Chapter 4 You just hurt me

The days following her meeting with Amara passed in a blur. Camila couldn't bring herself to confront Rafaël, not yet. The pain from his betrayal had settled into something darker, deeper-like a wound that refused to heal. Even as the days went by, her mind replayed their last conversation, her thoughts a constant storm of anger, disbelief, and hurt.

She had returned to her apartment after the meeting, closing herself off from the world once again. The quiet, empty space felt suffocating, and every inch of it reminded her of him. Of Rafaël.

The images of his face, the way he'd looked at her with that mix of guilt and pleading in his eyes, haunted her. He'd begged for her forgiveness countless times over the past weeks, but each time she refused to hear it. It wasn't just his infidelity that shattered her-it was the betrayal of trust, the years of lies that she now saw for what they were.

Amara had told her the truth, but Rafaël... he hadn't. He'd kept the secret of Elias from her, all to protect his perfect image of their life together. And that was something Camila couldn't forgive so easily. She wasn't sure if she even wanted to try.

Her phone buzzed again. Another message from Rafaël.

Camila, please. We need to talk. I need you to hear me out. I swear to you, I didn't want any of this to happen. Please, just give me a chance to explain. I love you. Don't let this destroy us.

She slammed the phone down onto the coffee table, feeling a surge of anger rise within her. Love? How could he even say that word after everything he had done? After how he had kept her in the dark for so long? The love she had once felt for him felt like a distant memory, like something that belonged to another version of herself.

The doorbell rang, pulling her from her thoughts. Her first instinct was to ignore it, but something inside her told her to answer. Maybe it was a sign. Maybe this was the moment she would finally get the closure she needed.

She stood up, her legs shaky, and walked to the door. She opened it to find Rafaël standing there, his face drawn with concern. His normally confident demeanor was gone, replaced with something fragile-something she hadn't seen in him before. His eyes met hers, pleading, searching for some kind of forgiveness.

"Camila," he began, his voice rough. "I know you're angry. I know you're hurt. And I don't deserve your forgiveness, not yet, but please-just hear me out. I've been living in hell without you, and I can't fix this without your help."

Camila took a step back, crossing her arms defensively. "You think you can just show up here, and I'm supposed to listen to whatever lies you're going to feed me next?"

He shook his head, his hands trembling slightly. "It's not a lie, Camila. I've never lied to you about how much I love you. But I was wrong. I was so wrong to keep Elias from you, to keep everything from you. I was afraid of losing you-of ruining everything we built together. But I see now that I was just making it worse. I wasn't protecting you, I was keeping you in the dark. And that's not the kind of man I want to be."

Camila's heart ached at his words, but she quickly pushed the feeling down. She couldn't let him manipulate her again, couldn't let him twist her emotions into something that would make her feel sorry for him. Not after everything he had done.

"I don't even know who you are anymore, Rafaël," she said, her voice breaking. "The man I thought I knew would never do something like this. You-we-had a life together, and you kept this secret from me. You let me live in a lie. And for what? To protect your own reputation?"

Rafaël looked as if she had struck him. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. His eyes filled with frustration, then shame, as he realized the weight of her words.

"I thought I could control everything, Camila. I thought if I kept everything hidden-if I kept Elias and Amara out of our lives-you would never have to know. I was wrong, I know that. I should've told you the truth from the beginning. But you have to understand-this wasn't just about me. It was about our future. About protecting everything we've worked for."

Camila shook her head. "You don't get it. You never did. You never trusted me enough to share that part of your life with me. You thought you could just hide it away, and I would be okay with it. But you were wrong. You took my choice away. You took my agency. You thought you could protect me by lying to me. But you didn't. You just hurt me."

She stepped back, feeling the full weight of everything she was saying. Every word felt like a dagger, every sentence a truth she had been holding in for too long. She had given him everything-her love, her trust, her faith-and he had shattered it all.

"I need you to leave, Rafaël," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. "I can't do this anymore. Not with you. Not like this."

His face contorted with a mixture of desperation and hurt, but Camila held firm. She had made up her mind. She couldn't keep living like this, constantly questioning everything she had once believed in. She needed to heal, to find herself again without him.

"Please," Rafaël pleaded. "I love you. Don't do this."

But the words felt empty now. She had heard them too many times before, and they no longer held any meaning.

"Goodbye, Rafaël," she said, her voice steady despite the storm raging inside her. "I hope you find the peace you're looking for. But I can't be part of your lies anymore."

Rafaël stood there for a long moment, staring at her as if trying to read her expression, to find some sign that she would change her mind. But there was nothing. She had made her decision.

Finally, he turned and left, his footsteps echoing in the hallway as Camila closed the door behind him. Her knees gave out, and she sank to the floor, tears streaming down her face. She had never wanted it to end this way, but she knew it was the only way to reclaim her life.

As the tears fell, Camila felt a strange sense of release. It wasn't a feeling of peace-not yet-but it was the first step toward healing. She couldn't change what had happened, but she could take control of her future. And for the first time in weeks, she allowed herself to believe that maybe, just maybe, she could start over.