Chapter 16 - The Scar Beneath the Certificate
Inside Rafe’s dimly lit study, the air hung as heavy as lead, so dense that a single spark could detonate a disaster. Ruth’s unyielding revelation regarding that fateful hospital night ten months ago struck Rafe’s psyche like a bolt of lightning, ripping through the web of lies Camille had meticulously woven for over a year.
"What did you just say? Say it again—clearly!" Rafe’s voice dropped into a dark, guttural growl, every muscle on his sharp jawline twitching uncontrollably. His obsidian-dark eyes bore into Ruth, filled with equal parts raw shock and agonizing torment.
Ruth did not flinch. She tightened her arms around little Maisie, pressing the toddler’s tiny face gently into her chest as an anchor of comfort. "That night, Mrs. Olivia passed away after her emergency C-section. Camille was never at home like she swore to you. I saw her with my own eyes standing outside the ICU suite. She argued viciously with the head nurse and deliberately tampered with the IV infusion pump before security rushed in to throw her out!"
Camille, who had been stealthily backing toward the doorway, turned ashen grey under her heavy makeup. She pointed a trembling finger at Ruth, her voice shrieking hysterically, "You lying little servant! Rafe, are you going to believe a maid with a shady background whom you hired just weeks ago? She’s trying to extort you! She’s fabricating stories to destroy our family!"
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"SILENCE!" Rafe roared. The formidable aura of a man who once dominated the corporate realm froze the entire room. He took a heavy, painful step forward from his wheelchair—forcing his partially paralyzed legs to stand—and closed in on Camille. "I always suspected there was something unnatural about Olivia’s death. But I never imagined a viper like you would extend her fangs straight into the hospital room!"
Exposed so abruptly, Camille lost all her arrogant composure. Driven by pure malicious instinct, she took a step back, her eyes gleaming with maniacal rage. "Fine! Since you know... there’s no need to play house anymore! Rafe, do you honestly think you still control this household?"
