Chapter 9 - Camille Finally Talks
Camille Laurent spent six hours refusing to speak.
Then Detective Hayes placed Hope’s DNA report on the interview table.
Camille broke.
Not dramatically.
Not completely.
But Alexander watched through one-way glass as something inside her collapsed.
Her attorney leaned toward her.
“Say nothing.”
Camille stared at the report.
Hope Amelia Morgan.
99.9997% probability Alexander Reed was the biological father.
Camille laughed quietly.
It sounded exhausted.
“I told Marcus.”
Her attorney grabbed her arm.
“Camille.”
She pulled away.
“I told him not to do it.”
Hayes remained silent.
Camille rubbed her eyes.
“I told him taking the embryo was insane.”
Alexander’s entire body tightened.
Taking.
Not mistakenly using.
Taking.
Hayes leaned forward.
“Explain.”
Camille’s attorney interrupted.
“My client is done.”
Camille shook her head.
“No.”
“Camille.”
“No.”
She looked at Hayes.
“I want Alexander.”
Alexander went still behind the glass.
Hayes replied, “No.”
“Then I’m finished.”
Hayes stood.
Camille looked toward the mirror.
She knew he was there.
“Alexander.”
He couldn’t hear her directly through the glass.
But the microphone carried every syllable.
“I know you’re watching.”
He stared back.
“Come in.”
Hayes looked toward the observation window.
Alexander shook his head.
Camille smiled sadly.
“You always hated confrontation when it mattered.”
That did it.
Alexander opened the door.
Hayes frowned.
But she let him enter.
Camille looked at him.
For the first time since the wedding she wore no makeup.
Her hair was tied back.
She looked almost like the woman he remembered from years ago.
The efficient assistant who brought coffee to his father’s hospital room.
The friend who stayed when everyone else left.
The woman he had trusted more than almost anyone.
“How much was real?”
Alexander asked.
Camille’s face moved slightly.
“What?”
“You and me.”
She looked wounded.
“All of it.”
He almost laughed.
“You hid two daughters from me.”
“I didn’t know Hope existed until Rachel contacted me.”
“You knew Lily existed.”
“Yes.”
“How old was she when you found out?”
Camille looked down.
“Before she was born.”
Alexander absorbed the blow.
“You knew Rachel was pregnant.”
“Yes.”
“And you forged my letter.”
A pause.
“Yes.”
His throat tightened.
“Why?”
Camille looked up.
“Because you were going to leave everything.”
“What?”
“Your father was dying.”
“He wasn’t dying.”
“We thought he was.”
“Don’t rewrite history.”
“You were ready to walk away.”
Alexander remembered the conversation.
Camille had found him sitting alone outside intensive care.
He had said he hated Reed Holdings.
He said if his father died, he would sell everything and disappear with Rachel.
He had been grieving.
Exhausted.
Twenty-nine.
Camille had treated his words like destiny.
“You had no right.”
“I know that now.”
“No.”
Alexander leaned toward her.
“You knew it then.”
Camille’s eyes filled.
“I thought I could fix it later.”
“Fix it?”
“I thought Rachel would leave.”
“She was pregnant.”
“I didn’t know until afterward.”
“You just said you knew before Lily was born.”
“After I sent the first message.”
Alexander stared.
Camille continued.
“The first message wasn’t about the pregnancy.”
“What first message?”
“The breakup.”
His blood chilled.
The text from Rachel’s phone.
I can’t do this anymore.
Don’t contact me.
“I sent it.”
Alexander looked away.
“I took her phone.”
“How?”
“She left it in your office during the company dinner.”
“The Christmas party?”
“Yes.”
“The night she met you.”
Camille nodded.
Alexander felt physically ill.
She had met Rachel once and decided to dismantle their relationship.
“Why?”
“You had just told your father you might move in with her.”
“So?”
“Edmund panicked.”
Alexander froze.
“My father told you to do it?”
“No.”
Camille’s answer came instantly.
“He told me to talk sense into you.”
Alexander stared.
“I thought if I created distance for a few weeks, you would focus.”
“You destroyed seven years.”
“I know.”
“No.”
His voice cracked.
“You don’t get to say you know.”
Camille looked down.
Alexander continued.
“You didn’t miss her first steps.”
“She wasn’t mine.”
“You didn’t miss her first word.”
Camille flinched.
“You didn’t miss six Christmas mornings.”
“Stop.”
“You didn’t hold a dying woman while she tried to tell paramedics my name.”
“Stop.”
“You didn’t—”
“I SAID STOP!”
Camille slammed both hands on the table.
Hayes stepped closer.
Alexander didn’t move.
Camille was crying now.
“You think I don’t know what I did?”
“I think you spent seven years making sure nobody else knew.”
Silence.
Alexander sat back.
“Tell me about Marcus.”
Camille wiped her face.
“He knew Rachel from college.”
Megan had said Camille gave Marcus access.
“How did you find him?”
“Social media.”
“Why?”
Camille hesitated.
“Rachel kept trying to contact you.”
“So you hired a man to stalk her.”
“No.”
