Page 67 of The Weight of Her Silence
Nate closed his eyes briefly, the fight draining from him. “I don’t know what to do anymore.”
Lila took a deep breath, steadying herself. “Then start by telling us everything. No more secrets.”
The room grew unbearably silent—broken only by the soft sobs of Ava and the angry silence of Caleb.
For the first time, the fragile walls between them cracked wide open, exposing the raw wounds beneath.
Camille’s eyes glittered with cold triumph as she took a slow step toward Lila, voice dripping with venom. “You think you’re some kind of saint, Lila? Playing the sick, the victim? Meanwhile, Nate and I… we had something real. Something you couldn’t give him.”
Lila’s lips tightened, but she stood her ground, voice steady despite the fire inside her. “Real? You call this real? Destroying a family? Breaking a man?”
Camille laughed bitterly, shaking her head. “I didn’t break him. He came to me. You were gone long before this started.”
Ava’s hands clenched into fists at her sides. “How dare you speak about Mom like that?”
Caleb’s face was a storm of fury. “You don’t belong here.”
Camille didn’t flinch. “Oh, but I do. Nate chose me. Not you.”
Lila’s gaze sharpened, cold and cutting. “Nate is still my husband. And this,” she gestured to the chaos around them, “is your ruin, Camille.”
Camille’s smile was a razor. “Maybe. But I’m the one who’s alive. I’m the one he wants.”
Lila took a slow breath, fighting to keep her composure. “You want him. But you’ll never have him.”
The tension cracked like thunder.
Camille’s eyes narrowed. “Watch me.”
Lila’s voice was calm but unwavering, every word edged with quiet strength. “Camille, it’s time for you to leave. This is our home, and you are not welcome here.”
Camille’s smirk faltered, but she held her ground. “I’m not going anywhere. Nate and I—”
Lila cut her off, stepping closer with steely eyes. “No. You’re done here. Take whatever you want from him, but you will not take this family.”
Ava stood beside her mother, her voice fierce. “Get out. Now.”
Caleb echoed, voice low and threatening. “Before we make you.”
For a heartbeat, Camille hesitated, weighing her options. Then, with a harsh laugh, she threw a last glare at Lila. “This isn’t over.”
Without another word, she turned and stormed out, the front door slamming shut behind her.
The house fell into a heavy silence, broken only by the quiet sobs of Ava and the hollow stillness of Nate.
Lila took a shaky breath, steadying herself. “She won’t stop. But neither will we.”
Chapter 41
The Last Conversation
The house had gone still. After the chaos, the shouting, and Camille’s venom, it was almost jarring to hear nothing but the soft thud of the children retreating upstairs. Ava’s door shut first. Caleb’s followed. A silence hung in the air that felt heavier than any scream.
Lila stood near the living room window, her shoulders slack, her breathing labored—not just from illness, but from the ache that had lived in her chest for years. She didn’t look at Nate as he hovered by the doorway. She couldn’t yet. Not until she found the strength to open old wounds without letting them consume her.
“Sit,” she finally said, voice quiet but firm.
He did. Like a man waiting for judgment.
