Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
As the bedroom door clicked shut behind them, the silence that enveloped Camilla and Jade was deafening.
Jade moved swiftly to the far side of the room, her back to Camilla as she busied herself with removing her earrings.
The clink of metal against wood as she set them on the dresser echoed in the stillness, making Camilla flinch.
She stood frozen by the door, her hand still on the knob, as if holding onto it might somehow anchor her in this moment that felt like it was spiraling out of control. She watched Jade, searching for any sign of the tenderness they had shared just hours ago.
"Jade," she said. "I... I don't know where to start."
Jade turned to meet her eyes, and the coldness in them made Camilla freeze. "How about you start by explaining why you didn't tell me about the will?" Jade's voice was calm, controlled, but there was an edge to it that Camilla had never heard before.
Camilla took a hesitant step forward, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her dress. "I was going to tell you. I just…"
Jade crossed her arms over her chest, creating a physical barrier between them. "And when exactly were you planning on telling me? After you lured me into marriage? A real marriage, not just a pretend thing to keep up appearances?"
"No, initially I was going to tell you when we got back to LA, but then I changed my mind and realized I had to tell you tonight. I swear, Jade, I never meant for any of this to happen."
Jade's laugh was sharp, devoid of humor. "What exactly didn't you mean to happen? Hiring an actress to play your fiancée? Lying to your entire family? Or was it falling into bed with me that wasn't part of your grand plan?"
Each accusation hit Camilla like a dagger, and she struggled to keep calm. "The fake fiancée part, yes, that was planned," she whispered. "But I never expected... this. Us."
"Us?" Jade repeated, her eyebrow arching. "There is no 'us', Camilla. There's you and your father’s company, and me, the fool you hired to help you get your hands on it."
Tears pricked at the corners of Camilla’s eyes. "That's not true," she insisted. "What we have, what we've shared these past few days... it's real, Jade. At least, it is for me."
For a moment, something flickered in Jade's eyes - a softening, perhaps, or a hint of the connection they had shared. But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, replaced once again by that icy resolve.
"Why did you defend me downstairs?" Camilla asked, clinging to that momentary glimpse of the Jade she had come to know. "You could have exposed everything right then and there."
Jade's shoulders sagged slightly, and she turned away, moving to the closet to retrieve her dressing gown. "Because I'm an actress. It's my job." Her voice was flat, emotionless. "We have a contract, nothing more, and I've never pulled out of a job. No matter how... complicated it might become."
The words stung, each one a reminder of the lie that had brought them together.
Camilla watched as Jade slipped out of her red satin dress, the garment pooling at her feet like spilled wine.
In any other circumstance, the sight of Jade's bare skin would have sent a thrill through her.
Now, it only served to remind her of what she stood to lose.
"Please," she begged, taking another step forward. "Let me explain. There's so much more to this, so much I need to tell you."
But as Camilla moved closer, Jade retreated, wrapping herself in her dressing gown like armor. "You have a lot to explain," she agreed, tying the sash with quick, angry movements.
Camilla's hands clenched at her sides, fighting the urge to reach out and touch her. "I know," she said softly. "And I want to. I want to tell you everything."
“Be honest.” Jade's eyes narrowed, a mix of hurt and anger swirling in their blue depths. "Was this your plan all along? To get me here, seduce me, and then pretend you were in love with me so I’d marry you? Did you really think I wouldn't find out?"
"No! God, no, Jade. That wasn't... I didn't..." Camilla took a deep breath, trying to gather her scattered thoughts.
"I didn't come here with any intentions apart from smoothing things over with my family so they'd genuinely believe I was engaged.
That's all it was supposed to be at first - a simple arrangement to get through the holidays." She shook her head and blew out her cheeks. “I was going to discuss the will with you when we were back in LA. It’s one thing to hire an actress to play your fiancée, it’s another to ask someone for a marriage of convenience. I wanted to get to know you first, and I was hoping that maybe you’d agree to it eventually as you clearly needed the money and –"
"That's ridiculous," Jade interrupted her, pacing around the room. "I'm a romantic at heart, Camilla. I believe in love, in connection, in building a life with someone because you can't imagine being without them. Marrying for money? That's against everything I stand for."
