Chapter Four: The Paper on the Table

Camille POV

I stood just inside the doorway, my bag still hanging from my shoulder. The house that had once felt like mine now felt unfamiliar, like I had walked into someone else’s life by mistake.

The man cleared his throat. “Mrs Hale, my name is Whitman. I represent Mr Hale.” 

I didn’t look at him. My eyes stayed on Marcus.

“You cheated on me,” I said. My voice sounded calm, even to my own ears. “I saw you with her. So tell me why am I the one being dragged through the dirt?”

Marcus finally turned to face me.

There was no guilt in his eyes. No shame, just distance.

“You shouldn’t raise your voice,” he said. “This doesn’t need to be dramatic.” 

I laughed softly. “Dramatic? You were kissing another woman in public, Marcus. And somehow I’m the villain.”

“What people believe,” he replied evenly, “depends on who is in control."

The words landed like a slap.

“So you let them call me a cheat,” I said. “You let them say I was having an affair with Adrian."

“You were seen leaving with him,” Marcus said. “You went to a hotel together.”

“You know exactly what happened.” I snapped. “You know nothing happened.”

He shrugged lightly. “Perception matters more than intention.”

I stared at him, my chest tightening. “You framed me.”

“I protected myself.” He corrected me.

Mr Whiteman stepped forward and placed the folder on the table between us. The sound was soft, but it echoed in my head. 

My hands shook as I reached for it.

I opened the folder slowly.

I didn’t read every word. I didn’t need to. The meaning was clear enough, cold legal language, my name printed beside Marcus’s like a formality that no longer meant anything.

Divorce.

The word screamed in my head even without saying it out loud.

“You already decided,” I whispered. “You didn’t even tell me.” 

Marcus folded his arms. “There was nothing to discuss.”

My vision blurred. “How long have you been planning this?”

He hesitated for half a second, just enough to answer the  question without words.

“So while I was still your wife,” I said, “you were already preparing to throw me away.” 

“You were useful,” he replied calmly.

“Beautiful, intelligent. You did your job well. If you had given me heirs I would have spared you?”

My heart dropped.

“My job?” I repeated.

“You knew what this marriage was,” Marcus said. “You knew why I chose you.” 

“No,” I said, my voice breaking now. “I thought you loved me.” 

That made him look away.

The silence was louder than any insult. 

“Was any of it real?” I asked quietly. “Even a little?”

Marcus didn’t answer. Tears filled my eyes and I tried holding it back but it was already late, it dripped down my face.

Mr. Whitman shifted uncomfortably, but Marcus remained still.

“That woman,” I said after a moment as I wiped my tears. “Fiora. She planned this, didn’t she?”

Marcus’s jaw tightened. “You shouldn’t accuse people without proof.”

“Is she worth this?” I demanded. “Destroying me? Turning everyone against me?” 

“She understands me,” he said flatly. “She knows her place.”

The words cut deeper than anything else he had said.

I picked the pen and signed the divorce letter. I closed the folder slowly and placed it back on the table.

“What happens now?” I asked.

Marcus glanced at his watch. “You should leave.” 

I stared at him. “Leave where?”

“For now,” he replied. “Before tomorrow. It will be easier for everyone.”

Everyone.

I felt something inside me finally give way.

“You’re throwing me out,” I said.

“I’m asking you to be reasonable,” he replied.

“This house isn’t appropriate for you anymore.”

I nodded slowly. “So that’s it, that's how you ended us."

Marcus didn’t stop me as I turned and walked upstairs.

The hallway felt different. Colder. As I passed, I heard whispers from the workers.

“She’s really shameless.”

“I knew something was off about her.”

“No wonder he left.”

I didn’t stop, I didn’t look back.

I went into my room, my hands shook as I packed what I could carry. My clothes, shoes, and documents. Things that proved I existed here.

When I came back downstairs, the staff didn’t meet my eyes.

One of the maids didn’t move out of my way. Another laughed softly as I passed.

I couldn’t hear it anymore.

I walked out of the house with a heavy heart.

The street felt endless, only then did it hit me.

I had nowhere to go. I was an orphan.

No parents. No relatives. No home waiting for me.

Marcus was my only family, he was my entire world and now he left, my world crashed. 

I started walking without directions, my mind too loud to notice anything else, tears spilling down my face. I didn't care if I look weak to the world, I just cried.

Cars passed, lights blurred.

I crossed the road without looking.

Headlights flashed.

Pain exploded through my body.

I hit the ground hard.

The car didn’t stop.

The sound of the tires faded into the distance as the world went dark.