Chapter 8

Camilla.

The day had finally arrived. The day I had been waiting for... or at least, I thought I had. It was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, the day I would marry Benjamin. But somehow, everything felt off. From the moment I woke up this morning, I could feel a sense of dread settling in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t know if this was the right plan to follow, but I could only pray to God that this would go just as I'd planned.

I was sitting in front of the mirror, staring at myself in disbelief. My hair was done, but it wasn’t the way I wanted it. My makeup—don’t even get me started. 

“What are you doing?” I blurted out, eyeing my mother as she worked diligently on my sister, Julia’s makeup. 

She glanced up at me, a smile on her face as if everything was perfectly normal. “I’m doing Julia’s makeup. She’s the chief bridesmaid, remember? She needs to look good too.”

I blinked. “What? Mom, it’s my wedding day! Why are you doing her makeup instead of mine? Shouldn’t I be the one getting the attention today?”

Mom’s eyes twinkled with the same calmness that always irritated me when I was upset. “Now, Camilla, calm down. It’s just a little makeup for your sister. She’s your bridesmaid, sweetheart. She needs to look good too.”

I stood up, my frustration building. “I don’t care about Julia’s makeup! I don’t care about any of this!” Mom didn’t even flinch at my outburst. “Let’s not make a scene, darling. After all, you’ll be walking down the aisle in just a few minutes.”

She spoke as if everything was fine, but it wasn’t fine. I was standing in front of a mirror, watching my sister get treated like the queen of the day while I was left standing in the shadows, being ignored.

When she was done with Julia, Mom finally handed me a mirror. My stomach twisted as I caught a glimpse of myself. The makeup was horrible. It wasn’t me. I didn’t recognize the person staring back at me. My face felt like it was covered in layers of paint, too heavy, too much. The foundation was cakey, and my eyes looked too bold with those ridiculous fake lashes.

“Mom! This looks terrible! I don’t look like myself at all!” My voice cracked as I threw the mirror down, the glass shattering on the floor.

Mom’s expression didn’t change. She didn’t seem bothered in the least. “You’ll look fine, sweetheart. It’s time for the wedding, and they’re waiting for you.”

I could feel the anger boiling inside me, but I held it back. What was the point in complaining now? It didn’t matter. It was my wedding, but nothing about this felt like it was mine. Nothing about this felt like it was about me. “Fine,” I muttered bitterly, turning away from the mirror. “Let’s just get this wedding over and done with.”

I walked out of the room, feeling more like an imposter than a bride. But when I stepped out onto the balcony and looked around, my breath caught in my throat. 

Julia was already gone. 

She was driving off in my car, heading to the wedding venue, leaving me standing here alone, in this strange state of disbelief. I could feel my hands shaking as I clenched my fists. 

“What kind of bridesmaid does that?!” I hissed under my breath, my mind swirling with anger and hurt. How dare she?

I turned to my mother, my voice rising. “She’s already left? Without me?”

Mom didn’t seem as upset as I expected her to be. In fact, she was annoyingly calm. “It’s not a big deal, Camilla. We can take another car, darling. It’s fine.”

I felt like I might explode. “It’s not fine, Mom! This is supposed to be my day! My wedding day! And she’s already gone off like it’s her big moment!”

Mom just waved me off, as if I were overreacting. “Let’s just go. We don’t want to be late.”

Reluctantly, I followed her to the car. I felt like I was in some twisted nightmare I couldn’t wake up from. 

The drive to the wedding venue was silent. I could barely hold back the tears. I wanted to scream, to punch something, but all I could do was sit there in a numb silence, staring out of the window. 

When we arrived, I stood in front of the doors of the reception hall. I could hear the murmurs of guests inside. I hesitated for a moment, taking in the weight of the moment. My hands were clammy, and my heartbeat thudded painfully in my chest.

I took a deep breath and pushed open the door. The moment I stepped inside, my breath caught in my throat.

There, standing at the altar, was Julia. 

And standing beside her was Benjamin, the bastard I was supposed to marry.

I felt my heart shatter, the pieces falling around me. My world tilted sideways. 

No. No, no, no.

This couldn’t be happening. This wasn’t real. This was some horrible joke.

But it wasn’t a joke. It was real. And my legs felt like they were made of stone as I slowly walked down the aisle, my entire body trembling. I felt every eye on me, but I didn’t care. All I could see was Julia, standing there with Benjamin, her arms around him as if they were already married. I stopped at the altar, my heart pounding in my chest. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but Benjamin turned to me, his expression cold and unfeeling.

“I can’t marry you, Camilla,” he said loudly, for everyone to hear. “I can’t marry you. I love Julia, and I’ve always loved her and I’m sure you know that already, but you thought you could outsmart us by going ahead with this wedding? Oh please, don’t make me laugh.”

I stood there, stunned, my brain refusing to process his words. I wanted to scream, to cry, but the only thing I could do was stand there and watch as my world crumbled. 

Anger surged through me, hot and blinding.

Without thinking, I slapped Benjamin hard across the face. The sound of the slap echoed through the hall, and I felt a sense of satisfaction at the sting in his cheek. But it wasn’t enough.

I turned to Julia, and without a second thought, I shoved her hard, sending her sprawling to the floor in front of everyone. 

The room fell silent, and I stood there, chest heaving with fury, my face burning with humiliation.

But then, as if the scene weren’t already painful enough, Benjamin reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. “Everyone, I have something to show you,” he said, his voice almost triumphant. He held up the paper for everyone to see. “Camilla is carrying a bastard child in her womb. She’s been cheating on me this entire time. I have the evidence to prove it!”

I felt my blood run cold. My pregnancy results, the ones I had kept hidden from everyone, were suddenly on display for the entire congregation to see. They were being passed around, and I could hear the gasps and whispers as people looked at the damning evidence.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to run away, to escape this nightmare. But I was trapped.

Before I could even react, Benjamin knelt down in front of Julia, holding out a ring. “Julia, will you marry me?” he asked, his voice shaking slightly but filled with certainty. 

Right in front of me.

I turned on my heel and fled the church, running out into the cold air, the sound of Benjamin’s voice and Julia’s vows following me as I stumbled away, my heart shattered beyond repair.