Page 105 of Corrupting Camille
Knows how trapped I am.
Knows I’m suffocating beneath the weight of my parents’ expectations, my sister’s innocence, Preston’s blind ambition.
And he loves it.
The silence stretches, awful and unbearable. I force air into my lungs, feeling like it might choke me. I glance quickly back at my mother, watching her eyes widen slightly, demanding my answer. Demanding I don’t ruin this.
“Camille?” Preston prompts quietly, still smiling, but doubt’s crept in. I can see it clearly, the uncertainty, the shadow of hurt hovering just behind his carefully composed mask.
I swallow hard.
I have one word. One chance.
But instead of truth, my mouth forms the lie I’ve rehearsed my entire life.
“Yes,” I whisper. My voice barely carries, but it’s enough. “I’ll...I’ll marry you.”
The room bursts into applause, loud and sharp, suffocating in its celebration of my surrender. Preston stands, fingers cool and steady as he slides the ring onto my hand.
The diamond presses into my skin, heavy, unyielding.
A weight. A sentence.
A cage disguised as forever.
My mother rises, clapping loudly, her smile brilliant, victorious. Charles nods approvingly, satisfaction glowing in his eyes. Clara rushes over, eyes bright and joyous, arms wide as she embraces me, squeezing me tight.
I smile back, forced and brittle.
But it’s not them I feel.
It’s Kane, his gaze burning against my skin, mocking every forced breath, every second I pretend this is what I want.
And when I finally dare to glance at him one last time, he lifts his glass in a silent toast. Eyes glittering, mouth curling cruelly at the edges.
As if he’s congratulating himself.
As if he’s just won a battle I didn’t even realize I was losing.
And the worst part?
He’s right.
***
It’s happening.
It’s actually happening.
The room moves around me in flashes of perfume and champagne, warm bodies pressing too close, congratulations slurred over classical music and the gentle chime of glass. Preston’s hand stays curled tightly around mine, lifting it like a trophy as he drags me from one cluster of people to the next.
“Thank you,” I say. “We’re thrilled.”
I smile.
I nod.
I smile again.
