika's bare shoulder and she was giggling. "What about this?" He slowly curved his hand down her naked back.
They were making out.
"Stop it, this is not the right place, Conan." Rika laughed when his hand slid down and down as he leaned over her and captured her mouth. I spun around and headed straight for my room. Though they didn't notice me I was embarrassed to catch them making out in the living room. I knew Rika loved Conan. Conan was clearly falling in love with her as evidenced by the expression on his face. The first love never died. I had spent about five years with him but I had never seen him so happy and alive. Conan was the kindest man in the whole world. He was there with me out of pity but he was there with Rika out of love.
I reached for my phone and scrolled down the screen. There were a total of twenty missed calls and sixteen unread messages from Scott. They were one day old. It has been eight hours since he left my life forever and he didn't text me anything since then.
Obviously.
He would never text me again. I typed his name into google and his updates appeared.
Debts!
Bankrupt!
Legacy!
His hidden daughter! Maura's addiction!
There were a lot of things, but nothing about him, such as where he was living currently and where he stayed. He did not have any recent pictures on display. God, Camille, it's just eight hours. I was desperate to know about him or maybe I was worried about him. Where would he be staying since Conan took away everything? He ended up with his one car and a few bucks. I grabbed my head in irritation, and couldn't stop thinking about him.
Scott, Scott, everywhere was Scott. I couldn't think straight because I was too sad. Suddenly my eyes caught the necklace he had given me. I gripped it in my hand, breathing shakily. "I feel so bad," I whispered. "I wonder if you felt the same way when you kicked me out of your life."
How easy it would be if I just forgive him. I would have a beautiful family, Colette would have a father and I wouldn't have to worry about our future. Scott had made a remarkable father. The love he had for Colette was greater than mine. Is there anything else I could ask of him? Do I really think about forgiving him? Is there something wrong with you, Camille? Have you lost your mind? There should be a sense of victory in me. In the end, I won and he lost. There is nothing left to regret. I wiped my tears away and approached Colette, looking at her. I don't know how I'm able to live without him knowing how much Colette reminds me of him. I sank into bed next to her and stroked her hair lovingly. "We're on track to make it through, Col. We're together. My strength comes from you. No matter what happens, I'm sure I'll be able to forget your father. He does not deserve us. When you grow up I will certainly ask you whether I was wrong or right. Leaving the man who loves you unconditionally was a bad decision or good."
In an instant, a scream erupted in the air and panic took hold of me.
Rika!