Chapter 420
Chapter 420:
“I haven’t forgotten my promise to destroy whoever made you take your life.” The words hung in the air, heavy with eleven years of grief. Alexander had made that vow at twenty-one, standing beside a fresh grave, rain sliding down his face and mixing with tears no one else noticed. Back then, he hadn’t known who was responsible. Now he did.
“But I married her daughter today.” His laugh held no humor. “You always said life had strange currents. You never lied.”
Alexander straightened the lily, its white petals stark against the dark wood. Richard had loved lilies — had grown them in the garden behind his brownstone. He said they reminded him of his sister. Alexander’s mother, before bitterness had twisted her.
“I don’t know what to do,” he admitted to the empty room. “Camille isn’t responsible for Victoria’s sins. But Victoria lives in our life, in our home, in our future.” He pressed his palms against his eyes. “And Camille loves her. She saved Camille when no one else would.”
The music from the garden faded, suggesting the last guests were finally departing. Soon, he and Camille would leave for their honeymoon — two weeks in the Greek islands, far from New York, from Victoria, from the truth swimming beneath their marriage like a shark in dark water.
“What would you tell me to do?” Alexander whispered, touching the edge of the photograph. “You always knew the right path.”
The silence offered no answers, just as it hadn’t for eleven years.
A soft knock on the door startled him. “Alexander?” Camille’s voice called.
“Almost ready? The car’s waiting.”
“One minute,” he answered, quickly gathering himself.
Alexander looked one last time at his uncle’s face, at the smile that had once been his only safe harbor. “I’ll figure this out,” he promised softly. “For both of us.”
He carefully rewrapped the lily in its tissue. Unlike cut roses, which he could easily buy anywhere, white lilies in June required planning. He’d ordered this one specially, keeping it hidden among his things. Now it would travel with them, pressed between the pages of a book in his luggage, a secret reminder.
When he opened the door, Camille stood in the hallway, changed from her wedding gown into a cream-colored traveling suit. Her eyes, lined with fatigue but still bright with happiness, swept over him.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
Alexander nodded, pulling her close. “Just making sure I had everything.” She didn’t see the photograph he’d slipped back into his wallet, nor the slight bulge in his jacket where the wrapped lily now rested.
“Victoria wants to say goodbye before we leave,” Camille said, linking her arm through his. “She’s waiting downstairs.”
The mention of Victoria’s name tightened something in Alexander’s chest. For the past twenty-four hours, he’d managed to smile at her, toast with her, thank her for the lavish wedding. Each moment had been an act of will, knowing what she had done.
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Message from Noah: We’re beginning the year with new chapters, lovely readers. Have an amazing, amazing time. God loves you, and Noah wishes you all the best. (ɔO‿=)ɔ ♥
P.S. Please stay tuned to the gaInovels WhatsApp community to know when I’ll be releasing new chapters and to request new novels. I’ll be sharing content in different ways throughout 2026, and I hope you all enjoy it. (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)
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