Chapter 307
The phone rang until it cut to voicemail, that flat, impersonal message echoing in the quiet room.
Camilla called Lance twice. He didn’t pick up. No message, no reply, nothing.
But then there was a little sound from her phone. Sarah, who’d been silent all night, finally sent her a voice message.
Static crackled through the recording. Sarah sounded out of breath, words interrupted by uneven gasps. “Sorry, Camilla, he had way too much to drink tonight. I just got him home… Hey, stop it… Sorry, Camilla, he’s being so clingy. I’ll call you when I—” The message stopped right there.
Camilla stared at her screen, feeling her chest get tighter. Lance wouldn’t pick up, and now there was this. She couldn’t sit still. She shrugged on the first jacket she found and rushed downstairs.
Dane caught a glimpse of her and frowned with concern. “Camilla, where are you going? It’s so late. Should I get a car ready for you p>
She ignored the question. “Where’s Lance? Do you know where he went tonight?” she asked, voice sharper than she intended.
Dane looked surprised. “He left with Darwin. There was some birthday dinner for Darwin’s friend, and it’s the kind of thing Lance never skips. Didn’t he tell you p>
That last bit shocked even Dane. Normally, Lance was glued to Camilla’s side. It made no sense that he’d keep this from her.
Dane tried to smooth things over. “Camilla, you know things have been rough between Lance and his family lately. Maybe he didn’t want to worry you. Please don’t stress. He almost never stays out all night. When he gets back, I’m sure you’ll be able to talk it out p>
But the unanswered calls and Sarah’s weird, half-finished message made it impossible for Camilla to relax. Add the photo Sarah had sent earlier, and her anxiety was a heavy knot inside her. She couldn’t just wait around.
They must be together. She wanted to trust Lance, but every worst-case scenario started running through her mind. What if he drank too much? What if Sarah took advantage of that? What if… he actually let himself get close to her?
They’d grown up together. Sarah had always been good at making people like her. And the entire Charles family seemed to adore Sarah.
Camilla didn’t want to guess anymore. She needed to see for herself. She was about to start her car when her phone rang again. It was the hospital.
Elise had taken a bad turn. She was calling for Camilla, and the doctor wanted her there right away.
Camilla tightened her grip on the wheel, the veins standing out on her hands. She forced herself to focus, to breathe, to push thoughts of Lance away while she drove, heading straight to the hospital.
Elise had been doing better—enough that they’d started talking about her leaving the hospital soon. Things shouldn’t have gotten worse. The fact that they did made Camilla’s worry bloom into real fear.
She hurried into the hospital room. Elise was there, propped up in bed, her face pale, her eyes fixed on the door like she’d been waiting for Camilla to appear.
The caregivers left quietly as Camilla came in. She sat beside her mother, trying to steady herself. “Mom, I heard you needed me. Is everything okay p>
Elise looked at her for a long moment, worry written all over her face. “Camilla, is there something you want to tell me? What have you been doing lately p>
Camilla blinked, caught off guard. “Nothing much. I’ve just been working p>
“Don’t lie to me,” Elise said, her voice tight. “You and Barnard are divorced. You could’ve just raised Jasper quietly. Why did you get tangled up with Lance? Do you know what kind of family the Charleses are? No one even reports on them in the news. To them, even the Carters are nothing. Why would you provoke someone like that? Camilla, I know you’ve always been ambitious, but you need to be realistic. Did you forget what happened with Barnard? We could barely handle the Carters, so how could you possibly deal with the Charles family p>
Elise grabbed Camilla’s wrist—hard. The pressure left red marks blooming on her skin.
Suddenly it was clear. Elise knew about Lance.
Camilla didn’t argue. She just asked quietly, “Who told you this, Mom p>
Elise let out a shaky breath. “Tessa came by. Camilla, we need to keep our feet on the ground, no matter what. End things with Lance. That world isn’t for us p>
Camilla’s face went cold. “That’s what Tessa said? What else did she tell you p>
She’d thought those harsh words from Tessa at the mall had been the end of it. She never expected Tessa to go straight to her mother, using her to threaten her.