Kamille's POV

I arrived at the club a little after 8:00 p.m. Darkness enveloped the surroundings, except for the dim lights emanating from the club itself.

I walked briskly inside and scanned the crowd until my eyes landed on Amanda, with Belle seated to her right. I approached their table. "Hello, ladies," I greeted them, catching their attention. They both stiffened at the sound of my voice.

They slowly turned to face me.

"Oh, Kamille, it's really you!" Amanda sobbed, throwing her arms around me in a hug.

"We missed you so much, Kamille," Belle added, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"I missed you both too," I replied, gently releasing myself from Belle's embrace.

"Alright, ladies! Let's grab some drinks and celebrate Kamille's return from the land of the living!" Amanda squealed.

"I second that!" Belle said with a hearty laugh.

I was surprised. "Belle? You're actually drinking?"

"What? This is worthy of a celebration, and I need a drink to process everything. Not many people come back from the dead, you know," Belle replied defensively, causing another round of laughter.

We ordered a bottle of liquor, three shot glasses with lemons, and had the waiter deliver them to a corner table. As soon as we sat down, the ladies bombarded me with questions, not even giving me a chance to answer.

"Where have you been?" "How did you escape death?" "Why didn't you reach out?" "How did you cope?"

They fired off more questions, but I remained calm, smiling at their excitement. It was beautiful and heartwarming to see how happy they were to see me.

"Okay, ladies," I said. "I'll answer all your questions, one at a time, but we need to be quick; I have to get home to my kids."

The shock on their faces was palpable. They stared at each other, then yelled simultaneously, "Kids?!" Their eyes widened, and their mouths hung open.

"You have kids? How many?" Belle asked quickly.

"Four," I replied.

"What the hell! You have four children, Kamille Manor!" Amanda exclaimed.

"First, you're alive. Second, you have four kids? What other life-altering secrets are you keeping from us?" Belle asked. She uncorked the liquor bottle, filled a shot glass, and downed it in one gulp, then wrinkled her face at the burn.

"Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you reach out, so we'd know you were safe? It would have saved us the heartbreak of thinking you were dead," Amanda said.

"Yes," Belle agreed. "I mourned you for months. I couldn't even do my job; I had constant breakdowns whenever I thought of you."

"I couldn't create for months," Amanda added. "Words were blurry, designs were awful, audios sounded too somber. I was so broken, it took a lot of effort to recover."

"After your supposed funeral, I inquired about your body, but got no plausible answers," Belle continued. "Your family quickly wrapped everything up, as if they didn't want anyone questioning your death."

By this time, we'd already finished half the bottle. It seemed my family hadn't been able to hide their animosity toward me after all. After I'm done with them, they'll wish I were dead.

"Ladies," I finally said, "I'm so sorry for not contacting you. It's been rough. My life has been a tragedy." I saw the sadness reflected in their faces.

We'd finished the bottle by then. I ordered another drink—something stronger, vodka.

"The day my grandmother died, the evil locked in the hearts of the Manors was unleashed. I was treated like an outcast. I learned then that Zeke was having an affair with Ellen while we were still married. That led to our divorce." My eyes welled up, and my voice trembled. "I thought he loved me," I whispered.

Amanda and Belle tried to comfort me, but it did little good. I drank more to numb the pain, but it only seemed to amplify it. Tears. Pain. Hurt. Shame. They felt my pain and were even angrier about what I'd been through.

"If I'd known what you went through, I would have made the Manor and Reid families regret their existence in London," Amanda said, her words radiating a dangerous aura.

"Yes," Belle agreed. "What about your children?"

"They're fine… you see…" I was slightly drunk, and my words slurred. "I had a terrible accident leaving Zeke's house. An anonymous person saved me and took me to the hospital. Luckily, the accident didn't affect my pregnancy. I moved to the US, gave birth, and started a new life." I was slightly more sober now.

"So, what brings you back?" Belle asked.

"To settle some scores, and I can't do it alone. I need your help." They exchanged knowing glances.

"We've got your back. We'll make sure those bastards get what they deserve," Amanda said.

"We're here for you, Kamille," Belle added.

"Good. Thank you, besties." A wave of relief washed over me. They accepted.

"Enough about me. What have you both been up to?" I said, attempting to lighten the mood.

"I think I've finally found love," Belle said dreamily. "He's everything I've ever wanted."

"Yada yada, someone's in love," I teased. Belle giggled.

"I'm sticking to being a single, rich godmother to all of Kamille's children," Amanda declared, downing her last shot.

"All?" Belle protested. "You won't leave any for me?"

"Oh, since you asked nicely, I'll be godmother to two, and you can have the other two," Amanda said, and we all laughed.

Damn it, Kamille, the kids!

"Ladies, as much as I enjoy this, I have to go home," I said, trying to stand, but I slumped back into my seat.

"Tsk tsk. I doubt you'll make it home in one piece," Amanda said, her expression unreadable in my hazy state.

"That's true. It's late, and you can't go home alone," Belle agreed. "I'll order you a ride." She ordered an Uber. Her phone beeped. "Damn it," she cursed. "I have to go. I'm so sorry, I need to be at the hospital in ten minutes." She hugged me tightly. "Welcome back, sweetie."

"Bye, Belle," I said. She waved at Amanda, who was on a call, and left.

Amanda soon returned. "Sorry, love, I have to leave. I have a client meeting." She hugged me. "See you around."

I had no choice but to wait for the Uber alone. I sighed.

That went well.