She's Lying, Rowan!

Chapter 5

Camille was at the door, holding out a covered plate with a pleading smile on her face.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her coldly.

"Since you left early, I figured you'd be hungry so I brought you some cheesecake," she lifted the lid from the plate and I scowled. For all I cared, that small piece of cake might be poisoned.

"Thank you," I said without making any move to take the plate. "If that's all, you can leave."

I noticed her shoulders drop and she sighed.

"I feel like…like you don't seem to like me much, Mary–"

"Maya!"

"– sorry, Maya. I just want all of us to be friends. I don't know what exactly I did to piss you off, but..."

“You think I don’t like you?” I interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

"You were literally flirting with my husband, Camille, and to be honest, I don't really care whether or not you two go way back but I'm asking you to leave him and me alone."

Camille's eyes began to glisten again and her lower lip quivered.

"Rowan and I are just friends, Maya, and he's only looking out for me. Since my husband died, he's been a great source of support to me and I don't think you should be disturbed by that but...well, if that's something you're not comfortable with, you could've just said it."

I frowned at her words. She didn't think I should be disturbed that Rowan was spending so much time with another woman? 

"Right. Well I guess you know now.” I stepped backwards, hoping she would take the cue to leave.

"Maya," she said and stepped close to me instead. "I don't know why you're being cold towards me but I don't quite like the way things turned out. I'm sure if you give me the chance we could start afresh."

I held my ground. “This isn’t about friendship, Camille. It’s about boundaries. And you’ve crossed them. Just leave," I made a move to close the door but she stepped closer.

"Yes, it's true that Rowan and I used to have a thing back in college. He loved me very much but I just didn't feel the same way, and I still don't. I'm happy that he married a kind-hearted woman like you, Maya, but I just... I feel bothered that you may be stressing him out."

"Okay, first of all, Camille," I folded my arms with a faint smile. "I don't think I asked to know about you and my husband's past fling."

She looked hurt that I had called it that, but I continued anyway.

"And secondly, what the hell makes you think I'm stressing him out?"

"That's what he told me. Or haven't you noticed his detached behavior lately? He has been heartbroken since my husband passed. I guess he doesn't show it in front of you and that's probably why he..." She stopped mid-sentence and shook her head. "Nevermind."

I scoffed at her even though I was curious to hear the rest of her statement.

"Well, I'm not playing this silly word game with you, Camille. Now please pack your delusional imagination together and get the hell out," I said sternly and noticed her brows arch upwards.

She reached out to touch me with her free hand again but I pulled away.

"I didn't mean to upset you, Maya, I'm here to make peace."

"Well, sorry, but I don't need your peace." I said evenly, stepping back toward the door. “I need space.”

I observed as her eyes scanned the room quickly and finally rested back on mine.

"Where's Rowan?" She asked.

Oh, the audacity!

"He's in the shower and I don't think he wants to see you so goodbye!" 

I made a move to close the door but then, before I could process what was happening, Camille shoved me, hard. 

I stumbled into the room, my ankle twisting awkwardly beneath me, and I let out a sharp cry of pain.

"What's going on?" Rowan yelled from the bathroom.

I looked up to see Camille smiling down at me. She suddenly let the plate slip from her hand, causing it to fall with a loud crash.

I gasped. What in hell was she doing?!

With lightning speed, she picked up one of the broken pieces and slashed her arm with it, then she also fell and screamed out, even louder than I had.

I managed to push myself up on one leg just as Rowan rushed out of the bathroom with only a towel around his waist. His eyes widened as he looked at us.

"What the hell happened?" He barked.

"I didn't do anything wrong to you, Maya," Camille suddenly said with tears streaming down her face. She held her bleeding arm and winced.

"What did you do?" Rowan's dark eyes shot up to meet mine.

"Me? I did nothing!" I yelled, still trying to process what had happened in the past few seconds.

Rowan shot daggers at me and dashed to Camille's side.

"Rowan, don't...!" I wanted to run towards him but the sharp pain in my ankle stopped me and I cursed inwardly.

"You're unbelievable, Maya! How could you be so wicked?" Rowan shouted as he scooped Camille up, his hands hooked beneath her back and the inside of her knee.

"She... She..." I could barely get the words out of my mouth since I was still trying to understand the situation myself.

"Don't be mad at her, Ro, I was wrong to come here in the first place," Camille said with a frail tone.

Rowan sent a deathly glare my way before he turned around and walked out the door, still in his towel.

After a few moments of trying to grasp what had just happened, I let out a loud scream.

"She's lying, Rowan!"

But no one heard me, and my ankle was still throbbing terribly.