Chapter 293
Calvin called Camilla first. The second he heard that Bonnie refused to settle and was determined to sue, he was furious. For once he didn’t back down or hesitate. His anger hardened into something cold and decisive.
Daisy got sent away immediately. No matter how much she screamed or cried, Calvin didn’t budge. He wouldn’t listen to a word of it.
Davina didn’t fare much better. Calvin basically dragged her home and locked her up in Barnard’s room.
Lately, Barnard had been watched constantly by Calvin, like some kind of criminal. The outside world might as well have disappeared. No news, no updates, nothing. Day by day, shut off like that, he started to come unglued. The isolation got under his skin, bubbling into irritation and then anger.
Then, the bedroom door swung open. Barnard perked up, actually hoping for a second that Calvin had changed his mind and was letting him out. But instead, Davina walked in and the door clicked shut behind her, locked again. Something about it gave Barnard a weird, sinking feeling.
Davina hadn’t calmed down at all. She kept her head down, avoiding his gaze, clearly upset about her face. She didn’t want anyone looking too closely. Suddenly, she moved to the light switch and turned off the lamp. The room was swallowed by darkness, the heavy curtains blocking everything except a faint trace of light from the street. Only their outlines were visible now. With nobody able to really see her, Davina finally exhaled and seemed to relax.
But Barnard was instantly annoyed. He snapped, “What’s with you? Why’d you turn off the lights?” His voice was sharper than he intended.
Davina crept toward him, feeling her way across the room. She didn’t want to explain the whole disaster she’d just been through. Instead, she lowered her voice and tried to sound small and sweet. “Barnard, Dad’s on my case again. He says we should have a baby soon. Since we’re getting married anyway, I thought… actually, now is kind of perfect. I could still fit in the wedding dress and our kid could be there to see us happy. Isn’t that romantic? Today just feels right, so… what do you think p>
As she spoke, she reached out and tried to grab the edge of his shirt. But a sliver of light from the curtains sliced across her face, just enough to make the scratches and swelling stand out even more.
Barnard caught a glimpse and flinched before he could help himself. He pushed her away, his hands shaking. “What… what happened to you? What’s going on p>
Davina didn’t even realize he’d seen her face. Hearing the tremor in his voice, all her bottled-up frustration spilled over. “Barnard, why are you acting like this? Is being with me that awful now? You used to say you loved me, over and over. Now you just pull away and hurt me. Have you really changed? Please tell me you haven’t p>
Her voice wavered, tears catching in her throat as she reached for him. Barnard pulled out of her grasp. Without thinking, his hand slammed the light switch. The overhead light lit up everything, harsh and white. For a split second, Davina froze, then tried to duck her head and hide, but it was too late. Barnard saw her swollen face, full of angry red scratches, looking nothing like the Davina he remembered.
He stared, brow furrowed, lips parted like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. After a beat, he finally managed, “What did you do? Did a cat get you or something p>
He looked at her through the frantic shimmer of her tears, feeling even more lost. He told himself he should feel bad for her. He loved her, didn’t he? He was supposed to want to comfort her, not flinch away. But looking into her swollen, battered face, all he wanted was to look anywhere but at her. Something inside him recoiled.
Davina saw his discomfort. She bit her lip, then decided to switch tactics. “It was Camilla,” she said suddenly. “Barnard, I ran into Camilla while I was shopping. She must hate the idea of us getting married. Out of nowhere, she just attacked me. Bonnie was with her too, and you know she’s never liked me anyway. I was outnumbered, what could I do? They beat me up and it still wasn’t enough, now they’re trying to sue me. If Dad hadn’t stepped in, I wouldn’t even be here. Look at what they did to my face. Camilla pretends to be so nice and classy, but she’s absolutely crazy. We should really keep away from her in the future p>
She couldn’t admit that it was Rosalia—the woman she’d paid for help—who had messed things up for her. So she spun a half-truth, pinning it all on Camilla. The more she talked, the more desperate she sounded, needing to destroy any good memories Barnard had of Camilla.
“Wait. You’re saying Camilla attacked you just because we’re getting married?” Barnard repeated, his tone doubtful.
Davina thought he didn’t believe her, so she pressed on. “Yes. Dad asked me to buy some nicer clothes, remember? That’s why I was out. I ran into Camilla, but you guys are divorced now, so why would I go looking for trouble? She came after me first, I swear. Look what she did to my face. She knew our wedding was coming up and still did this. She just wants to ruin everything, humiliate both of us. She’s doing it out of pure spite p>