Semua Bab SCORNED EX WIFE : Queen Of Ashes: Bab 171 - Bab 180

Chapter 171The hospital waiting room smelled of bleach and coffee gone cold. Camille sat rigid in an uncomfortable plastic chair, staring at the double doors where they'd rushed Stefan an hour ago. Blood stained her clothes, his blood. She hadn't changed, couldn't bring herself to leave, even when a kind nurse had offered scrubs."He'll pull through," Alexander said, his fingers laced with hers. "Stefan's tough."Camille nodded without speaking. The image of Stefan leaping in front of her, taking the bullet meant for her chest, played on endless loop in her mind. His body jerking backward. The surprised look in his eyes. The spreading red stain on his shirt."Why did he do it?" she whispered. "After everything..."Alexander squeezed her hand. "He wanted to make things right. In the only way he could."Thunder rattled the windows. The storm that had masked their approach to the cabin now battered the hospital, as if nature itself shared their turmoil. Camille shivered, suddenly aware

Chapter 173The courthouse steps swarmed with reporters, their cameras flashing like lightning bugs on a summer night. Camille gripped Alexander's hand as they navigated the crowd, eyes forward, faces blank masks against the shouted questions."Ms. Kane, how does it feel to face your sister today?""Camille! Will you ask for the death penalty?""Are you worried about Rose's mental state?"Alexander's arm formed a shield around her shoulders, guiding her through the press of bodies. Victoria and her parents followed behind, creating a protective circle.Inside, the marble halls echoed with footsteps and whispers. Journalists scribbled notes. Observers craned their necks for a glimpse of the woman who had survived her sister's murderous plans."You don't have to do this," Alexander murmured, his lips close to her ear. "No one would blame you for skipping the arraignment."Camille shook her head. "I need to see her face. I need her to see mine."The courtroom door loomed ahead, dark wood

Chapter 175Camille stood at the window of her office, Victoria's office, until yesterday... watching raindrops race down the glass. Each drop chased another, sometimes merging, sometimes veering off on separate paths. Like lives, she thought. Sometimes joined, sometimes divided, all eventually reaching the same destination.The folder on her desk contained documents that had taken her legal team all night to prepare. Papers that would reshape lives, just as Victoria's announcement yesterday had reshaped hers.A soft knock interrupted her thoughts. Alexander entered, carrying two coffee cups and wearing the look of a man who hadn't slept much."The press is still camped in the lobby," he said, handing her a cup. "You'd think Victoria announced she was selling the company to aliens."Camille smiled, grateful for his attempt to lighten the mood. "Are you ready for the meeting?""I'm not the one they'll be watching." Alexander nodded toward the folder. "Are you sure about this?"That que

Chapter 177Camille's car pulled up to the small restaurant in Greenwich Village, far from the gleaming towers of Midtown where she now spent her days. The place looked unchanged from when she'd last visited, before the divorce, before Victoria, before she became someone else entirely."Are you sure you don't want me to come in?" Alexander asked from the driver's seat.Camille shook her head. "This is something I need to do alone.""Call if you need me," he said, squeezing her hand. "I'll be twenty minutes away."She nodded, gathering her courage before stepping onto the sidewalk. Through the restaurant window, she could already see them—Margaret and Richard Lewis. Her parents. Waiting at a corner table, her mother nervously rearranging silverware, her father checking his watch.This marked the first time they would meet without Victoria's watchful presence since their cautious reunion months ago. No buffers. No mediators. Just three people trying to rebuild what years of hurt and bet

Chapter 179The silver wedding binder sat open on Camille's desk, pages filled with fabric samples and venue photos. After months of courtrooms and business takeovers, the sight of something so normal, so hopeful, felt almost strange. Camille ran her fingers over a scrap of ivory silk, allowing herself a small smile."Penny for your thoughts," Alexander said, entering her office with two coffee cups in hand."Just thinking how different this feels now." She accepted the coffee, breathing in its rich aroma. "Before Rose's trial, planning felt... impossible. Like tempting fate."Alexander settled into the chair across from her desk. "And now?""Now it feels real." She turned a page in the binder to reveal a lakeside estate. "What do you think of this one?""Beautiful," he said, studying the photograph. "But what really matters is if you like it."Camille considered the image, gardens sloping down to a private lake, mountains in the background, a grand house with wraparound porches. Noth