Chapter 371

Chapter 371:

Victoria studied the photo over Camille’s shoulder. For once, her face softened. “So that’s where it comes from,” she murmured. “That spark I saw in you the night we met. It was there all along.”

Camille looked up, meeting Victoria’s gaze. “You saw me when I couldn’t see myself.”

“I recognized you,” Victoria corrected. “Because I’d been you, in my own way. Broken but still burning.”

Alexander’s hand covered Camille’s. “And now here we are. All of us.”

An unlikely family, Camille thought, looking around the circle. The parents she was slowly rebuilding a relationship with. The mentor who had given her a second chance. The man who had loved her through her darkest days. And somewhere beyond those double doors, fighting for his life, the man who had once betrayed her, then given everything to save her.

“Do you remember what I told you when we first met?” Victoria asked suddenly. “About pain?”

Camille nodded. “That pain can destroy you, or transform you. It’s your choice.”

“Stefan made his choice today,” Victoria said. “Perhaps his first truly selfless one.”

“He loved you, in his way,” Richard added quietly. “Even when he didn’t know how to show it.”

Camille didn’t answer. Her feelings for Stefan were too complex to untangle now—the betrayal, the pain—but also the years of shared history, and now this final sacrifice.

The morning would come with its own challenges: Stefan’s uncertain fate, Rose’s prosecution, Victoria’s cancer battle, and the continuing journey of reconciliation with her parents.

But for now, in this strange moment of calm between storms, Camille felt something she hadn’t expected: peace. Not the absence of pain, but something deeper, the knowledge that whatever came next, she wouldn’t face it alone.

The surgery doors swung open. The doctor appeared, his face solemn but no longer grim.

“He’s asking for you,” he said, looking directly at Camille. “Just a few minutes. He’s still very weak.”

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Camille rose on shaky legs. Alexander squeezed her hand before letting go.

“We’ll be right here,” he promised.

Victoria’s eyes met hers, conveying strength without words. Margaret touched her arm. “Take your time, honey.” Richard simply nodded, his support silent but clear.

Surrounded by this unlikely circle of love, Camille gathered her courage. Then, with a deep breath, she walked forward to face whatever came next.

The ICU hallway stretched before Camille, sterile and bright. Her footsteps echoed against the tile floor as she followed the doctor. The smell of antiseptic filled her nose, making her eyes water—or perhaps it was the weight of what waited ahead.

“Five minutes,” the doctor reminded her, pausing outside a door. “He’s weak.”

Camille nodded, her throat too tight for words.

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