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[Mrs. Gardner, are you sure you want to hire our team to stage a fire and fake your death in ten days?]
Camellia Shaw paused for a moment. Just as she was about to reply to the message, a video call suddenly popped up.
"Camellia, look! Andres is spending a fortune on you again!"
The video was of an auction in progress.
At the front, a man of striking elegance and charm was decisively bidding on several antique collectibles worth hundreds of millions.
The crowd was already abuzz with excitement.
"Mr. Gardner is so good to his wife! He bought all these antiques just to make her smile!"
"$400 million is nothing! I heard Mr. Gardner even built her a private estate and named it Eterna Haven. Just the name alone is proof of how much he loves her."
A wealthy businessman nearby sneered. "It's all for show. Who knows what he's really like behind closed doors?"
That comment immediately sparked a wave of backlash. Many argued back, talking about how devoted Andres Gardner was to his wife.
"If anyone in our circle could make me believe in love, it would be those two."
"Mr. Gardner had risen to fame as a genius young painter, but it was his masterpiece, 'Beyond the Ordinary,' that made him a household name.
"He once said his wife was his muse and source of inspiration. You can see his affection for her in every stroke and in every shadow of his paintings."
As she listened to their murmurs, Camellia forced a bitter smile.
She and Andres had entered an arranged marriage to merge their powerful families, meeting for the first time at the county clerk's office.
Her family had never given her much love, so she assumed her marriage would be just as emotionless. However, Andres unexpectedly showered her with a special kind of affection.
He remembered her peanut allergy and lactose intolerance, and he always prepared exquisite, expensive gifts for her birthday.
Her heart softened over time. She even took him to visit her late mother's grave.
Andres had solemnly vowed in front of the gravestone, "Mom, I swear that if I ever betray Cam, may I lose the one I love the most."
Camellia laughed bitterly to herself.
When did things start to change?
Perhaps it was when she learned about his first love, who had passed away long ago, and found out he had taken in her younger sister to care for her.
Maybe it was the day Valentina Dawson returned from abroad, throwing herself into his arms with a familiar intimacy he did not even try to refuse.
Perhaps it was the faint lipstick stains on his shirt and the barely visible bite marks on his collarbone...
That was when Camellia could no longer lie to herself.
"Mr. Gardner, can you tell us if these are birthday gifts for Mrs. Gardner?"
The question from the video snapped her back to the present.
Andres' clear and steady voice rang out from the phone, "No, these are just small trinkets. I've prepared something far better for her birthday."
This response drew envious gasps from the wealthy socialites watching.
As Camellia prepared to end the call, she caught fragments of teasing voices in the background.
"Andres, are you really planning to throw a grand wedding for Camellia in ten days?"
"Of course. Anything to do with Camellia is a top priority. Make sure it's perfect!"
"Understood. Soā¦ should we invite her to Val's celebration tomorrow night?"
"No need. Don't let her find out."
After that, Camellia could not hear anything else that Andres said.
She hung up the call, staring at the message asking for her final decision. Slowly but firmly, she typed out her reply.
[I'm sure.]
Chapter 2
Not long after, Andres rushed home, looking travel-worn.
Camellia wobbled slightly when she stood upāperhaps because she had not eaten all dayābut Andres firmly caught her.
"You didn't eat properly again today, did you?" he asked, his eyes full of concern as he gently scooped her into his arms.
As they drew close, the sweet, cloying scent of fruit filled the air.
Camellia never used perfume, so it was obvious who the scent belonged to.
"What are you thinking, baby?" Andres teased while tapping her nose affectionately.
Camellia's sharp eyes caught a faint red lipstick stain on his finger.
On the second day of their marriage, Andres had secretly tattooed a camellia on his ring finger.
He had told her that the ring finger had a blood vessel that led directly to the heart. This was a symbol of their shared bond and how she would always be connected to his heart, but that spot now bore a mark that did not belong to her.
A dull pain rose in her chest. It was heavy and piercing, like a sharp blade chiseling away bit by bit.
"Are you starving yourself so much you've lost your braincells?" Andres joked, kissing her forehead lightly before asking Eva Longford to serve the food that had been kept warm for dinner.
Andres used to cook for her himself every day. However, some time into their marriage, his work grew busier, and the task naturally passed to the housekeeper.
"Let me join you for dinner, okay? Skipping meals can really mess up your stomach," he said while carefully setting her down on a dining chair and placing the utensils by her hand.
Then, he washed his hands and began peeling apples for her.
