Chapter 114 114. A Dirty Secret
I watched the video for the fifth time. Maybe the sixth. I'd lost count.
Lucien's arm around me on the Ashford couch. My head tucked against his shoulder. The way he looked at me when I laughed at something Damon said. I remember that particular story from Damon.
We looked happy. Our love was so real, anyone could feel it through the screens.
Then Hayes Corp's statement flashed in my head again. It was released barely minutes ago, but some lines had stuck to my memory.
"Several months ago."
"Before Mr. Hayes's current engagement."
The words stung like a slap every single time.
"This is bullshit," Maya said from beside me on the couch. She'd been the one to show me the video in the first place, bursting into my room with her phone thrust in my face. "How can they just erase you like that? Pretend you don't exist?"
"It's necessary to protect me from public scrutiny, and also for company optics. You have to understand him, Maya." The irony, when I hadn't even read HIS texts nor answered his calls.
"That's what he told you?"
"It makes sense." I set my phone down, screen facing the table so I couldn't see the video anymore. "The press would tear me apart if they knew the truth. This way, I'm just old news. Yesterday's girlfriend. Nothing to see here."
But even as I said it, something hollow opened in my chest. Because I didn't fully believe it. Not really.
Maya's eyes narrowed. "You're defending him."
"I'm being realistic."
"You're making excuses for being treated like a dirty secret."
That hit too close. I stood abruptly, heading for the kitchen. "I need water."
I grabbed a glass from the cabinet, filled it from a jug in the fridge. I took a long drink of the cold water and tried to ignore the feeling crawling under my skin.
The other woman. That's what I was again.
I unintentionally set the glass down so hard it tipped. Water spilled across the counter in a clear puddle that soaked the mail I'd left there this morning.
"Damn it." I grabbed a towel, mopping up the mess. My movements were jerky and uncoordinated.
"Cam, you okay?" Maya appeared in the kitchen.
"Fine." I wrung out the towel over the sink. "Just clumsy today."
I moved to throw the wet mail in the trash, but my shirt caught on the cabinet handle. The fabric pulled tight, yanking me backward.
"What the-" I unhooked myself, rubbing my shoulder where it had jerked.
"Be careful girl."
"I said I'm fine." The words came out sharper than I meant them to. Maya's eyebrows rose, but she didn't push. I walked back to the living room, only to stub my toe on the coffee table.
"Fuck!" My eyes watered. I hopped on one foot, clutching my toes.
"Okay, that's it." Maya crossed her arms. "Sit the fuck down and take a deep breath."
"No need for that, Maya. I'm just having a rough evening."
"You're having a bad evening because you're pissed off and won't admit it."
"I'm not-" I stopped. Took a breath. "I'm not pissed off."
Even though I was. The realization saturated my thoughts until there was room for nothing else. I was furious.
Every sound grated against my nerves. The hum of the air con. Maya's breathing. Even my own heartbeat felt too loud, drumming in my ears with the same two words over and over.
Other woman. Other woman. Other woman.
I grabbed my phone, needing to do something with my hands before I broke and spoiled something else. There was a new email notification atop my screen.
Subject: Mental Health Fund Registration - Approval Confirmation
"Congratulations! Your application for the Clara Sterling Memorial Fund has been approved. You are one step closer to finishing up. Please review the attached documentation and confirm your acceptance within 30 days to move onto the next phase."
Anger flared hot and bright in my chest. I'd already made up my mind that Clara didn't deserve a memorial. She may have truly suffered from postpartum depression, but that doesn't justify abusing my father, denying me fatherly love, blaming me for her failures, being cruel to me, selling me to traffickers!
She didn't deserve my money or my time or my forgiveness shaped into charity work that would carry her name forward.
My finger flew across the screen as I typed.
"I am not moving forward with this application. Please cancel the registration immediately." Send.
Then I opened my banking app. All the money meant for the fund, plus the salary from my brief stint as Lucien's PA. Money I'd earned, technically, and I'd told myself I'd keep.
Three seconds of searching found me a reputable cancer research charity. I transferred everything. Every single dollar.
I stared at the confirmation of the completed transaction, breath coming fast and shallow. What had I just done?
Regret tried to creep in, but I shoved it down. Clara didn't deserve my money. This was better than using the money for anything in Clara's name.
My phone rang, startling me a little. Damon was calling.
I answered. "Hey."
"Hey yourself. I saw the video and the statement." His voice was gentle. "You okay?"
"I'm fine." The lie came easily now.
"Cam-"
"Really. I'm fine. It's just company PR doing damage control."
Silence on his end. Then: "Natasha knew what she did when she posted that video. I don't understand my twin sister sometimes. Do you need-"
"Yes, I do." I paused. "Send me Natasha's number. I'm gonna have a talk with her. Can't promise to be sweet though."
"Oooohhh!!" He sounded delighted. "That's my girl! For the record, you have my full permission to be as mean to her as you want. She deserves it. I'll always have your back."
The text came through seconds after we hung up. I stared at Natasha's contact information, anger still simmering in my veins. Then I called.
She answered on the third ring.
"Hello?" her voice saccharine sweet.
"It's Camila."
"Oh." The sweetness evaporated instantly, replaced by something smug. "Camila. I was wondering when you'd call."
"Why did you post that video?" I didn't bother with pleasantries. "Was it to humiliate me? Cause problems for Lucien? What exactly was your goal, Natasha?"
She laughed, light and airy. "My goal was to share a nice family moment with my followers. If you got caught in the crossfire, well, that's not really my problem, is it?"
"You knew exactly what would happen when you posted that."
"Maybe. Maybe not." I feel the smirk behind her words. "Either way, I don't see why you're so upset. It's just a video."
"It's not just a video. It's my life you're playing with."
"Oh, please." Her tone turned sharp. "You're the one who chose to date an engaged man. Don't blame me for the consequences of your choices."
My grip tightened on the phone. "You're petty. And vindictive."
"And you're pathetic enough to be someone's dirty little secret." She paused, letting the words sink in. "At least I have self-respect. At least I'm not hiding in the shadows waiting for scraps of attention from a man who'll never choose me publicly..."