Divorce Him, Then Dazzle novel Chapter 38

Talk like that, about being looked down on or how life is suddenly unbearable, only made things worse for the person you were trying to comfort.

Maybe before, Camilla would’ve let herself get stuck in this pit of insecurity, taking everyone else’s words to heart. But now, she saw Barbara for who she really was. She wasn’t about to let herself be pushed around anymore.

“First off, this isn’t my fault. I’m not going to carry the blame for someone else’s mistakes. And let’s be clear, I’m the one who got hurt here. Daniel is the one who acted like a coward. Why should I be ashamed of myself? They made the mess. They should be the ones who feel guilty.”

Barbara stared at her, clearly thrown off by Camilla’s confidence. For her, this was a terrible sign.

She rushed in, saying, “Camilla, you’re right, it was their fault. But this happened to you. No matter what anyone says, you’re… well… you’re not clean anymore. If people find out, what they’ll care about most is your so-called purity, your reputation…”

“Why should I care what people think? And honestly, if anyone judges me instead of the people who actually did something wrong, that just shows what kind of person they really are.”

Barbara couldn’t figure out what to say for a second. When she finally did, her voice was quieter. “Camilla, no matter how you put it, women always lose out in these situations. If you get divorced, this is going to blow up everywhere. Forget the neighborhood, even Mom and Dad won’t be able to handle the gossip.”

“Barbara,” Camilla replied, a little smile playing on her lips, “if you and our parents actually cared about me, you’d be angry at Daniel for what he did. You wouldn’t be telling me to just suck it up and keep quiet. Do you actually care about me?”

“Of course I do!” Barbara insisted, almost offended. “I’m your sister. I want you to be happy more than anyone.”

She tried again, “Look, a lot of marriages look perfect on the outside, but behind closed doors, it’s a disaster. Everyone slips up sometimes. What matters is fixing your mistakes. Daniel called me. He said he wants to make it up to you, to treat you better. Just give him one more chance.”

“No.” Camilla sounded worn out, but absolutely sure. “You don’t have to keep going. I’ve made up my mind.”

Barbara’s patience started to run out. “And what about Mom and Dad? Doesn’t it matter how they’ll feel if everyone finds out? How are they supposed to go on at the university with all this hanging over them?”

Camilla only looked at her, calm and steady. “And does anyone ever think about how I feel? Is my happiness always going to come second to their reputation?”