"Okay," Camellia murmured, swallowing the bitterness in her heart and eating the food he placed on her plate in small bites.
They had not been eating for long when Andres' phone began ringing incessantly.
He glanced at the caller ID and frowned slightly before wiping his hands and stepping aside to take the call.
When he returned, his expression was frantic.
"Cam, something came up at the studio. I have to go handle it. Don't wait up for me tonight. You should go to bed early."
He grabbed the antiques he had bought earlier. He promised to get her something even better another day and left in a rush.
Once the meal was completely cold, Camellia finally stood up and went upstairs.
As soon as she lay down, she scrolled through Valentina's latest post on social media.
[I only had a low fever, but my boyfriend insisted on taking care of me. He even made me a table full of delicious food. Do you know how special a meal made for you by a loved one is?]
The accompanying picture showed a close-up of a man in an apron cutting vegetables.
As a rising name in the art world, Valentina had tens of thousands of followers on her account. The post caused a stir among her fans.
[So this is the senior of hers with a nine-figure insurance policy on his right hand that Val mentioned!]
[Where can I find a man like this? Can the government issue one to everyone, please?]
Camellia stared at the hands in the photo and thought of Andres' promises. Her heart felt like it was being torn apart, leaving it shattered and unrecognizable.
[That's nothing! Our Mr. Gardner is the gold standard for a devoted husband!]
Someone had uploaded a video of the auction from earlier that day, and the buzz quickly overtook Valentina's post.
[Damn, he really spoils his wife! $400 million! That's enough to buy my entire life hundreds of times over!]
[Oh my God! Has anyone not been overwhelmed by Mr. Gardner's love for his wife yet? When his wife had a car accident and was scared, he risked his life to make sure he was the first person she saw when she woke up!]
[Mr. Gardner is like a saint in our elite circle. He still wears the rosary beads Camellia gave him, perfectly polished from years of use. He never takes them off!]
Valentina's fans went quiet under the video. Compared to Andres' public displays of devotion, a single meal could not measure up. However, a newly-registered user suddenly posted three photos.
One showed the transfer of ownership for an Aurelia winery, another depicted a necklace worth $200 million called āThe Heart of the Oceanā, and the last featured Valentina holding car keys while sitting on the hood of a Ferrari.
The user captioned it: [If someone else has it, our Val can't be without it.]
Fans exploded in praise, calling her senior powerful and declaring him on par with Andres.
Just then, a text message from an unsaved number came through to Camellia's phone.
"You absolutely can't miss the celebration my senior is throwing for me tomorrow night!"
Though she did not say anything, Camellia could almost hear Valentina's smugness.
The message ended with the address of the venue.
742, Ocean Middle Road, Camellia Street.
It was the restaurant where Camellia and Andres had their first meal together. He had promised her it would always remain closed to the public, so it would belong only to the two of them.
Camellia stared at the address until her eyes stung. Her hand slipped, and the phone dropped onto her face.
The sharp pain from the impact pushed her over the edge, and the tears she had been holding back spilled silently into the darkness.
Chapter 3
Andres did not return home all night. Camellia ended up sitting alone in the empty living room, waiting from early morning until noon.
Her phone buzzed with a social media notification. [Renowned artist Andres Gardner stands in support of his junior. What a deep camaraderie between peers!]
Camellia let out a bitter laugh. Of course he did.
She stopped waiting and went alone to visit her mother's grave. She bought a bouquet of lisianthus on her way over.
At the cemetery, she carefully cleaned her mother's tombstone, placed the flowers in front of it, and leaned gently against the stone. It was as if she was trying to feel the warmth of her mother's embrace.
Andres returned home late at night. Just as he was about to ask why Camellia had not gone to bed yet, he noticed a bundle of lisianthus peeking out of her bag.
It suddenly hit him that today was her mother's death anniversary. Panic flashed across his face.
"Baby, I'm so sorry. I've been so busy today that I completely forgot. It's all my fault," he stammered, cupping her face and instinctively stroking the beauty mark at the corner of her eye.
Camellia noticed the faint trace of a lipstick mark on his hairline just behind his ear.
She gently pushed him away, her voice calm as she said, "It's fine."
Trying to ease the tension, Andres suggested, "How about we have an artist paint a portrait of us tomorrow? Once it's done, we can take a photo with it and place it at your mother's grave to give her peace of mind."
Camellia wanted to refuse, but Andres was insistent, so she reluctantly agreed.
