Chapter 335

Chapter 335:

“I don’t know,” Camille answered honestly. “It doesn’t seem like the right time.”

“When is the right time?” Victoria pressed. “When Rose is caught? When my cancer is in full remission? When the world stops being dangerous?”

Put that way, Camille had no good answer. There would always be another reason to wait, another fear to overcome, another crisis to weather.

“I just want you to be safe,” she said finally. “Both of you. A wedding would make us targets.”

“We’re already targets,” Victoria pointed out. “We have been for months now. And yet, here we sit.”

Camille looked from Victoria to Alexander, seeing the same question in both their eyes: How long would she let Rose dictate the terms of her life?

“Think about it,” Victoria said, her voice softening. “That’s all I ask.”

Camille nodded, grateful when the conversation shifted to lighter topics. But the question remained, hovering at the edges of her mind like a persistent shadow.

After Victoria retired for the night, Camille and Alexander remained by the fire. The security team had withdrawn to a respectful distance, giving them the illusion of privacy while maintaining vigilance.

“She’s right, you know,” Alexander said quietly. “About not letting Rose control our lives.”

Camille poked at the fire with a stick, watching sparks rise into the darkness. “I know. But it’s not that simple.”

“It never is.” He moved his chair closer to hers. “But at some point, we have to decide what matters more—the fear of what Rose might do, or the life we want to build together.”

Camille looked up at him, studying his face in the firelight. This man, who had stood beside her through everything—Rose’s betrayal, the bombing, Victoria’s illness—who had never wavered, never backed away from the danger her life entailed.

“I’m not saying we should ignore the threat,” Alexander continued. “The security will remain. The precautions. The vigilance. But within those parameters, we can still choose to live, Camille.”

The simple truth of his words sank deep into her heart. For months now, she had been existing rather than living. Surviving rather than thriving. Even as she rebuilt the Foundation, even as she supported Victoria’s recovery, a part of her had remained frozen, waiting for Rose’s next strike.

Your favorite tales live on gⱯlnσνe𝓁s․com

“What would it look like?” she asked, her voice barely audible over the crackling fire. “Living, I mean. With all of this still hanging over us.”

Alexander considered her question seriously. “It would look like making plans more than a week ahead. Like celebrating milestones instead of just enduring days. Like this…” He gestured to the fire, the lake, the night sky above them. “Moments of peace that we allow ourselves to fully experience, rather than waiting for them to be shattered.”

Camille closed her eyes, letting his words wash over her. How long had it been since she’d truly allowed herself to feel anything beyond fear and vigilance? Since she’d looked forward rather than constantly glancing over her shoulder? When she opened her eyes, Alexander was watching her, patient as always.

.

.

.