Chapter 4

Camille

I scrolled through my phone absentmindedly until I stopped at the picture I’d taken of Tristan’s travel itinerary.

Daphne Castro.

The name still rang a bell.

I was done overthinking. If I wanted answers, I’d have to find them myself. 

 I grabbed my car keys and headed to Tristan’s office.

The receptionist glanced up from her computer as I approached the front desk.

“Good morning ma’am.” 

I managed a polite smile. “Morning. Is Tristan in?”

“Mr. Nolan’s in a meeting at the moment.”

“I’ll wait.”

“Would you like to wait in his office, ma’am ? I’ll let him know you’re here as soon as the meeting ends.”

I nodded. “Thank you. If I may ask, does anyone named Daphne Castro work here?”

“Oh yes, ma’am. She used to be Mr Nolan’s assistant, but she doesn’t work here anymore.”

“When did she leave?”

“About seven months ago.”

I swallowed hard. 

“How long did she work here?”

“About three years, ma’am.”

I forced a smile ”Thank you. That will be all. I’ll wait in my husband's office.”

Twenty minutes later, Tristan walked into his office. He stopped the moment he saw me.

His eyes swept across the room before settling back on me, checking whether anything was out of place. His guard visibly went up.

“Why are you in my office?”

“Can’t I visit my own husband anymore?”

“You’ve never shown up in my office unannounced. Care to tell me why you are you here?"

“I just wanted to see what you were up to.”

“I don’t have time for this. You should be talking with your lawyers instead.”

“Where did you spend the night?”

“Why does it matter where I spend my nights? We both know where we’re headed.”

“Daphne Castro.”

His expression shifted slightly. “Who the hell is that?”

“She was your former assistant.”

“And you expected me to remember every person who worked for me?”

“Funny how she was the one who went to Brazil with you.”

“Where the hell did you get that from?”

“Your travel itinerary. The one you hid in your desk.”

His expression hardened. “So you go through my things now? You had no right.”

“I had every right! I’m still your wife!”

“My wife?” He smirked. “Not for much longer!”

“Why did you travel together, Tristan? This trip wasn’t for business, was it? Is something going on between you two?”

Tristan scoffed, any trace of guilt vanishing from his face.

“There’s no point hiding this any longer. We’re together. She makes me happy.”

I stared at him, unable to process what I had just heard. 

“She makes you happy? At what point did I become insignificant in your life?”

“When you became completely undesirable,” he sneered. I don’t need a plus-sized wife who completely let herself go.”

His words hit like a slap. 

I felt the air leave my lungs. 

“Tristan…”

“She’s expecting my child.”

“You bastard!” I pounded against his chest, tears spilling down my cheeks. “Anytime I brought up having children, you’d put it off. It was never the right time. And now you turn around and do this?”

He grabbed my wrists and fixed his gaze on me. “This is my office. Don’t act like some mad woman here, Camille.”

“After all the ways you’ve humiliated me, this is the worst. You win, Tristan. I’ll sign the divorce papers. I’ll take everything from you, I promise!”

I yanked my hands free from his grip and flung his office door open.

“Take me to court if you want!” he called after me. “You won’t walk away with more than I allow.”

His words no longer held any weight. I was done being afraid of taking the steps I should have taken long ago.

I don’t remember how I drove back home. I only knew my vision was blurred, and somehow I made it home safely.

One by one, I shattered every framed wedding photo until broken glass covered the floor. The ones tucked inside our photo albums, I ripped to pieces. 

*******

I packed whatever I could fit into my suitcases and left that house for good. After Tristan’s ultimate betrayal, there was absolutely no hope left for our marriage, and I was done finally trying to save it.

The moment I pulled up to Naomi’s place, she was already on the porch.

“I’m sorry for just showing up like this,” I murmured, my voice shaky as she immediately reached for my bags.”

“You never have to apologize to me,” Naomi said softly, wrapping her arms around me in a tight embrace. “This is your home now, okay? For as long as you need to.”

The moment we stepped inside, Naomi immediately went to the kitchen and made me some tea to calm my nerves. She sat down next to me on the couch, handing me the warm mug.

“Talk to me, Camille,” Camille said softly. “What did he do this time?”

I swallowed hard, staring down into the mug, tears running down my cheeks. I narrated everything that happened. Finding the hidden travel itinerary, confronting him at the office about his assistant, and the crushing blow that she was expecting his child.

Naomi scoffed loudly, shaking her head in pure disgust. “He is an absolute monster! Honestly, Camille, I am just glad you finally left him. There is no point wasting your tears or your time on that pathetic excuse of a man.”

“I know.” I whispered, wiping a tear from my cheek. “But it still hurts to realize I wasted so much of my life.”

Naomi squeezed my hand tightly. “It’s never too late to start over. You just have to think what next you want to do.”

Tristan was the only man I’d ever known. My first everything. 

Ten years together. Six of those as his wife, until I no longer looked the part.”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I have to figure out to just be Camille, not Mrs Nolan.”

“Then maybe that’s where you start.” Naomi said gently. “Not with a plan. With you.”

Inlet out a small laugh, staring down into my tea. “Where do I even start from? I have nothing.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind about taking anything from Tristan?”

“I don’t care anymore.” I looked away. “I just want it to be over.”

“Don’t sound so defeated, Camille. You were with him before he became the man he is today. You deserve everything the law says is yours.”

“I’m too tired to fight over any of it. I could just work. Maybe I could start my career again.”

“Interior design.” Naomi asked, her eyes lighting up.

“Tristan made me give it up years ago. But I’m ready to get back at it, I could take a refresher course. Just anything to get back on track.”

“Perfect timing,” Naomi said, dropping a sleek folder into my lap. “A client needs a designer for his new boutique hotel.”

“I shook my head, feeling overwhelmed. “Naomi, I can’t pitch to a high profile client right now.”

“Who said anything about pitching right now?” Naomi smiled. “Take your course first. The project isn’t going anywhere…neither is he.”