The next morning at ten, the artist he had arranged for arrived. "Nice to meet you, Cam. I'm Valentina Dawson, Andres'ā¦ junior."
Seeing Valentina, Andres' face betrayed a flicker of unease. Clearly, she was not the artist he had called.
"Mr. Wilson had something come up, so I'm filling in for him," Valentina explained, her gaze sweeping over Camellia with a faint, inscrutable smile.
"Has anyone ever told you that you look a lot like my sister, Cam?" she asked.
"My sister had a beauty mark in the exact same spot as yours. The only difference is that hers was real, while yoursā¦ is drawn on."
The room fell silent. Andres' expression darkened as he snapped, "Val, that's enough.
"No one is more important to me than Camellia," he said firmly.
Valentina blinked in surprise, then playfully stuck out her tongue at him. "Alright. I was just joking."
She hooked one arm around Camellia's and led her toward the studio. With her other hand, she reached behind, tracing lazy circles on Andres' palm. Her gaze was sultry and inviting.
"Andres, you're standing all wrong," she complained moments after starting the painting.
Setting her brush down, she stood up and walked over to him.
She caressed his face with one hand while the other trailed down his chest. Her fingers brushed over his Adam's apple, then came to rest on his shoulder.
Leaning in close, she breathed warm air into his ear. "Why so tense, Andres?"
His eyes darkened instantly.
Camellia caught a glimpse of their interaction from the corner of her eye. Pain stabbed through her chest, and she forced herself to look away.
Barely a few minutes later, Valentina suggested that Camellia's pose was not intimate enough.
"Let me show you how it's done, Cam," she said with a sly smile.
She pushed Camellia aside and tugged Andres forward by his tie. Her full figure pressed against his chest as her thumb brushed deliberately over the corner of his lips. Finally, she left a bold kiss on his mouth.
Turning to Camellia, she tilted her head with a brazen expression. "Do you get it now, Cam?"
When he saw Camellia's reaction, Andres quickly explained, "In the art world, we're a bit moreā¦ uninhibited."
Camellia said nothing, merely clenching her trembling hands to keep herself composed. She excused herself to the bathroom, needing to escape.
When she returned, muffled sounds from inside the room made her stop in her tracks.
"Andres, noā¦ You're going to ruin me," a woman's voice purred breathlessly.
As she peeked inside, Camellia saw Valentina with one leg wrapped around Andres' lean waist. Her back was pressed against the windowsill, and she was moving in rhythm with him.
Andres' eyes burned with passion as he kissed her fiercely.
"You came all the way to my house! Wasn't this what you wanted?" he growled.
Chapter 4
Camellia collapsed at the doorway of the studio, tears streaming down her face.
She thought she was strong enough to endure anything, but witnessing this scene shattered her heart.
She did not know how much time passed before she heard the rustling sound of clothes being put on from inside the room.
Andres came to the bathroom looking for her and froze when he saw her red, swollen eyes.
"Baby, why are you crying?" he asked.
Camellia shook her head. "It's nothing. I accidentally got soap in my eyes."
He let out a sigh of relief and playfully pinched her cheek. "You're still such a little troublemaker," he teased.
When the painting was nearly finished, Andres was called away by his agent. With him gone, Valentina dropped the act entirely.
"I know you saw it, Cam. Well, what can you do about it? Andres seems to love me more than you."
She unbuttoned her shirt, revealing bruises on her skin.
"When's the last time you were with him? Was it as passionate as just now? Can you even satisfy him?"
Valentina stepped closer, her gaze condescending.
She seemed to relish the idea of seeing Camellia break down, and she looked was expecting pain or hysteria. However, Camellia's expression remained calm and even unreadable.
Underneath, her heart was shattered into countless pieces, leaving her barely able to breathe.
After Valentina left, Camellia wandered aimlessly back to the studio. She suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to look at the paintings.
Without turning on the light, she stumbled up to the third floor. She ended up twisting her ankle in the dark.
Even so, the sharp pain from her ankle was nothing compared to the ache in her heart.
Every painting that was celebrated by the public as symbols of her and Andreās āperfect loveā now stared back at her. Each prominently featured the beauty mark that now felt like a mocking lie.
Camellia pulled a craft knife from the penholder and slashed through the beauty marks in each painting one by one.
With every cut, she severed another piece of the beautiful memories she once shared with Andres.
When Andres returned home, Camellia had already freshened up and was lying in bed, ready to sleep.
