Chapter 10
Camille asked to apologize to Nora before she asked to apologize to me.
That surprised me.
Nora said no.
Good.
Three months later, Camille asked again.
Nora agreed.
Neutral sitting room.
I stayed outside but close.
Camille began:
“I’m sorry for putting you in the middle.”
Nora shook her head.
“Specific.”
Good.
Camille swallowed.
“I threatened your job.”
More.
“I threatened to send Oliver away.”
More.
“I locked him in rooms because I wanted him to stop depending on you.”
More.
Camille started crying.
“I made you believe protecting him meant staying silent.”
Nora nodded.
There.
Then she asked:
“Why did you hate me?”
Camille answered:
“I didn’t.”
Nora waited.
Camille corrected herself.
“I hated what you represented.”
“What?”
“That he could love someone who wasn’t me.”
That was painfully honest.
Nora looked at her for a long time.
“He was two.”
Camille cried harder.
“Yes.”
No forgiveness.
No hug.
May you like
Meeting ended.
But truth had finally stopped pretending to be strategy.
