SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan) novel Chapter 222

Chapter 222

Camille sat in the small café near Kane Industries, stirring her coffee without drinking it. The morning sun streamed through the windows, casting warm patterns on the wooden tables where other customers read newspapers and checked their phones. Everything looked normal, peaceful even, but Camille felt like she was sitting in the eye of a storm that could explode into violence at any moment.

Alexander walked through the café door, and Camille's heart did something complicated in her chest. He looked tired, older than his years, but there was something different about his posture. The desperate edge that had consumed him for months was gone, replaced by a quieter sadness that somehow felt more honest.

"Thank you for meeting me," Alexander said, sliding into the chair across from her. "I wasn't sure you would come."

"I almost didn't," Camille admitted. "But we need to talk about what happens next."

Alexander nodded, understanding that she wasn't just talking about James Whitfield's threats or the security concerns that kept them all looking over their shoulders. She was talking about them - about whether anything could be salvaged from the wreckage of their marriage.

"How did the meeting with James go?" Camille asked.

"He's still out there. Still planning something." Alexander's jaw tightened with frustration. "I offered him a chance to surrender, to confess to Richard's murder and end this peacefully. He didn't take it."

Camille felt fear crawl up her spine. "So he's going to escalate."

"Probably. Victoria's security team is monitoring all his known locations, but James has had fifteen years to plan for this scenario. He won't be easy to find or stop."

They sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment, both thinking about the danger that lurked somewhere in the city. James Whitfield had murdered Richard Pierce and manipulated Alexander for months. There was no reason to believe he would show mercy to anyone who stood in his way now.

"Alexander," Camille said quietly, "I've been thinking about what you said yesterday. About wanting to make things right."

Alexander looked up from his untouched coffee cup, hope and fear warring in his expression. "And?"

"I meant what I said about forgiving you. I understand that you were manipulated, that James used your grief against you in ways you couldn't have anticipated." Camille chose her words carefully, knowing they carried the weight of both their futures. "But forgiveness doesn't automatically fix what was broken."

"I know," Alexander said. "I know our marriage might be over. I know I violated your trust in ways that might be impossible to repair."

Camille studied his face, seeing genuine acceptance of responsibility rather than the desperate bargaining she had expected. This wasn't the Alexander who had surveilled her conversations or attacked Stefan in jealous rage. This was someone who had been forced to confront the worst parts of himself and was trying to become better.

"I don't know if our marriage can be saved," Camille said honestly. "But I think... I think maybe we can try. Maybe we can learn to trust each other again and rebuild what we had."

Alexander felt his heart leap with unexpected hope. "Do you really mean that?"

"I mean I'm willing to try if you are. It won't be easy, and it won't be quick. But Alexander, I still love you." Camille's voice broke slightly on the admission. "Despite everything that's happened, despite the surveillance and the lies and the betrayal, I still love the man I married."

Alexander felt tears burning his eyes. "I love you too, Camille. I never stopped loving you, even when I was destroying everything we had built together."

"Then maybe we can work on our marriage. Maybe we can find our way back to each other." Camille reached across the table and took his hand properly this time, their fingers intertwining. "But it has to be different. It has to be built on complete honesty and trust."

Camille reached across the table and touched his hand briefly. The contact was warm, familiar, carrying echoes of the connection they had once shared.

"We'll have to take it slowly," she said. "I need time to learn how to trust you again. And you need time to prove that you've really changed, that you choose our marriage over anything else."

"I understand. But Camille, I need you to know something."

"What?"

Alexander looked into her eyes, seeing the woman he had fallen in love with and recognizing that he still felt exactly the same way about her.

"I love you more than I've ever loved anything in my life. I know I didn't show it these past months, I know I chose revenge over our marriage, but you are the most important thing in my world."

Camille felt tears streaming down her face at the raw honesty in his voice. "I love you too, Alexander. That's why this hurt so much. That's why I'm willing to try to rebuild what we had."

"When this is over, when James is stopped and we're all safe, I want to take you on a real honeymoon. One where I'm not planning revenge or carrying secrets or photographing your family." Alexander's voice was filled with hope and determination. "I want to show you that I can be the husband you deserved from the beginning."

Camille felt more tears falling as she heard the love and commitment in his voice. "I would like that very much."