He barged into the bedroom, carrying a keyboard from his study in one hand and takeout from her favorite restaurant in the other.
Without hesitation, he dropped the keyboard onto the floor, knelt on it, and faced her.
"Honey, I know what happened today upset you. I've already reprimanded Val," he said earnestly.
"I only think of her as a younger sister. She's still immature and doesn't know any better. As for her sisterā¦ That ended a long time ago. Besides, she's not even here anymore.
"If you don't like it, I swear I won't see her again. But no matter how angry you are, please don't ruin your health by skipping mealsā¦"
The man who had been utterly consumed with Valentina earlier that day was now kneeling humbly before her, his tone desperate and full of affection. It was as if he could not live without her.
For a moment, Camellia could not tell which version of Andres was real.
If he loved her so much, how could he forget the vows he once made?
If he loved her so much, why did he betray her?
As Andres passed a dish toward her, he accidentally creased a page in the book lying on the bedside table.
Camellia glanced over, and he casually smoothed it out and closed the book.
"I fixed it. Now, eat," he said with a smile.
The familiar aroma of the dish wafted from the bowl. Camellia took a few bites before saying, "But once a page is creased, it can never be perfectly smooth again."
Andres, who was already sensitive about the day, tensed at her words. He knew it carried a deeper meaning.
"Then I'll buy a new book. It'll be as good as new," he said, his bright eyes fixed on her. It was like his entire world revolved around her.
"I'd pluck the stars from the sky for you if you asked."
Camellia stayed silent, swallowing the words she wanted to say.
Even if he had bought a new one, it would only be a replacementāit would no longer be the same book.
She understood this truth, and he should have understood it even more.
The two spent the night in silence.
Over the next few days, perhaps out of guilt, Andres canceled all his work and stayed glued to Camellia's side.
One day, he accompanied her to restore artifacts, buying a few antique treasures worth millions.
The next day, he took her shopping and bought her an entire collection of the season's limited-edition items.
The day after, he somehow got his hands on a pink Rolls-Royce Cullinan, parking it dramatically at the entrance of Eterna Haven in the city center as a grand gesture of love.
This display led to a wave of online ridicule, with netizens mocking Andres' for being wrapped around his wifeās finger.
Andres posted a self-deprecating tweet with a picture of himself kneeling on a keyboard.
[I made my wife mad. How do I fix this if nothing works?]
Only then did people realize Andres' predicament, with many pleading for Camellia to forgive him.
With two days left until Camellia's birthday, she still had things to take care of. Seeing Andres' desperate efforts, she decided to go along with it and let the matter drop.
Andres was overjoyed, lifting her in his arms and spinning her around several times.
"Baby, I love you more than anything in this life! Youāre my only love!"
On the way to dinner, Andres received several phone calls. The number flashing on the screen was one Camellia knew wellāValentina's.
He declined the calls four times before finally receiving a message. When he opened it, a single glance made his expression falter.
"Baby, my agent says there's an issue with the new painting contract. I need to handle it right away," Andres said apologetically.
Camellia did not call out his lie and let him leave. She then bought a baseball cap and mask from a roadside shop and hailed a car to follow him.
She trailed him into a mall and all the way to her once-favorite bridal boutique.
The dressing room curtain opened, and there stood Valentina, radiant in the wedding dress Camellia had loved most.
"Do I look beautiful, Andres?" Valentina asked.
She reached out, her hand sliding from Andres' shoulder, tracing his Adam's apple, and stopping just shy of his lips in a teasing caress.
Andres' eyes darkened. He cupped her face and kissed her deeply. Both of them were breathless by the time they pulled apart.
Valentina curled into Andres' chest, tracing lazy circles on it with her finger.
"Andres, if Cam finds out I wore this dress first, she'll probably lose it," she murmured.
Andres' breathing grew heavier as he pulled her into the dressing room and drew the curtain shut.
"She won't know. I owe you a wedding, and it's my fault you've been wronged," he replied. "Today, you're my most beautiful bride."
With those words, the sound of running water filled the dressing room, accompanied by intimate whispers.
Chapter 5
Camellia stood in a distant corner, watching through the gap in the dressing room curtains as Valentina and Andresā entwined figures moved. Her heart twisted in unbearable pain.
Her stomach churned violently, and she could not suppress the urge to dry heave. Her entire body was now convulsing uncontrollably.
Tears streamed down her face, draining all her strength. She collapsed onto the floor, feeling utterly spent.
As she turned to leave, she did not get to see the satisfied smile on Valentina's face inside the dressing room.