“What would you call it?”
“He agreed to help.”
“For money.”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“At first?”
Alexander’s stomach turned.
“There was an ‘at first.’”
Camille closed her eyes.
“Five thousand.”
“Then?”
“More.”
“Why?”
“Marcus started dating her.”
“And you encouraged it.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because once she was with someone else, I thought she’d stop trying to reach you.”
Alexander stared at the woman he had almost married.
“You engineered her relationship.”
“I introduced an opportunity.”
“He abused her.”
“I didn’t know.”
“Did you pay him after you knew?”
Camille looked away.
That was answer enough.
“How long?”
“Years.”
“Why?”
“Because he threatened me.”
Alexander laughed bitterly.
“There it is.”
“I’m telling you the truth.”
“No.”
“You trapped yourself.”
“Yes.”
Camille’s voice broke.
“I did.”
She looked at him.
“Every year it became harder to tell you.”
“That was your problem.”
“I loved you.”
“Don’t.”
“I did.”
“You loved controlling what I knew.”
Camille shook her head.
“That isn’t fair.”
“Rachel is dead.”
The words ended the argument.
Camille went still.
Alexander leaned forward.
“Were you following her the night she died?”
Camille’s eyes changed.
Her attorney immediately intervened.
“Do not answer.”
Alexander watched her.
“You were.”
Camille said nothing.
“Did Marcus force Rachel off the road?”
Her breathing changed.
“Did you?”
“No.”
The answer came instantly.
“Did you see it happen?”
Camille began shaking.
Her attorney said, “Interview over.”
Camille whispered.
“Yes.”
Silence.
Alexander felt the air leave his body.
Hayes sat down.
“Tell me.”
Camille stared at the table.
“I followed Rachel.”
“Why?”
“She had something.”
“What?”
“Proof.”
“Of your payments?”
“Yes.”
“What else?”
“She had Edmund’s investigation.”
Alexander frowned.
“How?”
“Keene gave it to her.”
Everyone went still.
“Why would Keene help Rachel?”
“Money.”
“From who?”
“I don’t know.”
“Continue.”
Camille wiped tears from her face.
“Rachel said she was going to Alexander.”
“So you followed her.”
“Yes.”
“With Marcus?”
“No.”
“He was already following her.”
“How do you know?”
“I saw his truck.”
“Then what happened?”
Camille’s voice weakened.
“He called me.”
“What did he say?”
“He said he could stop her.”
Alexander’s heart pounded.
“And what did you say?”
Camille closed her eyes.
“I said…”
She stopped.
Hayes waited.
Alexander didn’t breathe.
Camille whispered.
“I said, ‘Just make sure she doesn’t get to him tonight.’”
Alexander stared at her.
Camille began crying harder.
“I meant scare her.”
He stood.
“I meant make her turn around.”
“You sent him after her.”
“I didn’t tell him to hurt her.”
“But you knew who he was.”
“I didn’t think—”
“That sentence has been your excuse for seven years.”
Camille covered her face.
Hayes continued.
“What happened?”
“I saw him pull beside her.”
“And?”
“He swerved.”
Alexander’s jaw tightened.
“Once?”
“Twice.”
“And the third?”
Camille looked sick.
“He hit her.”
Alexander closed his eyes.
“Her car went through the barrier.”
Camille nodded.
“Did you stop?”
“Yes.”
“Did Marcus?”
“No.”
“Why did you tell paramedics you were family?”
Camille looked at Alexander.
“Rachel kept asking for you.”
“So you made sure they didn’t call me.”
Camille cried silently.
“Yes.”
Alexander sat again.
Not because he wanted to.
Because his legs would no longer hold him.
“What did Rachel say to you?”
Camille stared at him.
“She said you would know Lily.”
He swallowed.
“What else?”
“She told me Hope was yours.”
Alexander’s eyes burned.
“And?”
Camille’s face collapsed.
“She said I lost.”
Alexander stared.
“Lost?”
“She thought everything was some competition.”
“No.”
Alexander’s voice was almost gentle.
“You did.”
Camille looked at him.
“You turned my life into one.”
Her shoulders shook.
Hayes asked the final question.
“Where is Marcus?”
Camille wiped her face.
“I don’t know.”
Hayes’s expression hardened.
“You left your hotel with him.”
“He picked me up.”
“Where did he take you?”
“To a parking garage.”
“Then?”
“He demanded the safe-deposit key.”
Alexander touched his pocket instinctively.
Camille noticed.
“You have it.”
He ignored her.
“What does he think is inside?”
“I don’t know.”
“Liar.”
“I don’t.”
Hayes leaned forward.
“What did he say?”
Camille hesitated.
Then answered.
“He said Rachel hid the only thing that could put him away forever.”
Alexander looked at Hayes.
The safe deposit box.
Camille continued.
“And he said if he couldn’t get it…”
She stopped.
Alexander’s blood went cold.
“What?”
“He would take something you couldn’t replace.”
Alexander stood.
“Lily.”
Camille shook her head.
“No.”
His heart stopped.
Camille looked at him.
May you like
“Hope.”
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