“I know that now, but I didn’t know that then,” Camilla said. "I never expected to fall for you. I didn't even know I liked women until now. At least... one woman in particular."
Jade paused in her pacing, and shot her a skeptical look.
"My feelings are real, Jade," Camilla continued, her voice gaining strength as she poured her heart out. "I've never felt like this around anyone before. What we've shared these past few days... it's changed everything for me."
Slowly, Jade turned to face her. There was a vulnerability in her expression now, a crack in the icy facade she had been maintaining.
"Then why didn't you tell me the truth? Why keep lying, even after we.
.." She trailed off, but Camilla knew exactly what she meant.
The intimacy they had shared, the tender moments and passionate encounters - all of it now tainted by the specter of Camilla's deception.
She closed her eyes, steeling herself for what she knew she had to say next. When she opened them again, she met Jade's gaze unflinchingly. "Because I was afraid," she admitted. "Afraid of losing you, afraid of ruining what we had found together. And... because I had hoped that maybe..."
She faltered, the words sticking in her throat. Jade took a step closer, her expression a mix of curiosity and wariness.
"Maybe what, Camilla? That I’d marry you within six months?"
“No.” Camilla let out a long breath as her shoulders slumped.
“I hoped this was something real and I didn’t want to ruin it.
” She sat down on the bed, her tears flowing freely now.
“Uncle Robert was right. I get why my father put the clause in the will. He wanted me to be open to love, to the possibility of marriage. It was a foolish plan, but it was the only way to make me get out there and date, I guess. I’ve never been interested in dating, in men. I know why now.”
For a moment, something flickered in Jade's eyes - a softening, perhaps. “I don’t even know what to believe anymore,” she said, sounding defeated. “But I know one thing. I don’t like seeing you cry.”
Jade hesitated for a moment, her internal struggle visible in the set of her jaw and the tension in her shoulders. But as she watched Camilla's tears fall, something in her expression changed, and with a quiet sigh, she crossed the room and sank down onto the bed next to her.
Tentatively, as if afraid the touch might burn her, Jade wrapped an arm around Camilla's shoulders. The gesture, so familiar and yet now fraught with uncertainty, caused Camilla to let out a choked sob.
"Shh," Jade murmured, her voice gentle despite the hurt and anger still simmering beneath the surface. "It's okay. Just... breathe."
Camilla leaned into her embrace, her body shaking with the force of her sobs. "I'm sorry," she managed to choke out between sobs. "I'm so sorry for everything. I just don’t want to lose you and I … I don't even care about the marriage clause anymore. Not really."
Jade stiffened slightly, but she didn't pull away. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, yes, I care about my father's company. It was his life's work, and I want to honor that. But what I've discovered here, with you... it's far greater than the company."
She turned, looking up at Jade through tear-soaked lashes. "It's the possibility of truly being happy with someone. Of potentially sharing my life with someone I care for deeply, someone I could grow to love the way my father loved my mother."
Jade's expression was unreadable, a mix of emotions flickering across her face too quickly for Camilla to decipher. "Camilla," she began.
"No, please, let me finish." Camilla’s words came faster now as if she were afraid she might lose her nerve.
"I know I've messed everything up. I know I hurt you, and I'll never forgive myself for that.
But these past few days with you... they've shown me what's possible.
What life could be like if I allowed myself to open up, to be vulnerable, to. .. to love."
She reached out, hesitantly taking Jade's hand in hers. To her relief, Jade didn't pull away. "I'm not asking you to forgive me right away. I'm not even asking you to stay. I just... I need you to know that what we shared was real for me. It still is."
Jade was quiet for a long moment, her gaze fixed on their intertwined hands. "I want to believe you, Camilla. But I don’t know how to feel right now."
"I understand," Camilla said through sniffs. "And I don't know how to make this right, but I want to try. If you'll let me."