To my utter surprise, Camille was at the door, holding out a covered plate with a pleading smile on her face.
"What are you doing here?" I frowned reflexively.
"Rowan told me your room number and 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. Who knows, that small piece of cake might even 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 her eyes flattened for a moment before she looked downward.
"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 don't know what you did to piss me off?" I interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "I do not approve of that sort of behavior with my husband, Camille. I don't really care whether or not you two go way back but I'm asking you to leave him and me alone. You've ruined enough of my day."
Camille's eyes began to glisten and her lower lip quivered.
"Rowan and I are just friends, Maya, and he's only looking out for me. He's been a great support system 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."
"Right. I guess I have now. Goodnight." I crossed my arms, hoping she would take the cue to leave.
"Maya," she exhaled 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 swear. 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."
"Stressing him out?" I raised a brow and let out a laugh. "First of all, I don't think I asked to know about you and my husband's past mindless fling."
She winced, looked hurt that I had called it that.
"And secondly, what the hell makes you think I'm stressing him out?"
"That's what he told me. That you've been asking too much of him lately and it's wearing him out. Or haven't you noticed his detached behavior lately? He has been heartbroken since my husband passed and he still has a company to run despite all that but you're not doing him any good. 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. How long has Rowan been discussing our business? And asking too much of him? All I wanted was for us to keep to our 'one date in two weeks' rule, for the sake of the public, and us as well!
"Well, I'm not playing this silly game with you, Camille. Now please pack up your delusional imagination and get the hell out," I said sternly and noticed her brows arch upwards.
She reached out to touch me with her free hand 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, taking another step back. "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 cleaning up because we just had sex and I don't think he wants to see you anyway, so goodbye!"
I made a move to close the door then, but before I could process what was happening, Camille shoved me backwards, hard.
I stumbled unsteadily into the room, the pointed heel sticking into the woolen Persian rug and making my ankle twisting awkwardly. I let out a sharp cry as the pain shot up my leg.
"What's going on?!" Rowan yelled from the bathroom.
Wincing, I held my affected leg and 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?!
Almost immediately, she picked up one of the broken pieces and drew the pointed tip over her arm, drawing blood. She suddenly fell beside me and screamed out, even louder than I had.
Jesus. My heart stopped for a second and a fearful chill ran down my spine. She hurt herself. She actually hurt herself, and on purpose.
Shocked, 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 now streaming down her face. She held her bleeding arm and wailed.
"What did you do?" Rowan's dark eyes shot up to meet mine.
"Me? I… 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 a curse word slipped through my teeth.
"You're unbelievable, Maya! How could you do this?" Rowan shouted as he scooped Camille up in bridal style.
"She... She..." I could barely even get the right words out since I was still trying to understand the situation myself.
"Don't be mad at her, Ro, I shouldn't have come here in the first place," Camille said with a weak voice.
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 throbbing terribly.