Face to Face

Camille's Pov

Steph Lee kept walking. He never hesitated, didn’t stumble, just moved straight toward me as if the crowd parted for him out of instinct. Silk and velvet brushed against tuxedo sleeves, conversations trailed off into uneasy whispers that twisted into his wake. Even if nobody knew the story between us, everyone recognized that look on Steph’s face.

It wasn’t anger.

At least, not at first.

It was disbelief.

The kind you get when someone you thought you abandoned strolls back into your life looking stronger, steadier, undeniably present better than the memory you left behind.

Isabella floated at his side, hand wound through his arm looking as sinister as ever. Her red dress clung to her like it was stitched for vengeance, and the diamond at her throat sparked every time she moved. She looked just the same as she did the night she stole my marriage.

Victorious.

Ryan’s palm pressed against the small of my back. Not possessive just firm. Steadying. Reminding me I was here now, not then.

"You don't have to do this," he murmured.

My heart banged against my ribs. "I've spent five years picturing this exact moment."

He shot me a sideways glance. "And?"

"I always thought I’d cry." I swallowed hard, forcing down whatever threatened to rise. "But I won’t give them that satisfaction, never."

Steph stopped just two feet away. For a few endless seconds, none of us spoke. He looked at me like he couldn't decide if I was a ghost or a stranger or both. There was the woman he walked out on, and now, the woman standing tall beside the city’s most powerful CEO.

He glanced at Ryan’s hand on my waist, and, for a split second, something sharp and dark crossed his face.

"So..." Steph’s voice was almost gentle. "This is what you’ve been up to."

I frowned. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

He gave a mirthless laugh. "Moving on pretty quick, don’t you think?"

Ryan didn’t react. His tone stayed cool. "Ms. Astrid’s personal life stopped being your business the day you asked for a divorce."

Steph’s focus shifted finally to Ryan.

Recognition registered, a flicker of something.

"So it’s you."

Ryan just nodded. "Ryan Zee."

"I know who you are."

"I’m sure you do."

You could feel the temperature in the room drop. These two, standing like adversaries on opposite sides of a line.

Isabella broke in with a soft, syrupy laugh.

"Oh, darling," she purred, eyes on me. "I hardly recognized you."

I gave her a level look. Staring right into her eyes "I recognized you right away."

Her smile clamped down a notch. "I suppose heartbreak suits some women."

Ryan’s hand pressed a little tighter at my back. No one else would notice, but I did. He was hanging on, just barely.

"I’ve heard Vantage pays handsomely," Isabella said, loud enough for the gossipers. "Explains your excellent new wardrobe."

A few guests snickered before realizing they were the only ones.

I met her stare. "I’ve never dressed badly, Isabella." “You know that” I added.

She lifted her chin, eyes gleaming with mean anticipation. "I just didn’t expect you to swap one rich man for another so fast."

“I mean… what would you rather have me do?. Just like the song said ‘if you're done with your ex, move on to the next’ I'm a beautiful woman Isabella and if I could pull Steph Lee, I can definitely pull Ryan Zee” I say tongue in cheek.

Every head nearby seemed to tilt that little bit closer. Mistress. Gold-digger. Social climber. She didn’t say the words. She didn’t have to.

Steph just watched.

Ryan broke the tension, voice flat. "Careful, Ms. Isabella."

She blinked, mock-innocent. "Oh?"

"My patience has a limit."

Her smile faltered, for a beat. "I was only complimenting Camille’s resilience."

"No," Ryan said. "You tried to shame someone whose dignity outruns your imagination." I nearly laughed at Ryan's comment.

The hush that followed felt absolute. Nobody in this city challenges Ryan Zee nobody.

Isabella’s composure wobbled for the first time. Steph stepped forward, snapping everyone’s attention.

"Enough." He was back to me now. "When did this start?"

I blinked. "What?"

"You and him." His voice lower, almost private. "When?"

I almost laughed

“I must say Mr Lee, you've got some nerve. Your audacity is scary”

Unbelievable. "You divorced me." I remind him.

"I asked when."

I cling unto Ryan Zee before I answer

"I don’t owe you an answer."

His jaw clenched. "You were my wife."

"Were," I shot back, sharper than I meant. He swallowed it, but I saw the flinch.

“Were… past tense”

"So that’s it?" He sounded lost. "Five years gone, and you just move on?"

Five years. The words hung there the years of silence, the years of gluing myself back together, raising a child he’d never met.

"Yes, yes, just like you moved on” I say eyeing Isabella for a second before returning my focus on Steph Lee “You made those five years vanish," I told him quietly. "You filed. You signed."

He searched my face, desperate for guilt or regret, for the person who used to beg him. He found nothing. Instead I had a nonchalant expression.

"I never thought—" he started.

"You never imagined I’d survive," I finished for him.

He didn’t deny it. The band kept playing somewhere in another universe, but nobody cared.

Isabella sidled up, voice ringing out. "Honestly, it’s admirable." Her gaze flickered to Ryan. "Some women bounce back surprisingly fast. Almost like someone new was waiting in the wings before the marriage ended."

A ripple ran through the crowd. Ryan stiffened. Steph’s gaze swung to me. I felt every judgment, every suspicion land on my skin.

Five years ago, that would’ve broken me.

Tonight, I just smiled. "Careful, Isabella," I said softly.

She affected surprise. "Why’s that?"

"You’re mistaking your story for mine." Around us, a few people tried and failed to hide their shock. Color climbed up Isabella’s cheeks.

For the first time tonight, she had no comeback.

Before anyone could recover, a familiar voice cracked the tension.

"Camille!"

I turned. Evelyn rushed in, a step out of breath, weaving between clusters of startled onlookers.

"Thank goodness," she said, sliding to my side without noticing who else was there until she did. Steph. Isabella. Ryan. Her smile faded.

"Oh..." she stammered. "I...didn’t realize..."

Silence, thick as honey. Evelyn looked at me, eyes searching for direction. Then, she grabbed my arm, babbling for reassurance maybe for herself as much as me.

"Don’t worry, Camille." She squeezed my arm. "You’ve survived five years already..." Her voice lifted, almost hopeful. "...and Aria is waiting for you at home."

Everything stopped.

Steph went pale; he barely whispered the name. "...Aria?" He looked at me, eyes huge, desperate for understanding.

Confusion, then shock, then something even worse. Hope.

Behind him, Isabella’s smile vanished.

Ryan squeezed his eyes shut like he’d felt the ground tilt.

Right then, the whole ballroom shifted. Nothing was the same.

Steph walks closer to me

“Who is Aria?” He asks

And for the first time tonight my heart stuttered a little bit.