11. Camille

Chapter 11

Camille

W e spent the next hour just lying there, Dante holding me like I was the most fragile thing in the world. It was nice—too nice, really. His arms were warm, his steady breathing a reminder that someone was there for me, no matter how messy everything had gotten. But his phone kept buzzing, little reminders that life wasn’t going to let us stay in this bubble forever.

Eventually, I sighed and sat up, pulling away from him. “Sounds like someone’s trying to reach you,” I said, my voice light, even though my chest felt heavy.

“They can wait,” he replied, reaching for me again, his touch as easy as breathing. But I slipped out of bed, pushing the covers off and swinging my legs to the floor. Distance. That’s what I needed, just a little space to untangle the storm in my head.

He got up too, grabbing the shirt he’d been wearing and handing it to me. “Here, wear this. I’ll make breakfast.”

The shirt smelled like him—clean and woodsy—and I pulled it on, the soft fabric brushing against my skin like a hug. “Thanks,” I said, trying to sound normal.

I followed him into the kitchen and perched on the counter with a mug of coffee, my legs swinging against the cupboards. Dante moved around like he belonged there, pulling ingredients out like he’d done this a million times. I watched him work, trying not to let my mind wander too far.

Would people at CU even believe this scene? Me, sitting here in Dante’s kitchen, wearing his shirt like we were some cozy couple. What would they say if they knew? And worse—what were they already saying about me? About Kage? About the fact that I’d fallen for him so hard, not once thinking he was engaged to another woman.

The smell of food brought me back to the moment, and Dante set a plate in front of me. It was simple but perfect, the kind of breakfast that made you feel cared for. We ate mostly in silence, but it wasn’t awkward. For a little while, the food gave me something to focus on other than the mess my life had turned into.

After we finished, Dante leaned against the counter, his eyes on me. “What’s your plan for today?”

I shrugged, staring into my coffee like it held all the answers. “I don’t know. Guess I should figure that out instead of hiding here all day.”

“You going to let me help you with that?” His voice was easy, but his eyes were searching, like he was trying to read my mind.

God, it would’ve been so easy to say yes. To let him fix things, to let him make me feel okay when everything else felt impossible. But I couldn’t do that to him, not again. He’d already done so much for me.

“I’ll figure it out,” I said, my voice soft but firm.

My eyes drifted to the jar of peanut butter chocolate candies on the counter. I’d noticed it the last time I was here, and it was still full to the brim. “Do you actually eat those?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

He chuckled, the sound warm and familiar. “I have one or two sometimes, but I always fill it back up.”

“That’s kind of ridiculous,” I said with a laugh.

He shrugged, but his face turned serious. “Maybe, but it’s my reminder. I have my vices, but I can’t let them control me. Can’t let them take me to a place I can’t come back from. Because one day, I might not make it back.”

His words hit me harder than I wanted to admit. “Am I a vice you’ll have to pay for eventually?” I asked before I could stop myself.

He looked at me, his gaze steady and unflinching. “If you are, I’ll gladly pay the price for the rest of my life.”

Damn him. He always knew exactly what to say.

But I couldn’t stay here, not forever. As much as I wanted to let him be my safe place, it wasn’t fair—to him or to me. I needed to face everything waiting for me out there, even if it scared me.

“You should be working instead of babysitting me,” I said, trying to sound teasing but knowing it came out more serious than I meant.

He brushed it off with a wave of his hand. “It’s fine. Most of my work is Zoom appointments anyway, and I’ve got a few kids who need me to check in.”

My chest tightened. Of course he was worried about them. Kids who depended on him, probably more than I realized. I wanted to ask if any of them had mentioned the things Bianca had told me, but I couldn’t. Not without breaking my promise to her.

“I get it,” I said, forcing a smile. “They’re lucky to have you.”

“And you’re lucky to have me,” he shot back with a grin.

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help smiling. “You’re not wrong. But I should probably get going.”

“Peaches, you don’t have to?—”

I cut him off, shaking my head. “I need to, Dante. I need to handle this. I can’t just hide here with you, as tempting as that is.”

