Chapter 5 Camila found herself retreating further into herself

Days passed since Rafaël had left her apartment, but Camila couldn't shake the feeling of emptiness that lingered like a shadow. The echoes of their life together reverberated in every room of her apartment. There was a strange silence now where once there had been laughter, arguments, and whispered confessions. The love they had shared, or at least the love she had believed in, seemed like a distant dream-one she couldn't quite grasp anymore.

She had spent the last few days avoiding everything that reminded her of him. His things-his shirts hanging in the closet, his books scattered around, even the coffee mugs they had bought together-felt like foreign objects. Each one was a cruel reminder of the betrayal, of the life he had hidden from her, and she could no longer look at them without feeling a wave of nausea.

But there was something more haunting than the silence-the guilt. She knew that the relationship had been flawed from the start, but there had always been a part of her that believed they could fix things. That the love they shared could overcome anything. That was before the truth came crashing down like a wrecking ball, destroying everything she had built her life around.

As the days turned into weeks, Camila found herself retreating further into herself. She couldn't go back to the life she had known. And she wasn't sure if she even wanted to. She had been married to a man who had kept her in the dark, who had betrayed her in the most painful way possible. The anger she felt was suffocating, and it threatened to consume her.

She spent her time at work, pouring herself into her job, trying to ignore the way her heart felt like it was constantly breaking. But even the long hours didn't erase the truth. It didn't erase the feeling of being used, of having her trust stolen and shattered by the man she had loved.

One evening, as she sat at her desk, her phone buzzed again. This time, it was a message from Amara.

Camila, I know this is the last thing you want to hear right now, but I need you to know that I'm here. I'm sorry for everything. You didn't deserve this.

Camila stared at the message for a long moment, the weight of it pressing down on her chest. Amara. She had once been just a name-a distant person who had somehow become entangled in this web of lies. And now, she was a reminder of the secrets Rafaël had kept. Of everything that had gone wrong.

She didn't know what to feel about Amara. On one hand, she understood why Amara had come to her with the truth. On the other, there was a part of her that couldn't forgive the way things had gone down. Amara had known for a long time, and yet she had waited until everything had already fallen apart to come forward.

Taking a deep breath, Camila replied.

I don't know what I'm supposed to say, Amara. I'm angry. I'm hurt. And I'm not sure how to move past any of this. But I appreciate you reaching out. I just need time.

She stared at the screen for a few moments before hitting send. It was a message that didn't offer closure, but it was the best she could do. At least for now.

The next morning, as she prepared for another day at work, her phone rang again. This time, it was from a private number. Her heart skipped a beat, and she immediately thought of Rafaël. But as she answered the call, it wasn't his voice she heard on the other end.

"Camila, it's Elias."

The name hit her like a ton of bricks, and for a moment, she couldn't find her voice. Elias-Rafaël's son. The child who had been kept hidden from her for so long. The very reason for everything that had fallen apart. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to hear from him or if it was better to pretend this never happened.

"Elias," she finally managed to say, her voice colder than she intended. "What do you want?"

"I know this might be the last thing you want to deal with right now," Elias said, his voice soft but firm, "but I think we need to talk. There's something you should know about my father."

Camila's heart pounded in her chest. "What could possibly be left for me to know, Elias? Your father has already destroyed everything. What more is there?"

There was a long pause on the other end of the line before Elias spoke again.

"It's about the way he's been living," Elias began, his voice laced with regret. "There's something he's never told you, something that even I didn't know until recently. I'm not sure how much you know about my mother-Amara-but the truth is, there's more to the story than what he's told you. More than even I realized."

Camila's head spun as she tried to piece together the fragments of the conversation. The truth seemed to keep slipping through her fingers like sand.

"What are you saying?" Camila asked, her voice trembling. "What else could there be?"

"Your husband wasn't just lying to you about me," Elias continued. "He's been living a double life for years. There's more to the betrayal than just his affair with my mother. He's been involved in things that go beyond what you could ever imagine. And I think you need to know the full story."

The words hung in the air like a bomb waiting to explode. Camila's mind raced, struggling to process what she was hearing. Rafaël's betrayal wasn't just limited to Amara. It went deeper-much deeper.

"I don't know if I can handle more lies, Elias," Camila whispered, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on her. "I don't know if I can handle the truth anymore."

"I understand," Elias said, his voice softer now. "But if you're going to move forward, if you're going to heal, you need to hear everything. The good, the bad, the ugly. I'll tell you everything I know. I owe you that much."

Camila closed her eyes, feeling the tears begin to sting her eyes once again. She didn't know what she was supposed to do with this new information. She didn't know if she could handle it. But one thing was clear: the world she had known was crumbling around her, piece by piece, and it was all because of Rafaël's lies.

"I'll meet you," she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. "Tell me where and when."