Back home, the oppressive silence was suffocating.
Camellia turned on the television, flipping to a random channel. It was broadcasting a segment on Andres' latest art exhibition.
The painting featured a girl in a bright yellow dress running freely through a field. The commentators remarked on how drastically different this piece was from Andres' earlier works.
It no longer exuded a soft, reserved gentleness but instead brimmed with vitality and energy.
Though the girl's face was not visible, her back displayed the painter's tenderness and love for her.
One critic observed sharply, "Even the strands of her flying hair are perfect, like the wind itself favors her."
Online, viewers joked about Andres' newfound spark, saying his marriage with Camellia must have entered a second spring.
Only Camellia knew the truth. That was not her. It was Valentina, or perhaps it was Nelina Dawson, the woman from his dreams.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to suppress the ache in her chest and called her best friend, Penelope Hall.
While waiting for Penelope's arrival, Camellia began sorting through the gifts Andres had given her over the years.
In the first year of their marriage, he noticed her concerns and gave her a diamond bangle.
"I've locked you in for this lifetime. You belong to me now, so don't even think about leaving," he had said.
In their second year, he noticed how much she missed her mother and folded her a jar of wishing stars.
"When you miss your mom, open one. No matter where I am or what time it is, I'll come back to make your wish come true. This life might be long, but I'll always be here with you."
Camellia began unwrapping the stars one by one.
[Plant a little tree.]
[Adopt a corgi.]
[Grow old together.]
ā¦
She picked up her phone, snapped a picture of one of the stars, and sent it to Andres. Her phone screen remained dark. There was no response from him.
Half an hour later, a package arrived. It was the painting Valentina had made for them that day.
However, instead of depicting the two of them sitting side by side, the image showed two entangled figures of Andres and Valentina in bed.
Something cold slid down Camellia's cheek. She raised her hand to wipe it away and realized her face was already soaked with tears.
In a daze, she placed the painting with all of Andres' other works in the studio.
Then, she gathered every gift he had ever given her into a box, carried it into the yard, and set it ablaze.
Later, Penelope would recall the moment she saw Camellia that day. She felt as if Camellia was on the verge of breaking into pieces.
Penelope walked over and held her close without saying a word, letting Camellia lean on her silently.
After a long while, once Camellia calmed down, she made another request.
"Help me arrange a funeral. But Andres must not attend it. Only then, reveal the truth about my 'death' to him."
Camellia handed Penelope an envelope containing evidence of Valentina's relentless provocations over the past few months.
Penelope glanced through it and nodded firmly while suppressing her anger.
Once everything was set, it was already late at night.
That day, Andres quietly slipped into the house at 2 a.m.
Seeing Camellia still awake did not surprise him. He approached her like a child with a prize, his eyes brimming with excitement.
"I knew you'd still be up. I was too busy earlier to check my messages, but lookāI'm here to make your wish come true!"
He moved the small tea table by the window to the bed, fetched two bowls, and divided the seafood boil he had brought home into portions.
The wish on the paper star Camellia had sent to Andres earlier in the day was to eat her favorite food with him.
For some reason, Camellia's mind wandered back to the first time they went to that seafood restaurant together.
It might have been Andres' first time eating at a small roadside restaurant.
Before eating, he had wiped the oily table repeatedly with napkins and was clearly uncomfortable. However, he smiled at her with mock innocence when she looked his way, almost playfully.
"Cam, feed me," he had said. "I'll try anything if it makes you happy."
"Andres." Camellia fixed her gaze on his face. "If you could do it all over again, would you still choose this?"
Andres did not think much of her question and assumed she was feeling insecure again. He gently stroked her dark hair and answered with certainty.
"I would. I'd make the same choices every time.
"I'd love you, spoil you, and stay devoted to you for the rest of my life."
Chapter 6
The following day, Andres did not leave the house early like he usually did.
He squeezed toothpaste onto Camellia's toothbrush and stood by, watching as she finished washing her face.
"It's extremely windy today. We can't let it ruin my baby's delicate little face," he said with playful affection.
Then, he told her he had a big surprise planned for the next day with an air of mystery.
Before he could finish explaining, Cohen Palmer called a few times, saying there was an issue he could not resolve and needed Andres to come immediately.
Andres gave Camellia an apologetic glance, and when she reassured him that she understood, he left.
Once he was gone, Camellia contacted the team she had hired to confirm every detail for the next day. Then, she drove to Eterna Haven.
