Page 55 of Love in Bloom

“One can dream.” He pressed his lips to hers, tenderly letting warmth flow between them.

“Adulterer,” a woman snarled.

Camille’s eyes flew open.

Mrs. Chan glared at them from a few feet away.

Camille barely resisted the impulse to shake the woman. What was her problem? Camille wasn’t married or having an affair. And she was pretty certain Tristan wasn’t either. Was he? Her mind reeled. There was still so much she didn’t know about him. Could he possibly be married? Had she fallen for a married man?

Tristan led Camille over to Mrs. Kollman. “Thank you, Mrs. Kollman That was very kind.”

She returned his phone and cast a confused look between them and Mrs. Chan before shrugging and returning to her husband.

“Let’s go see the water lilies.” He tucked Camille’s hand into the crook of his elbow.

Camille bit her tongue until they were away from the other couples. On the famous green bridge, they looked down at the water lilies in the pond. But Camille couldn’t admire the colors.

“What was that about?” she blurted. “Why would Mrs. Chan called either of us an adulterer? Are you married? Is this all a sham? A trick? A joke?”

“I take it you’re not married.”

“Of course I’m not, and if I were I’d never have agreed to this fake marriage vacation. Are you saying you are?” Her stomach dropped, and cold fear ran across her skin despite the heat of the summer day.

“I’m not married. I’m divorced.” He leaned on the railing of the bridge. “I think it’s time to explain about Jia.”

“I should ruddy say so,” Camille snapped. She was hot and bothered, and not due to the summer weather.

“What I told you before was true. I met Jia at the company. She was the owner’s daughter though I didn’t know that at first. It was a whirlwind romance, and I’m still not entirely sure I loved her, but we were married, and life was good. Crazy and rich, but good. She pushed me in my work.”

“Until you learned about the animals.”

“Yes. She knew how I felt, and she hid the truth from me. When I found out, she took her father’s side. That was the beginning of the end. I learned her true nature when I was in prison. She would come visit me after every torture session and tell me I’d brought it upon myself, that I deserved what was happening. Since I cared so much for the animals, I should be happy to be treated like one so I could better empathize with the creatures. She’d psychologically torture me after the physical torture, all while having a doctor tend to my wounds. Her words were harder to recover from than the cuts and bruises.”

“Oh, Tristan.”

“Three months later, when Jia deemed my punishment sufficient to my crimes, I was dumped on the steps of the American consulate, with a bag of my personal belongings that included my passport. Of course, I didn’t know until later that’s how long I’d been in my illegal prison. After the first few weeks, I couldn’t keep track of time anymore. I only tracked the moments between the beatings.”

Camille wasn’t a crier, but she felt moisture prick at her eyes as she vainly attempted to imagine what he’d been through and how he’d ever managed to endure it, much less recover from it to the degree he had.

He turned his head and started. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

She wrapped her fingers around his hand which rested on the railing. “I think you’re the bravest, strongest man I know. I’m proud to be your fake wife.”

“Not sure you should trust your judgment. I don’t trust mine. I married a monster after all.”

“You were caught up in a situation, in the clutches of a very manipulative and devious woman. It could’ve happened to any brilliant scientist.”

“If I were so brilliant, I should’ve been able to see right through her and not let it happen to me.”

She leaned on the rail next to him. “I’m guessing your marriage and experiences with Jia are why you can’t trust yourself to love me or trust me with your heart.” The weight of this revelation threatened to crush her.

“Could you?”

She shook her head. “I truly don’t know. Probably not. It would take a person of monumental character to be able to heal a heart that damaged.”

“If anyone could, Camille, for me, it would be you.”

Her eyes traced the lines of the lilies, studying the hue of a purple and white one. “And yet, I’m not enough.”

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