Her voice trembled with fierce determination. “Pamela, you’re stronger than this pain. You don’t need to go through it alone. I’m here, and I’ll fight for you, for us, until you feel at home. I swear it.”
Pamela wiped her tears and whispered shakily, “You’ll never be my mother, and this manor will never be my home.”
The weight of her words crushed Camelia’s heart.
Pamela took a deep breath, her expression suddenly cold and distant, before she continued, “I just want to grow up, marry the first man who glances my way, and escape this place forever!”
CHAPTER 20
Ihave failed her.
Pamela’s words sliced through Raph like a blade to his carefully guarded heart. He stepped into the kitchen, his tall shadow falling across the flour-dusted table where Pamela stood, tears streaming down her face, her black curls trembling with her sobs.
Her eyes flicked up, catching his presence, and her expression shifted instantly, her anguish masked by the cool indifference he knew too well.
She learned that from me.
“Father,” she said flatly, her voice devoid of the emotion that had just spilled out.
She curtsied stiffly, her hands wiping aggressively at her tears as she hurried past him. The kitchen door swung shut behind her, emphasizing her departure.
Raph’s gaze turned to Camelia, who stood frozen by the table. Her muslin gown was dusted with flour, her eyes wide with shock and puffy from crying.
Even disheveled, she stirred something within him.
“Whathave you done, Camelia?” His voice was low and dangerous.
“I… I was only trying to help her.” Her face flushed, and he took a second to admire her.
“What did you say to make her speak like that?” He approached her slowly.
Camelia backed away from him like a deer caught by a hunter. A tear slid down her cheek, and her hands clutched at the apron tied around her waist.
“You disobeyed me… and hurt Pamela in the process!”
“Raph, I-I didn’t expect you here.” Her voice trembled slightly, still raw with emotions. “I’m truly sorry. I was just trying to reach her.”
“I warned you,” he said simply.
“Raph,” she breathed and held her head up in that defiant way he secretly admired. “A young girl should be in touch with her feelings, not locked away behind your rules. She’s hurting, and I only wanted to help.”
“And you truly believe that making her cry was helpful?” He arched an eyebrow at her, stepping closer until he towered over her.
Camelia let out a soft gasp when her back pressed against the edge of the table. “I didn’t mean to make her cry. Pamela’s so alone that she poured out her heart, and I listened. Isn’t that what she needs?”
“What she needs is structure, not chaos,” Raph retorted. “You’ve upset her and pushed her to say things she can’t take back. You think you know her better than I do?”
Camelia jutted her chin bravely, even though her voice trembled with fear. “I think she needs love, not just rules. She said you’re not her father, Raph. Why would she feel that way? Tell me, please, so I can help her.”
Old, deeply buried pain resurfaced, and he was almost tempted to tell her the truth.
The truth?
“You’ve done enough damage, Camelia,” he said instead. “You don’t get to question my relationship with her or my past.”
“I’m just trying tohelpyou. Pamela is breaking, piece by piece, every day, and you’re too busy with your schedules to see it. Why won’t you trust me? I’m your wife!”
“Trust a woman who cannot obey a simple rule?” Camelia flinched. “You barged into my life, defied my orders, and expect my trust? All after I warned you about the discipline you’ll receive.”
