Camila's hand froze an inch from the doorknob. She didn't turn around. The word "bet" held her in place, a physical anchor of dread.
Ashton sauntered out from behind Leo, relishing the power she held in this moment. She circled Camila, inspecting her like a piece of merchandise.
"Three years ago," Ashton began, her voice a soft, conspiratorial whisper that carried the most vicious poison, "I had just gotten back from Europe. At a party, all my friends were saying how Leo had become completely mesmerized by some boring little orphan with nothing but a pretty face."
Camila's gaze flickered to Leo. He stood frozen, his face pale and tight, but he said nothing. His silence was an admission.
A fresh sting of pain. So that's all she was to them. A boring orphan.
"So, we made a bet," Ashton continued, enjoying herself. "I bet that I could have Leo back at my side within a month. And the stakes..." She paused for dramatic effect.
She leaned in close, her lips brushing against Camila's ear, her voice dropping to a near-inaudible murmur. "...were the thing you cherished most."
Camila's mind roared. One month. Three years ago. The thing I cherished most. Besides her relationship with Leo, it was her sight. The bizarre, hit-and-run accident had happened on the very last day of that one-month period.
She spun around, her hand shooting out to grab Ashton's wrist. Her grip was so tight that Ashton's face contorted in pain. "It was you! The car accident—you did it!"
"Let go!" Ashton shrieked, trying to wrench her arm free. "You're hurting me! What proof do you have? It's your own fault for not knowing your place, for clinging to a man who didn't want you! Stop throwing around wild accusations just because you lost!"
Leo's face went white. He rushed forward, trying to pull Camila's hand away. "Camila, calm down! Don't listen to her nonsense!"
Camila ignored him. Her eyes, burning with a terrifying intensity, darted from Ashton to Leo. Her voice was a raw, trembling whisper. "Is it true, Leo? Were you part of this bet?"
"No!" he denied it instantly. "I didn't know she would do something so extreme! I thought it was just a stupid game, a meaningless bet between you two. I never imagined she would take it this far!"
"A game?" A horrifying, broken laugh escaped Camila's lips. "A game that left me blind for three years? A game where the prize was my eyesight?"
Ashton, rubbing her reddened wrist, sneered. "Of course Leo didn't know the details. That would have spoiled the fun. But he certainly enjoyed playing along with me, didn't you, darling?" She shot Leo a seductive look.
Leo's face cycled through shades of green and white. He couldn't deny it. He had been drawn in by Ashton's wild, "exciting" personality, a stark contrast to his comfortable, "boring" life with Camila.
Seeing his reaction, Camila understood everything. The last piece of her shattered heart turned to dust. She released Ashton, stumbling back a step. She looked at the man before her, a man who now seemed like a complete and disgusting stranger.
"So," she said softly, as if to herself. "My entire five years were a joke. The man I loved was a coward who would gamble with my life for a cheap thrill."
The word "coward" struck a nerve, wounding Leo's fragile ego. "I'm not a coward!" he snarled, his shame turning to anger. "Camila, it's already happened! Why can't you just accept reality?"
"I admit, I wronged you. But Ashton and I are in love now. We're married. That's a fact. Making a scene won't change anything!"
Strangely, his words brought a wave of calm. The calm of absolute finality. There was nothing left to feel for him. No love, no hate. Just a vast, empty void.
She gave him one last look, her eyes as blank as a winter sky. Then she turned, her steps firm and resolute. There was no hesitation this time.
Her decisive departure sent a strange jolt of panic through Leo. This total lack of control was something he'd never felt with Camila before.
"Camila, where are you going?" he called out instinctively. "Your eyes just healed, you have no money! Where can you go? Your gambling addict of a father still owes a fortune. What will you do without me?"
His words were meant to be chains, reminding her of her dependence.
Camila didn't answer. She didn't even pause. His voice was just noise now, meaningless and distant.
She opened the door and stepped out, shutting the arguments, the betrayal, and the ugliness behind her.
The cool air of the hallway was a shock to her system, clearing some of the fog from her brain. She leaned against the cold wall, gasping for air as if she'd been holding her breath for years.
Her strength finally gave out. She slid down the wall to the floor, burying her face in her knees. The sobs came then, silent and wracking. She wasn't crying for a lost love. She was mourning five years of her life, wasted on a lie. She was mourning the eyes that had been the stake in a rich girl's cruel game.
In the middle of her silent grief, her phone vibrated.
She pulled it out. A new message from Ashton. It was a photo. Leo was kneeling, tenderly dabbing at a small cut on Ashton's foot, presumably from the broken glass.
The text beneath the photo read: Forgot to tell you, to make it up to me, Leo also used the money for your grandmother's kidney transplant...
