13. Camille
— ? —
Camille
The hospital is a twenty-minute drive that feels like hours.
Nathan drives while I stare at my phone, reading my mother’s text over and over, trying to parse the layers of meaning beneath the words. Your father had a heart attack. He’s asking for you.
Not “we need you.” Not “please come home.” He’s asking for you.
As if my father is the only one who wants me there. As if my mother is just the messenger.
“You don’t have to do this,” Nathan says quietly.
“I know.”
“Whatever happened between you and your parents - a heart attack doesn’t erase that. You’re not obligated to show up just because he’s sick.”
“I know that too.” I watch the city slide past the window. “But I need to see him. Not for them. For me. I need to know that I did the right thing, even at the end.”
“Even at the end?”
“He’s seventy-three, Nathan. He’s had heart problems for years. This might be-” My voice catches. “This might be the only chance I get.”
Nathan takes my hand. Doesn’t say anything else. Just holds on.
***
My father looks small in the hospital bed.
The man who used to seem so imposing - the patriarch who ruled family dinners with gentle authority, who taught me to ride a bike and balance a checkbook and never apologize for being smart - now looks fragile.
Diminished. Tubes snake from his arms. Monitors beep a steady rhythm.
His eyes, when they open, are cloudy with medication.
“Camille.” His voice is a rasp. “You came.”
“Of course I came.”
My mother hovers in the corner, arms crossed, expression unreadable. We haven’t spoken since I walked out of that family meeting months ago, the one where they asked me to forgive Alexis for being pregnant with my husband’s child. The silence between us is thick enough to choke on.
“I wanted-” My father coughs, winces. “I wanted to say something. Before it’s too late.”
“Dad, don’t talk like that. The doctors said you’re going to be fine.”
“The doctors say a lot of things.” A ghost of his old humor flickers in his eyes. “But in case they’re wrong - I need you to know that I’m sorry.”
The words hang in the air.
“I’m sorry we asked you to forgive Alexis.
I’m sorry we acted like keeping the peace was more important than acknowledging what she did to you.
I’m sorry we put family unity above your pain.
” He reaches for my hand, his grip weak but determined.
“You were right to walk away. We didn’t deserve your presence at that table. ”
My eyes are burning. “Dad-”
“Your mother doesn’t agree.” He glances toward the corner where she stands, stone-faced. “She thinks you’re being stubborn. Vindictive. But I understand. What Alexis did - what Jared did - there’s no coming back from that. Some betrayals are too deep to bridge.”
“Why didn’t you say this before?”
“Because I was a coward.” His eyes close briefly. “Because I thought if I just stayed quiet, everything would work itself out. That was wrong. I should have stood up for you. I should have told your mother that her precious family unity wasn’t worth sacrificing our daughter’s dignity.”
A tear slides down my cheek. “I forgive you.”
“I don’t deserve it.”
“Maybe not.” I squeeze his hand. “But I’m tired of carrying around anger. It’s too heavy. So I’m putting it down. I forgive you, Dad. The rest - Mom, Alexis, all of it - that’s going to take more time. But you and me? We’re okay.”
He smiles, a real smile, the one I remember from my childhood. “That’s my girl.”
***
I stay for an hour.
My mother doesn’t speak to me. Doesn’t even look at me. When I finally leave, she follows me into the hallway.
“He’s dying,” she says flatly. “The doctors won’t say it outright, but I can tell. His heart is giving out. He might have a few more months. He might not make it through the week.”
I don’t know what she wants me to say. Sorry? Thank you for telling me? What does any of it matter now?
“I’m glad I came,” I manage.
“Are you?” Her eyes are hard. “Or did you just come to gloat? To show him how well you’re doing without us, with your new man and your new life?”
“I came because he asked for me. Because despite everything, he’s still my father.
” I hold her gaze. “I didn’t ask for any of this, Mom.
I didn’t ask Alexis to sleep with my husband.
I didn’t ask Jared to steal from his clients.
I just tried to survive what happened to me, and you made me feel like I was the problem. ”
“You tore this family apart-”
“No. Alexis did. Jared did. And you - you chose them over me. Every single time, you chose them.” My voice breaks, but I don’t look away.
“I’m not here to fight. I’m here because Dad wanted to see me, and because I wanted to make peace with him before it’s too late.
But you and me? I don’t know if we’ll ever be okay.
That’s not spite talking. That’s just the truth. ”
I turn and walk away.
She doesn’t follow.
***
A week later, an invitation arrives in the mail.
Alexis’s baby shower. Hosted by my mother. With a handwritten note: “It’s time to move forward as a family.”
So now they want me there. After months of silence, after choosing her over me at every turn, now I get an invitation, like I’m just another guest, like nothing happened.
I stare at it for a long moment.
Then I laugh. Because what else can I do?
***
“You’re not actually considering going,” Nathan says when I show him the invitation.
“I’m considering... something.”
“Camille.”
“I know it’s crazy. I know I should just throw this in the trash and move on with my life. But there’s something I need to do. Something I need to say.” I look up at him. “Will you come with me?”
He studies me for a long moment.
“If you’re sure this is what you want.”
“I’m sure.”
“Then I’ll be right beside you. Always.”
***
We show up without RSVPing.
The baby shower is at my parents’ house, the same house where they asked me to forgive Alexis, the same living room where my whole family chose my sister over me. The door is open, party sounds spilling out, and I walk in like I own the place.
Wearing white. Petty, intentional, a quiet fuck-you to the woman stealing my life.
The room goes silent.
Every head in the place turns toward us. Aunts, cousins, family friends. My mother, frozen mid-arrangement of gift bags. Alexis, eight months pregnant, face going pale.
And Nathan at my side, solid as stone.
“Camille!” My mother recovers first. “You came! And... Nathan?”
“You wanted family, Mom.” My voice carries across the room. “Nathan is my family now.”
Alexis starts crying. “You brought him? To my baby shower? Jared’s best friend?”
“Jared doesn’t get to keep his friends after what he did. Nathan made his choice.” I look at my sister, really look, taking in the exhaustion, the desperation, the ruins of the life she blew up for herself. “He chose me.”
Someone mutters something about harassment. About how inappropriate this is. About how I should just leave.
I don’t leave.
“I’m not here to make a scene,” I say clearly. “I’m here because I wanted you all to see something.”
Nathan lets me draw him closer.
“I wanted you to see that I’m not the broken, pathetic ex-wife they’ve been painting me as. I’m happy. I’m thriving. I’m loved by a man who would never betray me.”
Nathan speaks then, his voice carrying.
“I wanted to see the family that chose an affair over their own daughter. That asked her to ‘move forward’ instead of holding anyone accountable.” His arm tightens around me. “Take a good look. This is what you lost.”
He kisses my temple. Long. Deliberate.
I look at Alexis.
“Enjoy your shower. I hope your daughter grows up to make better choices than you did. And I hope she never learns what her mother did to get her father.”
I turn to leave.
My mother grabs my arm. “Camille, please-”
“You made your choice, Mom. A year ago, in this living room. You chose Alexis. You chose the pregnancy. You chose ‘family peace’ over your own daughter’s pain.” I remove her hand gently. “Live with it.”
We walk out.
***
In the car, I’m shaking.
“Was that too much?” I ask.
“That was perfect.” Nathan takes my hand, pressing a kiss to my knuckles. “How do you feel?”
“Like I finally said everything I needed to say.” I turn to look at him. “Like I’m finally done with them.”
“Then let’s go home.”
***
Three weeks later, Alexis gives birth to a baby girl.
And a paternity test reveals the truth: the baby isn’t Jared’s.