Divorced the Cheat Married the Fleet (Camilla and Lance) novel Chapter 226

Elise wanted to say something comforting, but the words just wouldn’t come.

It wasn’t just Camilla who felt the sting of everything spiraling out of control. Elise herself thought it was all kind of ridiculous. Her daughter was young, smart, and full of promise, but after everything, Barnard schemed and plotted only to use Camilla as a distraction while secretly treasuring someone much older.

She couldn’t help but blame herself for being so helpless. Her illness had put so much pressure on Camilla. And she blamed Tanner, too, for disappearing so early, for not being there as Camilla grew up. If things had been different, maybe Camilla wouldn’t have ended up being used like a pawn in someone else’s game.

Camilla flashed a gentle smile. “Mom, really, I’m fine. Your health is stable now, and Jasper’s grown up. I’m okay, I promise. But you must be bored here. How about I have Jasper come stay with you for a couple of days, keep you company?”

Elise had a habit of sinking into anxious thoughts when she was alone in the hospital. Camilla figured Jasper would be good for her.

After she finished lunch with Elise, Camilla headed out. As soon as she left the room, she spotted Davina standing in the hallway.

Davina looked worn out in her hospital gown, pale and tired. Her hair hung loose, hiding most of her face.

Camilla saw her and was about to walk by without a word.

Davina stepped right into her path. “I’m about to get engaged to Barnard, Camilla. I hope from now on you’ll stay away from him. I don’t want him getting too close to his ex-wife.”

Now that Davina was closer, Camilla could see the exhaustion etched on her face. Hollow cheeks, bloodless skin, dark circles under her eyes—she looked a mess, even though she was about to officially become Mrs. Carter. There was no trace of happiness in her expression.

Camilla gave her a look. “Congrats, I guess. And for the record, you really don’t need to worry. I don’t want to see Barnard, and honestly, I don’t want to see you either. So why don’t you keep a better eye on your precious Barnard and make sure he stays away from me too.”

For Davina, becoming Mrs. Carter was everything. For Camilla, it was just a title she couldn’t wait to leave behind.

That truth clearly got under Davina’s skin.

Her eyes flashed with resentment as she forced out, “Barnard’s only ever used you. If you’d just leave him alone, he wouldn’t have anything to do with you.”

She gripped the hem of her gown, knuckles turning white. Camilla couldn’t tell if Davina was trying to convince her or herself.

They hadn’t seen much of anyone from their social circle lately, but Laura could just imagine the gossip and snide remarks she’d be facing if they had.

Davina felt guilty but still tried to explain. “Mom, I was just out walking and happened to bump into Camilla. She’s the one who came up to me.”

Laura looked at her skeptically. Davina’s nerves showed as she quickly changed the subject. “Mom, when is Barnard getting out? What about the engagement you promised?”

Just hearing Barnard’s name made Laura’s headache worse. Barnard wasn’t just detained anymore—he’d been caught illegally buying drugs, and now he was facing real jail time, at least a few months. Calvin was running himself ragged trying to fix things, calling in favors left and right. There was no way he had time to arrange any engagement party.

Seeing Davina so eager made Laura even more irritable. “Barnard isn’t out yet. We’ll talk about the engagement when he is.”

She couldn’t hold back and ended up snapping. “You know, if you hadn’t called the police, Barnard wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Davina didn’t bother to argue. Her eyes shifted, thinking quickly. “Mom, maybe I know a way to get Barnard out.”