Chapter 4: The Vortex of Pain

Camille

I rushed into the bathroom and turned on the hot water, allowing the warm water to cascade over me.

I scrubbed at my skin with a loofah, trying to scrub away the filth and degradation I felt in me until it flushed red.

Yet the memory of Gabriel's finger pumping inside my pussy was still so vivid, a mix of physical sensation, deep humiliation, and utter disgust, driving me almost crazy.

In that moment, I wished he had finished me off. Seven years of hatred from him was more than I could bear.

Why did he have to stop?! My eyes burned as tears mixed with the warm water and streamed down my face.

I had lied to Gabriel and he knew it. 

Back when things hadn’t gone sour between us, he always had that condescending smirk, that soft ‘tsk’ sound, whenever he caught me in a lie. It was like he was saying, “Go on, entertain me. I love watching you playing.”

When he asked me just now how often I'd fucked with his father, he looked at me with that same expression. He didn’t believe me, but he didn’t call me out either.

It was like watching a poor liar acting.

I was a liar, a terrible one at that, and I still pretend to be confident, as if my deception had been flawless.

He must think I’m disgusting, right? But why did he still choose to believe me? 

His smile, so clean and simple, reminiscent of the way he was seven years ago, momentarily left me in a daze.

Back then, we had been so happy: him, me, and Matthew.

Now, here I was, deceiving him, fulling him. I felt despicable.

I buried my face in the warm water and sobbed.

If only I could turn back time. If Mrs. Bennett and Matthew were still alive, maybe Gabriel and I could have been good friends. Or even... a happy family.

Why was the world so cruel to me, taking away everyone who cared about me?

Was I cursed?

A knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts. The maid’s voice called, “Miss Dawson, Mr. Bennett would like to see you in his study.”

I quickly changed my clothes and stood in front of the mirror, applying concealer to the marks Gabriel had left. He must have done that on purpose. I couldn’t let his father see this.

A few minutes later, I knocked on the study door, my heart pounding.

The study was a place of dread, filled with so many unpleasant memories.

The main light was off. Only a few dim lamps illuminated the study. And the heavy curtains partially blocked the fading sunlight, casting the room in a gloomy twilight.

Gabriel sat in a chair, his back to the window, his face obscured. His father, Harrison, sat at his desk, exuding authority.

Judging by Gabriel's relaxed posture, the atmosphere between them seemed tolerable.

"Mr. Bennett, you wanted to see me?"

“Camille, come here,” Harrison smiled at me, and I quickly scanned the room, finding a spot equidistant from him and Gabriel.

Harrison said to Gabriel, “Camille has done a great job this past half year. You’ll be taking her with you on the task I just assigned you.”

Gabriel sat up abruptly. “What? Take her with me? No way.” His eyes narrowed in contempt.

I hadn't quite grasped what was happening, and I didn't dare say anything.

Harrison completely ignored Gabriel’s reaction. “I need someone I can trust, and Camille has been with us for ten years and is qualified. Besides, she’s more than capable of handling it.”

“Find someone else,” Gabriel said, standing up to leave.

“Stop!” Harrison’s voice was thunderous.

“I’m telling you, not asking. You don’t have a choice.”

Seeing their tension rising, I quickly interjected, “Mr. Bennett, it’s alright. I’ll do my best to complete the task. There’s no need to trouble Gabriel.”

Gabriel tossed his head, sneering, “Who do you think you are? Capable of anything? That's a lot harder than just lying in bed and moaning.” His voice was cold and dripping with sarcasm.

His words pierced my heart.

“Enough, Gabriel! I know you’ve had issues with Camille over the years, but I need someone I can rely on right now. If you refuse, say it to my face!”

Harrison was always intimidating. When he was angry, everyone in the company trembled.

Gabriel paused for a moment, then turned to Harrison and softened his tone. “I’m sorry, Father. It’s just that... I’m not used to working with newcomers.”

Harrison’s anger subsided, and a false, paternal smile appeared on his face. “Camille is so intelligent. I’m sure you’ll be able to guide her well. I have faith in you.”

After their hypocritical exchange, Gabriel left the study without looking back. His walk seemed stiff.

Had Harrison used the whip on him? My heart pounded.

Harrison was cruel, and he would resort to physical punishment for the slightest offense. 

I had been whipped with that cane in his study, too. It hurt—so much that I nearly passed out. 

The physical pain was excruciating, but nothing compared to the agony in my heart.

A few minutes later, the roar of a sports car echoed from the driveway. Gabriel had left.

I returned to my room and lay on the bed, pulling a pearl necklace from under my pillow. It was a heirloom my mother had given me the night before she jumped into the sea.

“My dear daughter,” she had said, her eyes filled with love, “this necklace was passed down to me by my mother. Now, I’m passing it down to you. You will one day pass it on to your children.”

I hadn’t known it then, but that was her goodbye.

I hadn’t taken the necklace. Instead, I had pushed her towards the door and said coldly, “I don’t want a mother like you. You’re a dirty woman, and you don’t deserve to be my mother!”

She had been stunned, her eyes filled with hurt and sadness. But I had shown no remorse, slamming the door shut behind me.

She was going to marry Harrison Bennett, the father of Gabriel and Matthew! 

How could she? Mrs. Bennett had been our savior!

When I was ten, my mother and I fled here. Mrs. Bennett, in her hour of need, had offered her a job, giving us a place to call home and saving us from a life on the streets.

But when I was thirteen, the kind and beautiful Mrs. Bennett died in a car accident.

A year later, Matthew died in the same street, in the same way.

The Bennett family was shrouded in grief.

And yet, just a month after Matthew’s death, my mother was going to marry Mr. Bennett. It was a betrayal of Mrs. Bennett and Matthew.

The servants whispered that my mother had taken Mrs. Bennett’s place and driven her to her death. They even said I had caused Matthew’s death.

There was no escaping it. That was simply how things were.

The image of Matthew lying dead on the road always haunted my dreams, waking me in the middle of the night, tears streaming down my face.

Gabriel hated me with a passion because of those two deaths. And He had his friends bully me at school. 

If my mother had married his father, I'm certain he would have torn me to pieces.

Fortunately, the wedding never happened. My mother died the night before the wedding was supposed to take place.

Mr. Bennett sent someone to pick me up from school. In the cold drawer of the morgue, I saw my mother, pale and swollen from the water.

I dug my nails into my palms, but no tears came.

She was a traitor to Mrs. Bennett, and I didn’t feel sad.

Mr. Bennett took me into his arms and comforted me. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I will take care of you.” 

“From now on, you are a part of this family. As long as you stay with me, you will have everything you need.”

A chill ran down my spine. I wanted to pull away, but I didn’t dare.

As he said this, Gabriel stood at the door of the morgue, watching me coldly.