He Took Her to Europe With My Money Chapter 09

He Took Her to Europe With My Money Chapter 09

## Darien’s POV

Darien returned home.

His mother, Evelyn, came out of the kitchen carrying a tray of sliced fruit.

Her eyes moved past him toward the doorway.

“You’re alone?”

“It’s been months since I’ve seen Camille. I thought you were bringing her to dinner.”

Darien stopped in the entryway.

Beside the mudroom bench sat a pair of fuzzy pink slippers.

They were Camille’s.

Every weekend, she had come to the house to arrange flowers with Evelyn and stay for tea.

Now, a thin layer of dust covered the slippers.

“She’s been busy,” Darien said, loosening his tie.

Evelyn gave him a sharp look.

“Busy people still need to eat.”

“Did you upset her again?”

“I’m telling you now, Camille is the only daughter-in-law I will ever

—

accept.”

Darien said nothing.

He dropped onto the couch and sank into the cushions.

The living room was silent except for the quiet hum of the air conditioner.

His unfocused gaze settled on the bowl of fruit on the coffee table.

Then his mind betrayed him.

He remembered Camille at fourteen, before she had learned to make herself smaller.

It was early summer.

She stood onstage in a white uniform shirt with her ponytail high, holding a statewide championship trophy.

Her smile was bright and fearless.

Every boy in the audience was looking at her.

Several of them even went backstage to ask for her number.

Darien sat in the corner of the bleachers, crushing a water bottle in his fist.

Jealousy and panic twisted inside him.

It felt as if someone were trying to take what belonged to him.

He could not stand the way everyone looked at her.

—

When Camille ran backstage toward him, still glowing with excitement, he kept his face cold and tossed the crushed bottle into the trash.

“You looked ridiculous up there.”

“All that arm-waving was embarrassing.”

“Don’t humiliate yourself like that again.”

The light vanished from her face.

That was the first time he tore her down.

After that, he became worse.

He criticized her clothes, her posture, and her friendships.

He watched the confidence slowly disappear from her eyes.

He watched her change from a bright, self-assured girl into someone who avoided eye contact, hunched her shoulders, and depended entirely on him.

He watched her drive away everyone else until he was the only person left in her world.

Darien closed his eyes and threaded his fingers through his hair.

At first, he had enjoyed the control.

He liked knowing that she needed him for everything.

But eventually, he grew bored.

She had become quiet, withdrawn, and lifeless.

—

Then Leona appeared.

Leona was bold and bright, and she always knew how to flatter him.

He was drawn to the confidence that Camille had once possessed.

He believed he could have both.

Leona’s admiration and Camille’s unquestioning devotion.

He had never considered that Camille might finally walk away.

Darien stood, gathered his things, and headed for the door.

He was going back to Linden.

Even if it became a war, he would bring her home.

He was certain that all he had to do was apologize, replace what he had taken, and give her enough attention.

Then she would give in.

She always had before.

—

The drive to Linden was long, but Darien didn’t notice the miles passing.

His mind was consumed with what he would say. How he would make her see that he had changed. That he was sorry. That everything he had done, he had done because he loved her too much to let anyone else have her.

By the time he pulled into the campus parking lot, he had convinced himself it would work.

He found the laboratory building and waited outside.

When she finally emerged—walking beside Evan again—he stepped forward.

“Camille.”

She stopped. Her expression didn’t shift.

“Darien. What are you doing here?”

“I came to talk. Really talk. No games this time.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Just hear me out. Please.”

She looked at him for a long moment. Then she turned to Evan.

“I’ll catch up with you later.”

Evan hesitated, then nodded and walked away.

Darien watched him go, then turned back to Camille.

“I know I hurt you. I know I made you feel small. And I’m sorry.”

She didn’t speak.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to make it right. Just give me another chance.”

Camille stared at him, and for a moment, he saw a flicker of something in her eyes. Hope, maybe. Or doubt.

Then she said quietly:

“Darien, I spent fourteen years waiting for you to say those words. And now that you have… I don’t feel anything.”

“You said it yourself. Without you, I’d never survive. But I did. I am. And I’m done waiting for you to love me the way I deserve.”

She stepped around him and walked away.

Darien stood alone in the parking lot, the words still hanging in the air.

For the first time in his life, he had no idea what to do next.