Chapter 160 If I Can't Have You... No One Will

Chapter 160 If I Can't Have You... No One Will
Adrian's POV

Silence.

The kind that presses against my ears until it becomes unbearable. Neither of us says a word.

The unfinished building feels too empty. Too cold. The evening breeze slips through the broken windows, carrying dust along with it, yet neither of us seems to notice.

I simply look at her.

Camille.

The woman I once prayed to spend forever with..The woman I buried with my own hands yet is now standing before me.

Alive.

Breathing.

Smiling.

Yet somehow... she's the biggest stranger I've ever met. Coming here did gave me the answers I wanted.

Instead, it only left me with one realization. The Camille I loved never truly existed. Or perhaps... I never knew her at all.

"What?" she finally asks, tilting her head. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

I don't answer immediately. What exactly am I supposed to say?

That I miss her?

I don't.

That I hate her?

I should.

But what I feel now is beyond hatred.

It's disappointment.

The kind that settles so deeply inside your chest that even breathing becomes exhausting.

"I don't know what to call you anymore," I finally mutter.

Her smile stiffens. "I've spent a long time wondering why everything happened. Why you were so cruel, turns out it's not a me problem."

I pause, swallowing the lump forming in my throat. "Beating myself up and blaming myself isn't worth it."

My voice comes out quieter than I intended. "I wondered if I wasn't enough. If I loved you wrongly. If I failed somewhere."

"Hell, I questioned every decision I ever made." My chest tugs painfully. "I kept searching for my mistakes."

I blink rapidly. "Only to realize, you were never searching for love." I laugh bitterly. "You were searching for control."

Her expression hardens. "You've changed."

"I have."

"I don't like it."

"I don't care. It's your fault."

Silence follows again as she studies me carefully. Perhaps she's waiting for me to soften.

To apologize. To tell her I still love her.

Too bad. That man no longer exists especially for her.

"You know..." she says softly, taking one step closer. "This isn't how I imagined our reunion."

"I stopped imagining us a long time ago."

She sighs. "I can still fix everything."

I raise an eyebrow.

"You don't believe me?"

"I don't intend to."

"I mean it." She smiles. The same smile that used to calm me whenever I had a difficult day.

Now, it makes my skin crawl.

"We can leave."

I remain silent.

"America."

"The company."

"The police."

"The enemies."

"Forget all of them."

She spreads her arms slightly. "We'll disappear and start over. No one will find us. You'll have me again."

For a second, I genuinely wonder if she's hearing herself. She says it so naturally.

As though the last few months never happened. As though she never destroyed our lives.

As though Darcy never existed. As though Hazel wasn't fighting for her life because of her.

"You don't have to keep pretending anymore," she whispers. "I'll forgive everything."

I stare at her.

Forgive?

She wants to forgive me?

"You've suffered enough. I know. I've punished you enough." She smiles again. "Come back to me."

I slowly shake my head. "You're sick."

Her smile disappears. "I'm sick?"

"I won't."

She laughs softly. "You haven't heard the whole offer."

I grit my teeth. "I'm not interested."

She urges. "You should be."

I insist. "I said no."

Something flickers inside her eyes. Still, she refuses to give up.

"Fine." She folds her arms.

"If Darcy is the problem..." Her voice becomes unusually calm. "Kill her or I can do it to make things easier for you."

The words hang heavily between us.

My breathing stops.

She continues as though she's discussing tomorrow's weather.

"And Hazel too."

My jaw tightens.

"They're the only reason you're refusing me. They're distractions. Once they're gone, we'll have our life back."

The veins on my neck begin to pop and my eyes darken.

"You'll be my husband again."

"I'll be your wife."

"We'll build another family."

"We'll forget this ugly chapter."

I look at her for a long moment. Waiting for her to laugh. To say she's joking.

Nothing.

She means every word.

"What?" she asks. "Say something."

I let out a slow breath. "You truly believe you're normal?"

She frowns.

"I asked you a question."

"Yes."

"I asked you to choose."

I growl. "I already have."

She smiles again. "I knew you would. You just need time to..."

"I choose Darcy."

Everything goes quiet.

"And Hazel."

Another pause.

"They're my family and I will never hurt them. I'd rather lose everything than destroy my family."

The words leave my mouth effortlessly. Because they're true.

Money?

Power?

None of them matter anymore. Not after everything. Not after watching Hazel struggle to breathe.

Not after watching Darcy fight every single day to stand again.

I already know my answer. It has always been them.

Camille's breathing becomes uneven. Her fingers twitch. She blinks once.

Twice.

Three times.

Suddenly, she starts laughing. Not a normal laugh.

A loud, uncontrollable laugh.

She bends over slightly, clutching her stomach. The laughter echoes through the empty building.

I don't move. I simply watch her. Tears begin rolling down her cheeks. Yet she keeps laughing.

Soon, he laughter turns into sobbing. She wipes her tears away.

Then laughs again.

Then cries.

Then laughs.

It's almost impossible to tell which emotion is real anymore.

"I waited..." She gasps between laughs. "I came back for you."

She points at herself. "And you..." Her breathing becomes shaky. "You chose her?"

I don't answer.

She suddenly screams. The sound rings throughout the building.

"You chose HER!"

She grabs a nearby chair and throws it across the room. The chair crashes against the wall before breaking apart.

She begins pacing. Pulling at her hair. Shaking her head repeatedly.

"No."

"No."

"No."

"This isn't happening."

"You loved me."

"You promised."

"You said forever."

She laughs again.

"You liar."

Her eyes lock onto mine.

"You promised only me."

"You should have mourned forever."

"If you had remained mine, none of this would have happened."

Heavy silence envelopes the space. She stares at me with widened eyes. Almost as if she cannot understand the meaning of those two words.

Her entire body freezes. For the first time, the confidence disappears completely.

"You..." she whispers.

"You disgust me." The words come out before I can stop them.

I don't even regret saying them.

"I spent years believing you were the victim. I defended you and wasted years of my life." My chest tightens painfully.

"I'll never get those years back."

Her lips begin trembling. She takes one slow step toward me and I instinctively step back.

That single movement, breaks something inside her. She stares at the distance between us.

Then slowly lowers her head. "So..." Her voice becomes frighteningly calm. "You won't come back."

"No."

"You'll never love me again."

"No."

"You'll always choose Darcy."

"Every single time."

Another pause.

Again she smiles slowly.

Not happily. Not sadly. Just, empty.

"I understand now." Her eyes meet mine once more. "If I let you leave today, you'll never look back."

I don't respond. Because she's right. I won't.

Ever.

She slips one hand inside her coat..My eyes instinctively follow the movement. Something about her expression changes.

It's no longer heartbreak.

It's resolve.

Her smile widens.

"If I can't have you..." She slowly pulls out a handgun and points directly at me.

Her finger settles around the trigger.

"...then no one will."