Chapter 3

Clara POV

"Clara, darling," Hailey said, her voice a sickly sweet melody. "Is this a bad time? We were just passing by, and Camden thought we should check on you after our little run-in earlier." She batted her eyelashes, her gaze sweeping over my simple house, a faint smirk playing on her lips.

A cold knot formed in my stomach. Run-in. That' s what she called it. I stood my ground, my hand gripping the doorknob, blocking the entrance. "It's always a bad time for uninvited guests, Hailey," I said, my voice flat, devoid of emotion. "And I assure you, I'm perfectly fine."

Hailey' s smile faltered, her eyes flicking nervously toward Camden. He stepped forward, a carefully chosen gift bag in his hand. "Hailey insisted, Clara. She's always been so thoughtful, hasn't she? Always thinking of others." He placed the bag on my doorstep, a silent invasion of my personal space.

"It's just a little something," Hailey gushed, stepping closer. "Camden and I picked it out. I remember you always loved this brand of skincare. We used to share everything, didn't we? It felt right, you know, to bring you something familiar." She held out a small, exquisitely wrapped box. The brand. It was the same one Christian used. A wry smile touched my lips. How ironic that she thought this was a thoughtful gesture.

Her eyes then fell on the crumpled photo still clutched in my hand, the one of young Camden and me. Her breath hitched. "Oh, Clara," she whispered, her voice laced with what sounded like genuine sorrow. "You still have that? After all this time? I' m so sorry, truly. I know how much that picture meant to you."

I felt a sudden, sharp clarity. This wasn' t about remorse. This was a game. My fingers tightened around the photograph. With a decisive movement, I crumpled it tighter and tossed it into the small waste bin near the door. "It means nothing to me, Hailey," I said, my voice steady. "And I don't need your pity or your apologies."

Hailey' s hand, reaching out to touch my arm, hesitated, then dropped to her side. "I understand, Clara," she murmured, her eyes brimming with what looked like tears. "I truly do. It's our wedding anniversary next week, and I know it must be difficult for you. Seeing us so happy... I can only imagine your feelings." She paused, her lower lip trembling. "But we want to make amends. Please. Let us take you to dinner. We can talk. We can explain. And if you need anything, anything at all, Camden and I are here for you. We always have been, in our own way."

I almost refused. The words were on the tip of my tongue, a swift, decisive "No." But then, from somewhere inside my house, I heard a faint, distant giggle. My son. The sound, a whisper of my new, precious life, changed everything. A cold, calculated resolve settled in my heart.

"Dinner?" I asked, a slow smile spreading across my face. "Why, Hailey, that sounds absolutely delightful. I'd love to."

Hailey's eyes widened, a flicker of triumphant surprise in their depths. "Oh, wonderful! I knew you'd come around! We'll have such a lovely time, just like old times!" She practically skipped to Camden' s car, her earlier hesitation replaced by a giddy excitement.

The drive to the restaurant was a blur of Hailey' s incessant chatter. She recounted their lavish honeymoon in the Maldives, their recent ski trip to Aspen, the sprawling penthouse Camden had bought her in the city. Her left hand, adorned with a massive diamond, waved constantly, catching the light. She leaned into Camden, whispering sweet nothings, pressing kisses to his cheek. She even took out a tube of bright red lipstick and, with a theatrical flourish, applied it to his lips, then kissed him deeply.

"Oh, darling," she purred, wiping the excess lipstick from his mouth with her thumb. "You're so handsome. I just can't resist you."

Camden, to his credit, looked uncomfortable. "Hailey, not now," he mumbled, glancing at me in the rearview mirror.

"Oh, Clara, I'm so sorry!" Hailey exclaimed, her eyes wide with feigned contrition. "It's just us, you know? We're so used to being affectionate. It's just how we are."

I cut her off, my voice calm. "Don't apologize, Hailey," I said, my eyes fixed on her reflection in the mirror. "It's perfectly fine. I remember a time when your affections were even... more uninhibited. In my bed, for instance. Or in Camden's office. You were quite the performer."

The car fell silent. The air crackled with tension, thick and suffocating. Hailey's face, usually so animated, froze, her eyes wide with shock. Camden's hands gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white.

I turned my head, my gaze drifting out the window, watching the city lights blur into streaks of color. My thoughts drifted back to my mother. The beautiful, vibrant woman who had slowly withered away after my father's betrayal. The woman who had been reduced to a ghost, haunting the halls of our once-happy home, her laughter replaced by a hollow emptiness.

I remembered the day my father left. He had packed his bags, his face impassive, and Josephine stood beside him, her head bowed in a show of false humility. My mother, usually so strong, had knelt on the floor, clinging to his leg, begging him not to go. He had ripped himself free, his eyes cold, and simply walked out the door. My mother had screamed, a raw, primal sound of agony that echoed through the house, through my very soul. After that, she was never the same. The light in her eyes extinguished, her spirit broken. She became a shell of her former self, a mournful shadow that drifted through the house, her life force draining away day by day.