Chapter 374
Chapter 374:
“We both did,” she said, looking at him with new eyes. The selfish, weak man who had betrayed her had become someone willing to die for her. People could change. She was living proof of that.
Stefan’s eyelids drooped, his body finally surrendering to exhaustion and medication. “I’m glad… we had this chance,” he murmured, his words slurring slightly. “To say goodbye properly.”
Camille’s chest tightened. “This isn’t goodbye. You’re going to recover.”
“Sure,” he agreed, too quickly. “But things will be different. As they should be.” He forced his eyes open, fixing her with one last clear look. “Be happy, Camille. Build something wonderful. You deserve that.”
She felt the walls around her heart—walls she hadn’t even realized were still standing—begin to crumble. Not in the devastating way of her first heartbreak, but gently, like snow melting in spring.
“So do you, Stefan,” she said, meaning it. “Find your own happiness.”
He smiled faintly, his eyes drifting closed. “Already did… doing the right thing… finally…”
His breathing deepened as sleep claimed him. Camille sat there a moment longer, still holding his hand, feeling the steady pulse beneath her fingers. The hate she had nursed for so long was gone, dissolved in the truth of his sacrifice. The pain of betrayal had faded into something like wisdom. And the bitter taste of regret had been washed away by simple gratitude—for second chances, for growth, for the possibility of redemption.
Gently, she placed his hand back on the bed. She stood, looking down at him one last time. The man she had once loved. The man who had hurt her beyond measure. The man who had finally, in one selfless moment, become someone worthy of respect.
“Goodbye, Stefan,” she whispered.
As she turned to leave, Camille felt something lift from her shoulders—a weight she had carried so long she’d forgotten it was there. She walked toward the door with lighter steps, toward the future waiting beyond.
In the hallway, her unlikely family waited: Alexander with his steady strength, Victoria with her fierce wisdom, her parents with their humble hope for reconciliation.
For the first time in years, Camille moved forward, carrying only what she chose to bring, leaving the rest behind. Not forgotten, but transformed.
The courthouse steps swarmed with reporters, their cameras flashing like lightning bugs on a summer night. Camille gripped Alexander’s hand as they navigated the crowd, eyes forward, faces blank masks against the shouted questions.
“Ms. Kane, how does it feel to face your sister today?”
“Camille! Will you ask for the death penalty?”
“Are you worried about Rose’s mental state?”
Alexander’s arm formed a shield around her shoulders, guiding her through the press of bodies. Victoria and her parents followed behind, creating a protective circle.
Inside, the marble halls echoed with footsteps and whispers. Journalists scribbled notes. Observers craned their necks for a glimpse of the woman who had survived her sister’s murderous plans.
.
.
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