Chapter 16: Camille, the Lifeline

"Don't pretend you're okay, Élise. I've known you too long to fall for that."

Camille's voice broke through the quiet hum of the small apartment, sharp as a scalpel yet warm like a sister's hug. She stood at the door holding a bottle of wine in one hand and a box of pastries in the other, eyes locked on Élise, who sat cross-legged on the sofa, staring blankly at her phone screen.

Élise didn't answer right away. Her fingers had long stopped scrolling. The screen displayed a news notification: "Victor Belmont spotted alone at corporate gala, Élise Delatour absent — again." That single line had stirred something complex in her — regret, relief, resentment… and a twinge of something she refused to name.

Camille walked in uninvited. She always did. But Élise had never been more grateful for her best friend's inability to take no for an answer.

"Red or white?" Camille asked, pulling two glasses from the cupboard without waiting for a reply.

"Surprise me," Élise murmured.

Camille sat beside her and poured the wine. "You need to stop torturing yourself."

"I'm not."

"Liar. You're sitting in your new freedom, scrolling through Victor's life like a woman checking on a wound that hasn't healed."

Élise looked away. "You make it sound so dramatic."

"It is dramatic," Camille said. "You just walked away from a man who's still the center of every social column, every headline, and probably still has your perfume on his pillow."

That last part hurt more than it should have.

**

Two days earlier…

Élise had attended her first job interview in years — not as Madame Belmont, but as Élise Delatour, woman rebuilding her life one step at a time. The HR manager, a warm woman named Sylvie, had smiled kindly when reviewing her resume.

"You were out of the workforce for... eight years?"

"Yes," Élise said with practiced calm. "Family obligations."

And wealth. So much of it that she hadn't had to lift a finger. But the money had come with invisible shackles.

Now, she didn't want luxury. She wanted agency.

But rejection still stung. The polite email had arrived that morning: "We've chosen to proceed with another candidate, but we admire your courage."

Courage. As if bravery was enough to pay rent.

**

Back in the present, Camille lit a candle. "Listen. You didn't leave Victor just for the sake of leaving. You did it to find you again."

"I know," Élise replied quietly. "But knowing doesn't make it easier."

Camille tilted her head. "What if I told you he came to see me yesterday?"

Élise's head snapped up. "What?"

"At my office. Out of the blue. Looking… different. Not the polished CEO. Just… a man. Scared. Angry. Desperate."

Élise's fingers tightened around her glass. "Why would he go to you?"

"Because he knows you trust me. And he doesn't. He wanted answers."

"What did you tell him?"

"That you're not his to claim anymore."

**

Meanwhile…

Victor Belmont stood in the penthouse he now found unbearably large. Every room echoed. Every surface was spotless and meaningless. He had lived his entire adult life mastering silence — but now, it howled at him.

On his desk lay a photo of Élise at a charity gala, years ago. Back then, he'd admired her grace. But he hadn't seen her. Not really.

He remembered Camille's words: "You treated her like glass, Victor. Beautiful, but breakable. What she needed was to be seen, not protected."

Now, she was gone — and he didn't know how to fight for her without turning the fight into another form of control.

**

Back in the apartment, Camille stood up.

"You need to remember why you left. Not why you loved him."

Élise smiled faintly. "You make it sound easy."

"It's not. But there's more than Victor out there. There's you. And soon…" Camille paused. "There might be someone else."

Élise's gaze faltered.

Camille's eyes softened. "You haven't told him yet, have you?"

Élise shook her head. "I can't. Not now. Not while everything's still broken."

Camille crouched down, placing a hand gently on her friend's knee. "Élise, that baby is real. And it's yours. Not Victor's. Not anyone else's. Don't let fear speak louder than your heart."

**

Later that night…

Élise walked to the window. The city blinked below — neon and chaos. Nothing like the marble peace of her former home.

Her hand drifted to her stomach. A tiny swell barely perceptible.

She hadn't said it out loud yet. Not even to herself.

"I'm going to be a mother."

The words felt like truth and terror all at once.

Her phone buzzed. A message.

From Victor.

I'm sorry.

Two words. No context. No demands.

She stared at the screen. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard… then retreated.

She wasn't ready.

**

The next morning…

Élise arrived early at the community art center, where Camille had helped her volunteer. Children's laughter echoed from the courtyard.

A boy named Kylian ran to her, hugging her waist.

"Miss Élise! You're back!"

She smiled. "Only for a few hours today."

"You're my favorite," he whispered. "You smile with your whole face."

It hit her like a wave. That this was life. That she was building something new — from scratch, but real.

Camille appeared at the door, waving a folder.

"Two more interviews lined up," she said, smiling. "One's looking for someone exactly like you."

"And what's that?" Élise asked.

"Resilient. Brave. Impossible to ignore."

**

But peace never lasts.

That night, as Élise prepared dinner — something simple and grounding — the intercom buzzed.

She froze.

Only Camille knew the code.

She approached, heart racing, and pressed the button.

"Who is it?"

Silence. Then:

"It's me."

Victor's voice.

Not commanding. Not arrogant.

Just… raw.

"Please," he added. "Don't hang up."

**

Élise stood motionless, her hand trembling near the intercom button. One heartbeat. Two. The silence thickened between them.

Then Camille's voice rang from the kitchen, unaware of what was unfolding.

"El, everything okay?"

Élise swallowed hard.

"I don't know," she whispered.

Her finger hovered over the release button, caught between the past she'd escaped… and a future she hadn't yet chosen.

Would she open the door — or open a wound?

Fade to black.

**

→ Chapter Summary:

Chapter 16 explores Élise's emotional turbulence in her newfound independence, Camille's role as a grounding force and confidante, and the slow revelation of her pregnancy. Victor's own emotional unraveling contrasts Élise's growth, culminating in an unexpected late-night confrontation that sets the stage for a pivotal turning point.

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