Divorce Him, Then Dazzle novel Chapter 37

Barbara was about to lose her mind.

She’d almost won over Lambert. One more step, and she’d finally marry into the Whites and become the lady of the house. Daniel was a distant relative of the Whites, and Camilla was her little sister. If everything went according to plan, their two families would be even closer.

But what if Daniel and Camilla actually got divorced? If Daniel started coming after her again, people would talk. The gossip would be brutal. And what if Lambert heard and misunderstood everything?

No way. She couldn’t let them split up.

Yet no matter what she said, Daniel wasn’t budging this time. He was stubborn in a way she’d never seen before.

Barbara sighed quietly, then tried to soothe him. “Listen, Daniel, I know none of this is easy. But honestly, both you and Camilla have been through so much. For my sake, couldn’t you just take care of her? At least try?”

Daniel hesitated, looking so lost she almost felt sorry for him.

He’d married Camilla on a whim, mostly because Barbara had pushed him to. But marriage is a big deal, not something you can keep alive on impulse and a sense of duty alone.

The truth was, he still had feelings for Barbara, not for Camilla. And after Camilla had been with another man, how was he supposed to accept her? The cheating was humiliating, even if, deep down, he knew he’d partly set things in motion himself.

Still, what else could he do at the time? Was he really supposed to stand up to the Gates family?

Now everyone was blaming him for everything. He didn’t love Camilla, and he was definitely not going to risk losing everything for her.

Daniel sat there in silence, struggling. Finally, he said, “Barbie, I know I messed up. I’ll take whatever punishment you want to give me, but I just can’t keep living with her. The one I love is you...”

Barbara rolled her eyes. She felt nothing but smugness about what had happened to Camilla, but hearing Daniel confess his feelings again just made her impatient. “Daniel, stop it,” Barbara said. “Don’t talk like that. You’re married to my sister—if you keep this up, I don’t even know how to deal with you.”

Daniel freaked out instantly. “Barbie, please, don’t ignore me.”

Barbara knew she had him wrapped around her finger.

Barbara admitted, “Yeah, he told me. Something this big happens, and you couldn’t pick up the phone and tell me yourself?”

“What would’ve changed if I had?”

Barbara pressed on. “Daniel did the wrong thing, I get it. I already gave him a lecture. But it was a mess, things happened so fast, he didn’t have a choice.”

Camilla’s voice was calm. “So he didn’t have a choice, and that makes it okay?”

Barbara tried a soothing tone. “Camilla, what’s done is done. There’s no point in dwelling on whose fault it was. Look, I know you’re hurt. But we don’t judge you, and you shouldn’t judge yourself either. I mean, sure, a woman’s reputation matters. Sometimes, after an experience like this, it can feel unbearable. But you have to look ahead, right?”

Camilla let out a low, bitter laugh.

Barbara always talked to her like this. It sounded like comfort, like she was looking out for her, but Camilla knew what was really underneath all those words. Every sentence was just another reminder of how little Barbara thought of her.