Camilla shut her bedroom door, silencing the noise of Katie’s birthday celebration echoing from downstairs. She leaned against it, exhaling deeply. Her decision was final—she would go through with the arranged marriage to the mafia boss, no matter how ruthless or ugly he might be. Staying here felt impossible now.
Katie’s arrival had only made things worse. Once, this place had felt like home, and Jackson and Ridge had been her closest allies. Now, she was nothing more than a shadow in their lives, cast aside the moment Katie had stepped in. The thought stung, but Camilla refused to let herself dwell on it any longer.
She crossed the room, pulled out her suitcase, and began packing her belongings. One item after another disappeared into the bag—clothes, a few personal mementos, and the pieces of her old life she could still stand to look at. If she was leaving, she’d make sure it was for good.
As she zipped up her bag, her phone buzzed on the nightstand. She hesitated before picking it up. The message was from Katie: “Look at us. We’re so happy.”
Attached was a photo of Katie smiling between Jackson and Ridge, their arms draped around her like she belonged there. She stared at the screen, her chest tightening with a mix of anger and hurt.
A second message followed almost immediately: “Oops, wrong person. Don’t mind it! But wish you were here with us!”
Camilla scoffed, tossing the phone aside. Wrong person? Katie’s smugness was obvious. Camilla clenched her jaw, trying to swallow the bitterness creeping up her throat. But something compelled her to open Katie’s social feed.
The images there made her even more hurt. Katie flaunted gifts from Jackson and Ridge. Jackson had given her a sleek silk dress, and Ridge a bracelet inlaid with gold and diamonds—bearing the group’s symbol, something only insiders ever received. Camilla stared at the photos, unable to stop herself. They laughed with Katie, surrounded her, doted on her.
Her childhood friends weren’t hers anymore. She’d been replaced completely, and for the first time, she truly felt it. It wasn’t anger she felt as much as an overwhelming sadness.
The next morning, after wrapping up her training and duties, Camilla returned to her room, the weight of the previous night still pressing on her. Her decision to leave was final, and there was no room for hesitation. As she resumed packing, she opened a drawer she had ignored for years. Inside were old photos and letters—remnants of her childhood with Jackson and Ridge.
She stared at them for a moment, memories flickering like a reel of bittersweet moments. But those days were gone, buried under betrayal and distance. She gathered the stack, walked out to the garden, and struck a match. The flames flickered to life, quickly devouring the pieces of her past.
The heat was still warm on her skin when Jackson’s voice cut through the silence. “What the hell are you doing?”
Camilla glanced up to see him and Ridge standing a few feet away, their expressions a mix of shock and anger.
“Burning old things,” she said simply, tossing the last letter into the fire.
Jackson’s jaw tightened. “Old things? What do you mean? You’re burning our photos, our letters!”
Camilla let out a short, bitter laugh, shaking her head. “Exactly. Old things.”
Ridge stepped forward, his brows furrowed in confusion. “Camilla, why?”
She met their eyes, her voice steady but distant. “Because it’s time to let go.”
For a moment, her gaze flicked to the flames, and a memory surfaced—one she hadn’t allowed herself to revisit in years. She could still see the three of them as children, sitting under the old oak tree behind the family’s estate. Their laughter had echoed in the summer air as they made a promise, one sealed with clasped hands and naive determination.
“No secrets,” Jackson had said, his voice full of boyish confidence.
“No one will ever come between us,” Ridge added, grinning as if their words were absolute truth.
Camilla had nodded eagerly, her heart filled with trust and certainty. “We’ll always be together.”
But that promise belonged to another lifetime. Now, it felt like a cruel joke. The boys she had trusted with every part of herself were no longer the same. They were busy with Katie now, their loyalty shifted to someone who had effortlessly stepped into her place.
Her lips pressed into a thin line as she forced herself back to the present. That promise was as much ash as the photos curling in the fire.
Jackson’s voice broke through her thoughts, sharp and accusing. “This isn’t like you, Camilla. You don’t just throw people away.”
