Chapter 231: True Love

Lewis had originally planned to stay quiet and wait for our enemy to make the first mistake. He believed patience would expose them eventually. But things had become far more complicated than we expected. Silas had gone to terrifying lengths just to protect his secret. He bit off his own tongue. He carried poison in his teeth. He chose death over speaking.

That kind of loyalty wasn’t ordinary.

And with the Hales now directly involved, Lewis’s patience was wearing thin. Every day brought more damage. More blood. More loss.

Silas had been the only son of Lewis’s sister-in-law. Lewis never showed much emotion, but I knew this had affected him deeply. He carried it quietly, the way he carried everything.

From the operating room, Camilla’s screams cut through the hallway. The procedure was being done without anesthesia. I could hear the strain in her voice. It wasn’t just physical pain. It was grief tearing through her body. In one night, she had lost the man she loved and the child she was carrying.

Then the screams stopped.

The doctors came out one by one, their expressions tight. Camilla was wheeled back to her room.

When I went to see her, she was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Her face had no color left. She looked fragile, like she might break if someone touched her too hard.

For a brief second, I wondered if I had looked like that when I lost my child.

Despite everything she had done, I couldn’t help but see myself in her at that moment. I saw the version of me who had once lost everything and felt the world collapse around her.

Her eyes were empty. There was no fight left in them. Without the child, she had lost her value to the Hales. But they would not release her. She still knew things. She knew Silas’s secrets. And the Hales would not let that knowledge disappear.

I placed a bowl of chicken soup on her bedside table.

When I was reborn, revenge was the only thing on my mind. I wanted Camilla to suffer. I wanted her to feel what I had felt.

But somewhere along the way, I had changed.

Now my expression remained calm. Controlled.

She didn’t even glance at me when I entered. It was as if I could slap her, insult her, threaten her and she would not care. Nothing mattered to her anymore.

“I heard you haven’t eaten,” I said quietly. “Drink some soup.”

Before today, I had always seen Camilla as cold and calculating. A woman who would do anything to win. But when I saw her break for Silas when I saw her risk everything for him I understood something.

She was human.

She had weaknesses.

And weakness could be used.

Instead of forcing answers out of her, maybe I needed a different method.

Camilla surely knew more about the organization than she admitted. If I pushed too hard, she would shut down. So I buried my hatred and softened my voice.

“Before Silas bit his tongue,” I said slowly, “he left you a message.”

That worked.

Her eyes snapped toward me instantly. Her voice came out rough and dry. “What did he say?”

I glanced at the soup. “Not until you drink.”

I wasn’t sure if Camilla had a hidden way to kill herself like Silas did, but she wasn’t in the same position. The organization still had use for her. They wouldn’t eliminate her yet.

But grief had already taken her will to live.

She picked up the bowl and drank mechanically, as if it didn’t matter what it was. When she finished, she set it aside.

“If you’re here to watch me suffer, you’ve seen enough,” she said quietly. “I lost. Completely. Riley, I don’t want to fight with you anymore. Just tell me what Silas said.”

I studied her face. Then I spoke calmly.

“I’ll make you a deal. You tell me what your group wants. I’ll tell you what Silas said. Fair?”

Camilla held my gaze. “There is no grand plan from me. Meeting Silas was an accident. He saved me. I was grateful.”

“Grateful enough to carry his child and claim it was Julian’s?” I asked softly. “Do you expect anyone to believe that story still holds?”

She bit her lip and looked down. “It’s the truth. If you don’t believe me, that’s your problem.”

“You don’t have protection anymore,” I said gently. “Silas was the Hales’ heir. He’s dead now. They won’t let this go. Claiming ignorance won’t save you.”

I paused before continuing.

“I used to hate you. When Lincy took my ex, I was angry. But when I learned what you and Julian did to Elena, that’s when I truly hated you. I believed you both betrayed her. That’s why I helped clear Elena’s name at the art competition.”

Camilla’s fingers tightened slightly.

“But now…” I continued, lowering my voice, “you look pitiful. I may not have a child anymore, but I understand the pain of losing one. And the way you looked at Silas he was the one you truly loved. Losing your lover and your child in one night… I understand that kind of pain.”

Her expression trembled.

“I’m asking on behalf of the Hales,” I said calmly. “If you don’t speak to me, they will come. And when they do, you won’t get to negotiate. With me, at least you have a choice.”

She saw the pity in my eyes. She also saw the calculation.

Her face twisted with conflict. She wanted to know what Silas had said. But speaking might cost her everything.

I didn’t rush her.

Finally, she spoke.

“Riley, I didn’t lie to you. Neither Silas nor I knew he was a Hale. You’re right. I loved him.”

“Then why involve yourself with Julian?” I asked.

Her voice shook. “Silas had nothing. His face was ruined. He didn’t belong in that world. I wanted security. I wanted status. I wanted to marry Julian and become part of the Hales.”

Her words were half truth, half defense.

I understood then.

Neither she nor Silas had known his real identity.

Silas had been used from the beginning.

He only discovered who he truly was shortly before he died. And by then, he couldn’t even speak. He couldn’t call Adam father. He couldn’t claim his place.

Even if he had survived, the organization would have removed him eventually.

He had always been a pawn.

And if Silas had been switched with Julian… what did that mean about Camilla’s role in all of this?

As I stood up, Camilla’s voice stopped me.

“What did he say?” she asked again, fear and hope mixing in her eyes.

I looked down at her.

“Silas asked me to tell you he loves you.”

Three simple words.

Her face crumpled instantly. Tears spilled down her cheeks.

“Idiot… that idiot,” she sobbed.

I leaned slightly closer, lowering my voice.

“Camilla, both of you were used. Someone switched Silas and Julian’s identities. Silas was supposed to be the Hale heir. Wealth. Status. A different life. If his life hadn’t been altered, his face wouldn’t have been ruined. He wouldn’t have died like this.”

I pressed my fingers lightly against the bed’s edge.

“If Silas had survived, you wouldn’t have lost your child. You could have had the life you wanted. Your real enemy isn’t me. It isn’t the Hales.”

I held her gaze.

“It’s the one controlling everything from behind the curtain.”

I leaned closer.

“Camilla… let’s work together. Let’s get justice for Silas.”

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