His frown deepened, and I reached out, placing a hand on his chest. “You’ve been amazing. But I need to prove to myself that I can get through this. That Kage doesn’t define me.”

He sighed, his shoulders relaxing just a little. “Okay. But call me. Check in.”

“Of course,” I promised.

He called me an Uber, making sure I was safely inside before telling the driver to take care of me like his life depended on it. Typical Dante.

As the car pulled away, I glanced back at him standing in the driveway. It would’ve been so easy to run back to him. But I didn’t. Because this was my mess to clean up, and I wasn’t going to let anyone else carry the weight for me.

The Uber wound its way up the mountain road, the tires crunching against the gravel. Trees with blood-red leaves loomed over us, casting eerie shadows. Even in the daylight, the landscape was both beautiful and unsettling, reflecting the turmoil within me.

As the car ascended the twisting path, I couldn’t help but think of the last time I’d been on a road like this, driving the Bugatti at full speed up to the lookout with Officer Davis chasing us. The memory was still vivid: the roar of the engine, the sheer terror as Davis’s patrol car bumped us, the sickening relief when he flew off the cliff right before we hurtled toward the same fate. But we’d been lucky.

I wondered if Davis had a family, friends who mourned him. Who had he really been working for? It wasn’t Silas; Silas was dead. Someone else was behind all this—Ava’s murder, maybe even the missing college students.

The questions swirled in my mind, a dark cloud with no silver lining.

The Uber pulled up to the chateau, and I was hit with a fresh wave of sadness. This was the place where I’d lived with Kage. The stone facade, the ivy climbing up the walls, the grand entrance—it all seemed to mock me now. Kage was still in the hospital and for the briefest moment, I felt the need to call the hospital and check how he was doing. But that was stupid. According to Dante, Callum had said Kage was improving.

I had to move out of the chateau before he got back.

But where would I go? The thought of crashing in Bianca’s dorm room crossed my mind.

It wasn’t ideal, but it was a start.

I got out of the car, my feet dragging as I walked up the steps. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of cedar and faint traces of cologne—Kage’s scent. It seemed so weird, being back here, where we both lived, where we’d fucked, where I’d told him I loved him.

I stood still, waiting for any sound that would indicate anyone was in the house with me, but I heard nothing. The living room was empty, but a video game was paused on the TV. Ty’s doing. It looked like he had just stepped out. A new pang of hurt hit me. Despite our past and how he’d treated me when he’d arrived at CU, Ty had helped save me from Silas, his brother, and Davis. I thought that was the night of a new beginning for us. A beginning that could start with being friends. Yet Ty hadn’t reached out to me while I was gone. Even if Dante hadn’t clued him in on what was happening, and I doubted that was true, shouldn’t he have come looking for me? Hadn’t he been worried?

Apparently not. He’d been hanging out playing video games as if everything was right with his world.

I pushed the thoughts aside and despite wanting to go to my room, climb into bed and cover myself in blankets, I took Bianca’s words the other day to heart. I started searching the chateau. I needed to know if there were any hidden mics or cameras. I checked every room, including Kage’s and Ty’s, relieved that I didn’t see any sign of drugs in Ty’s bedroom. I checked every corner, every crevice. It took hours, and I found nothing.

Maybe Bianca was just being paranoid.

By that point, I was hungry. I headed back downstairs and made my way to the kitchen, grabbing some yogurt and fruit. Like I’d told Dante, I needed to start moving on with a life without Kage, and since Dante wasn’t here to make me soup, sandwiches or spaghetti, I needed to feed myself. Unfortunately, I picked at my yogurt listlessly, my mind too tangled to care about eating. The longer I sat there, the more my hurt and shock began to fade and the more my anger began to build.

I remembered every fucking thing Kage had done and said to draw me in. To make me believe I was special to him, and soon I was seething. I wanted to go to the hospital. To confront and scream at him. Only the thought that he wouldn’t be alone—that he’d be with his family or worse, that Daniella would still be with him—stopped me.

The front door creaked open, and I tensed. I put down my spoon and waited as footsteps echoed in the hallway, growing louder. I forced myself to breathe, to stay calm, but my nerves were on edge.

Suddenly, Ty walked in.