Page 67 of Dr. Billionaire's Fake Marriage

The dresser by the bed looks new too, and aside from the mirror attached to it, there is a lonely lamp. The window shutters are slightly opened to get the summer air into the room.

I hit my head on the pillow, burying my face into the blanket. I am excited to be here with my father and his family. I am excited to get to know my brothers and bond with my family, but I cannot help but think about Troy.

I wonder if he is in a good state, but I mostly wonder if he misses me as much as I miss him.

I don't think I have the right to wonder if he misses me. I had left him without any tangible explanation whatsoever. That is what Mrs. Robinson wanted - for me to disappear from Troy's life. She wants Troy to hate me for leaving.

Father knocks on the door, getting me out of my ‘I miss Troy” mood. “I was just checking on my kids before bedtime,” he says. “I wanted to see if you are doing okay.”

“Come in, Dad,” I request as he closes the door behind him.

"I think you should rest now," Father says. "The twins will be at your doorstep the moment they wake up; there is no escaping it."

I laugh. “They are so adorable,” I reply. “You have such an adorable family.”

Father grins. “I am sorry you have to spend your life another way.”

"No," I reply. "I brought it upon myself. I shouldn't have married Troy." I think of never having married Troy, but I don't regret everything that has happened. I don't regret the late-night talks on the rooftop, our first kiss, or the sex we enjoyed.

My mind trails to the sex. His hands are all over me, teasing my body and breasts. I slowly heave. Troy's touch is magical, and it is a pity that it is all over.

Troy and I are over, and the thought of never seeing Troy again is even more terrifying than the thought of Mrs. Robinson's threat.

"Mrs. Robinson threatened me to leave her son alone," I confess to my father.

“That bitch,” Father says, “I always knew she is onto something,” He pauses. “You can handle her threats,” he adds. “You are now a part of the hospital, and you can influence the other shareholders to go in your favor.”

I shake my head. "The threat is not to hurt me or my family," I reply. "The threat is to hurt Troy."

"She would hurt her own son?" Father asks.

“No,” I counter, “she will take the hospital from him and give it to his brother.”

“So you left because you don’t want to see Troy lose the hospital?”

"Yes," I reply, "the hospital means so much to him; it was either me or the hospital."

“So you chose on his behalf? You should have let him choose.” Father pauses.

“I don’t want him to choose between what he loves the most,” I confess. “If he chose the hospital over me, I’d be heartbroken for life.”

Father stands up to leave. “You are wrong, Camile,” he pronounces. “I have spoken to Troy a few times, and from what I saw, there is no way he would choose the hospital over you.”

My heart pounds at my father’s words. I might have just hurt the man who loves me the most.

Chapter twenty-three

The Disappearance

Troy

It has been two days since Camile's disappearance, and I haven't had a thing to eat. My family isn't much of a help as they all think I should let it go.

For some not-so-far-fetched reason, Mother has something to do about Camile's disappearance. I tried to investigate Henry, hoping he'd know something about it - hoping he'd heard my mother talk about making Camile leave Wallace.

Henry swears he knows nothing about it. Henry never swears, at least not about his life, so I believe him. My other options are Amelia and Jesse. I just need a few minutes with them both, and I'll be able to tell if they know where she is.

I am meeting Amelia this morning at the hospital, so I am delighted to leave the house. Henry told me Amelia spoke to Camile over the phone, but I only need to investigate what they have discussed. Maybe it'd give me a clue about where she could be.

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