Chapter 22 #2
How could a man like that look with love on a woman who had murdered her own?
A woman who had treated her child like some diseased thing to be discarded.
And for what?
For the hope of keeping Simon’s love.
Instead she had ended up hating him—and herself.
The phone rang.
And rang.
And rang.
On the fifth ring she answered.
“Hello?” she asked, her voice thick and heavy with tears.
“Hi, Camille.”
“Hi, Aaron.”
“Are you alright?”
She paused.
“No, Aaron. I’m not.”
“What’s wrong?” His voice was instantly laced with concern.
“I have something to tell you. Please don’t say anything until I’m done. I just want to tell you everything. If you never want to see me again, I’ll understand.”
“Camille—”
“Please, Aaron. Promise me you’ll let me speak uninterrupted.”
A pause.
“Okay, sweetheart. Go on.”
She almost broke at his sweetheart.
That tender word.
Oh, how she would miss him when he left.
She closed her eyes and whispered a quick prayer.
Lord, strengthen me.
She straightened her spine, wiping her face with the back of her hand. When she began speaking again her voice was calmer.
“I told you that Simon and I were having an affair that started three years after I began Shadow Peak. I was desperately in love with him. He seemed to love me too. Anything I wanted it was mine. He made it happen. He accommodated me, supported me, guided me. And then I discovered I was pregnant.”
The words came slower now.
“When I told him. I thought that he would finally divorce his wife and marry me. Instead… he told me that his wife could never find out and that I needed to get rid of the baby.”
Her hand trembled against her stomach.
“He said we could have children later. That the baby was barely developed—just a clump of cells.”
Tears slid down her cheeks again.
“Then he said if I didn’t do it… we were over.”
Her voice cracked.
“I was scared. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted him. I wanted to believe him. I rationalized everything he told me.”
She closed her eyes tightly.
“But the moment it was done… I felt terrible remorse. The truth of what I had done hit me like a flood. It was as though God opened my eyes.”
Her voice trembled.
“That was not a clump of cells. It was my child. Flesh and blood. A human being. An eternal soul.”
She began crying again.
“I had destroyed my own child.”
For several seconds she could barely speak.
“I was devastated. Everything changed immediately. I hated Simon with the same intensity I had once loved him.”
Her voice hardened slightly.
“He noticed. He tried to make amends—offering me the moon and the stars. When that didn’t work he threatened me. Said he would kill off my character and replace me with another actress. I didn’t care. I felt like a hollowed-out shell.”
She wiped her face.
“And then God met me.”
Her voice softened.
“A woman on the set listened to me. She comforted me. She gave me a Bible and one night as I read God’s word He spoke to me… God took out my heart of stone and gave me a heart of flesh. I confessed everything to Him. I cried and cried.”
A faint breath escaped her.
“And I felt His forgiveness.”
She steadied herself.
“I knew then I had to leave the show. I had to get away from Simon—and from that debauched environment. I didn’t care if they sued me. I decided to trust God.”
Her voice softened again.
“Then my agent brought me the Esther script. And I knew it was the project for me. A project that reflected the change God had made in me.”
She took a trembling breath.
“A life surrendered to doing His will.”
She hesitated before continuing.
“Aaron… when I met you I felt something immediately. But I didn’t think I deserved a man like you. Someone good. Kind. Clean. I felt like damaged goods.”
Her voice grew fragile.
“But then I began to feel hopeful. I saw the way you responded to me… the care you showed… the interest you had. You made me feel special. I began to feel like God had given me a second chance.”
Her voice cracked again.
“With you. With Madison.”
Silence hung heavy between them.
“I’m sorry that I let you down. It was always at the back of my mind that I needed to tell you the truth. But I kept thinking maybe it would be better to wait until the right time.”
She laughed softly through tears.
“Maybe after we’d been married awhile and your love for me had deepened.”
Her voice dropped.
“But tonight Simon called and threatened to tell you everything. So I realized I had two choices. Let you confront me… or tell you the truth first.”
A long breath left her.
“So now you know everything.”
Her voice was barely audible.
“I hope you can forgive me. But if you can’t… I will just have to ask God to give me the grace to carry on.”
She waited.
The silence stretched.
For a moment she thought the call had dropped.
“Hello?”
“I… I’m still here, Camille,” Aaron said after clearing his throat several times. “Wow. That was… powerful.”
She said nothing.
She didn’t dare assume that meant anything good.
“Camille,” he continued slowly, “the moment I met you I knew you were going to impact my life somehow. I didn’t know how, and honestly it terrified me.”
He exhaled.
“After Scarlette died I had built a routine. A life that felt safe. Predictable. And I didn’t want anyone upsetting that.”
A small laugh escaped him.
“But you did.”
His voice softened.
“I fell hard and fast for you. Not because you’re perfect. But because you’re lovely. A kind, loving, caring woman. Flesh and blood. A flawed human being trying to live a life dependent on God’s grace.”
His voice grew steadier.
“In the short time we’ve known each other I’ve seen remarkable growth in you. Real maturity. Real repentance.”
A pause.
“I’m sorry you made the choices you did. But you repented. Your Savior forgave you.”
His voice deepened.
“And who am I to count your sins against you when Christ has thrown them into the deepest sea?”
Camille’s breath caught.
“I love you, Camille.”
Her hand flew to her mouth.
“There’s nothing for me to forgive. You’re already forgiven.”
Tears streamed down her face.
“I haven’t revealed all my deepest secrets to you either,” he continued gently. “And over time, as we build a life together, we’ll probably both share more and more of ourselves.”
His voice warmed.
“But nothing you told me tonight diminishes my love for you. Or my intention to make you my wife.”
He paused.
“You’ll still have me… right?”
Her tears came harder now.
“Of course, Aaron,” she whispered. “Of course.”
“Good.”
“Oh, Aaron.”
“Oh, Camille. I wish I could come see you right now. I wish I could hold you. But I can’t leave Madison alone.” He chuckled softly. “And that’s probably a good thing.”
She laughed shakily through her tears. “Yes… heaven’s way of protecting us from ourselves.”