Chapter Five: Nothing was Over

Camille’s POV 

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I felt was pain. 

It was everywhere, not sharp but deep and heavy pain. Like my body had been pressed into the ground and forgotten there. My chest hurt when I breathed. My head felt too full, as if something inside it was swelling.

I blinked slowly, I stared at the white ceiling, there was bright light in the room. A steady beeping sound. I was in the hospital. 

Panic rose in my chest immediately, I tried to sit up but my body refused to obey. My arms felt weak, trembling as if they didn’t belong to me.

“Easy.” A familiar voice. 

Relief rushed through me before my mind could catch up. 

“Marcus,” I whispered, my throat dry, my voice barely there.

The man beside the bed shifted. He leaned closer and my heart dropped. It wasn’t Marcus, it was Adrain. 

For a second, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. I stared at him, waiting for his face to change, waiting for Marcus’s sharp eyes, his cold expression.

But it stayed Adrain. Tall, quiet and serious.

“Oh,” I said softly.

The word felt heavy, embarrassing, and disappointing.

Adrain stood up immediately, as if he’d been caught doing something wrong. “You’re awake.” His voice was controlled, but his eyes betrayed him, he looked worried and tired, like he hadn’t slept.

“What happened?” I asked.

“You were hit by a car.” He answered me. “The driver didn’t stop.” 

My fingers curled weakly against the bedsheet.

“I remembered crossing the road and I got hit by a car,” I murmured. “I don’t seem to remember anything after.”

“I witnessed it,” he said. “Fortunately I was driving through that road when it happened.” 

I turned my head to look at him properly. “You brought me here?”

“Yes.”

“Where were you going when it happened?” I asked him.

“I was driving around, I needed air.” He answered.

That made sense because a lot was going on.

“If you hadn’t been there…” my voice broke.

“The most important thing is you are alive .” He didn’t let me finish.

Tears filled my eyes, but I forced them back. I didn’t want to cry, not in front of him again. I had cried enough in front of Marcus, in front of strangers, enough in front of a world that had decided I was dirty.

“How long have I been here?” I asked.

“You spent the whole night unconscious,” he replied. “The doctors said you were lucky, you didn’t have any major injuries, but your body took a lot of stress.”

That word felt too small.

I turned my face toward the window, the sun was about to rise, it was morning.

“So everything already happened.” I said quietly.

Adrian didn’t ask what I meant.

“The scandal,” I continued. “How did it affect you?”

He hesitated.

“How did you handle it?” I asked, forcing myself to meet his eyes.

“They blamed you, he said carefully. “And also me.”

I let out a weak laugh. “Ofcourse.” 

“They said you were having an affair with me,” he continued. “That you used me to destroy your marriage.”

I closed my eyes.

“We didn’t do anything.” I whispered.

“I know.”

“Did anyone believe that?”

“Some didn’t.” He answered. “Most didn’t care and they continued to spread the wrong narrative.”

That hurt me more than I expected.

“What did you do?” I asked again.

He exhaled slowly. “I ended my marriage.”

My eyes flew open. “You… what?”

“I gave Fiora divorce papers.”

The words echoed in my head. Divorce.

So easy, so clean.

“She tried to fight it,” he went on. “She demanded property, shares, and compensation.”

“And?” I asked.

“And she got nothing.” 

I stared at him. “How?”

He paused. “Before we got married, she signed an agreement.”

My chest tightened. “She agreed to it?”

“She didn’t understand it,” he said. “It stated clearly that in the event of a divorce, she would walk away without touching my power.” 

My lips parted, I remembered I signed the same document when I was about to marry Marcus, that’s  why I can't request anything after our divorce. It was a law that protected billionaires from scheming women. I loved Marcus and I never cared about his money that’s why I signed it. I didn’t know Fiora signed the document too, so she got nothing at the end just like me.

Fiora was better than me because she comes from an elite family unlike me that was an orphan. 

A strange ache formed in my chest, not envy, not happiness.

Something closer to realization.

“You protected yourself,” I said quietly.

“Yes.” He said.

I looked away. “I didn’t.”

He didn’t respond.

“I trusted Marcus,” I continued. “I trusted love. I trusted marriage.”

My voice shook now. “And now I don’t even have a house.”

Adrain’s jaw tightened. “You shouldn’t have been treated that way.”

“But I was,” I said. “And now everyone thinks I’m a whore.”

Silence fell between us.

I turned to him. “Why are you still here?”

He met my gaze without flinching. “Because you almost died.”

That answer hit me harder than anything else.

Before I could respond, the door opened.

A nurse entered, followed by a doctor holding a tablet.

“Mrs Hale,” the doctor said gently. 

Mrs Hale? I guess the divorce hasn’t been made public.

“We are going to run a few tests.” The doctor continued.

“For what?” I asked.

“Routine.” He replied. “But given the accident and your stress levels, we want to be thorough.”

The nurse prepared equipment while the doctor explained the procedures. Blood test, monitoring and observation.

Adrian stepped back but he didn’t leave.

When they finished, I was exhausted.

“We will be back shortly,” the doctor said. “Please rest.”

The room fell silent again. Time passed slowly.

I stared at the ceiling, my thoughts drifting to places I didn’t want them to go. Marcus’s face, Fiora kissing him. The way everyone has looked at me on the street.

I felt small and disposable.

“Let me get you something to eat.” Adrain offered. 

As he was about to leave, the door opened.

The doctor returned, this time he came alone. His expressions were different. He looked serious.

My heart began to race.

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

The doctor pulled a chair closer and sat down. 

“Mrs. Hale, we need to talk.” 

Adrain straightened immediately.

“You are pregnant.” The doctor said gently.

The room tilted.

“I… what?” I whispered.

The doctor nodded. “The test came back positive.”

I stared at him, unable to breathe. 

“That’s not possible,” I said weakly. “Marcus and I…” 

I remembered I didn’t see my period for the past month, and I planned to go to the hospital but I cancelled due something else came up, since then I had been busy. 

“You are,” he continued. “And not just pregnant.”

My fingers trembled. “What do you mean?”

“You’re carrying twins.”

The word hit me like a wave.

Twins.

My vision blurred. Tears spilled freely now, unstoppable.

“No,” I whispered. “No… this can’t be happening.”

Adrain’s face went pale.

The doctor continued speaking, explaining things about stress, about monitoring, about care, but I couldn’t hear him anymore.

Twins inside me.

Marcus’s children, the reason he married me was for me to give him heirs.

No this can’t be.

If he knew about them, he would take them away from me. And I will end up alone. 

I pressed my hand against my stomach, shaking.

I was alone, homeless and I was branded a slut. And here I am carrying two lives I never planned for.

As the doctor finished speaking, one thought burned in my mind louder than anything ever.

If Marcus finds out, everything will change and nothing will be safe again.

I have to survive not only for myself but for my unborn kids.