She had not visited in several days, and everything felt unfamiliar. She called the Saltsburg Museum, and the curator arrived in person an hour later.
"Cam, are you sure you want to donate all of this to the country for free?"
The curator, Felix Cross, was a fellow apprentice of her mentor.
Camellia nodded without hesitation.
"You can tell me if you're facing any difficulties. Don't try to handle it all on your own," he said with concern.
Camellia remained silent, her gaze fixed on the goddess statue in the center of the room.
With its head bowed and its elegant, serene posture, the statue seemed to smile compassionately. Covered in moss and denied the light of day, it exuded a quiet sorrow toward the world.
Camellia was leaving, but these artifacts should not be buried with her.
"It's nothing, Felix. Don't worry about me," she said softly.
Seeing her unwillingness to elaborate, Felix did not press further. After instructing his assistants to carefully transport the artifacts, he patted her shoulder before leaving.
"Take care of yourself," he said as he departed.
Once again, she was alone. The once vibrant Eterna Haven now felt hollow and empty.
Her phone buzzed with a notification. It was about Valentina's online book signing event for her new illustration collection.
The clickbaity title read: [The Beautiful Artist Who Once Had a Miscarriage for Love.]
Camellia's fingers moved almost involuntarily to click on the link.
The video cut to Valentina showing a scar on her abdomen.
"Back then, he said I was too young, and the pregnancy was on the risky side. Out of concern for me, he stayed by my side for the procedure," Valentina said with a blissful expression.
"It must have been about three years ago when he went to Faren to further his studiesā¦
"He even picked out a name for our lost babyāCale. He said he hoped she'd return to us one day and live a life full of brilliance and lightā¦"
Camellia's phone slipped from her grasp, crashing to the floor. The screen shattered, forming a spider web of cracks.
Cale?
That was the nickname Andres had given their child after their first night together. He had held her tenderly afterward, murmuring the name as if it were a promise.
Him and Valentinaā¦ had a childā¦
Not to mention that it was three years ago. It had not just been going on for the past three months. Andres had lied to her for three entire years.
Suddenly, Valentina was pulled into the frame as someone's arm draped around her shoulders.
The sound of kissing filled the audio feed. When she reappeared on screen, her lips were swollen, and her cheeks were flushed pink.
She giggled, saying her boyfriend was jealous and insisted they should āwork harderā to bring Cale back soon.
Her fans erupted in excitement, flooding the chat with playful teasing, though their blessings were genuine. The illustration book sold well, as though it was part of their celebratory gift.
Camellia did not know when the signing event ended. The last rays of sunlight disappeared from the room, leaving behind a suffocating darkness.
It felt like a giant beast was ready to devour her. She simply sat motionless in her chair with the lights off.
Suddenly, her phone screen lit up and became blindingly bright. It was a video message from Valentina, accompanied by a single line.
"I told you I'd have you under my feet one day."
The video showed two intertwined, bare legs.
Camellia was about to delete it when something caught her eyeāthe rosary beads she had once given Andres. She had it blessed for him, but now they were wrapped around Valentina's ankle.
The beads that were slightly large for her looped around her ankle twice. The excess length dangled, with a few beads pressed under Valentina's toe.
"They're just rosary beads. If you want them, they're yours," Andres' voice in the video sounded indifferent and dismissive.
Camellia's mind flashed back to the day Andres received the beads.
"Cam, I'll always keep these with me, even in death," he had promised.
The color drained from Camellia's face. She wanted to cry and let out all the pain, but no tears came.
The light in her eyes had faded completely.
Late at night, as the world slept, no one noticed when Eterna Haven went up in roaring flames.
Andres was up early the next morning, preparing for the day.
He had just arrived at Quaint Hotel and finished tidying up when Cohen burst in, pale and clutching at his phone.
"Andres! Something terrible has happened!"
Before Cohen could continue, Andres' phone rang. He held up a finger to silence him and answered the call.
As he listened, his gaze shifted to Cohen's phone, where an image stopped him cold.
The once-familiar pink Cullinan was now charred black, surrounded by the smoldering remains of Eterna Haven. Smoke billowed from the scene, and a stretcher held a body covered by a white sheet nearby.
The voice on the phone interrupted his thoughts.
"Hello, is this Mr. Andres Gardner? This is the Saltsburg Police Department. We regret to inform you of a tragic incident.
"The property under your wife's name, Eterna Haven, caught fire last night. Unfortunately, your wife did not survive. Our condolences."
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