SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan)

Chapter 233

The gardens at Victoria's estate bloomed with late spring flowers as guests gathered under white silk tents for an

occasion that felt both familiar and entirely new. Six months had passed since James Whitfield's arrest, six

months of healing and rebuilding and learning to trust in love again.

Camille stood in the estate's master bedroom, looking at herself in the antique mirror as Victoria helped her

adjust the simple cream-colored dress she had chosen for the ceremony. This wasn't the elaborate wedding

gown she had worn for her first marriage to Alexander - this dress was elegant but understated, chosen for

comfort rather than spectacle.

"Are you nervous?" Victoria asked, fastening the pearl necklace that had belonged to her own mother around

Camille's neck.

"Not nervous," Camille replied, touching the pearls gently. "Excited. Ready. This feels different from the first

time."

"Different how?"

Camille turned to face Victoria, seeing her adoptive mother looking healthy and strong for the first tsince her

cancer diagnosis. The months of recovery had been good for both of them, allowing them to rebuild their

relationship on foundations of truth rather than the secrets that had almost destroyed them.

"The first t| married Alexander, | was marrying the man | thought he was. Today I'm marrying the man | know

he is - flaws and mistakes and all." Camille's voice carried a certainty that hadn't been there during her first

wedding. "I'm marrying someone who has hurtand disappointed me, but who has also fought for us when it

mattered most."

Victoria smiled, remembering her own second chance at love after her husband's death. "That's what real love

looks like. Not the fairy tale version where everything is perfect, but the grown-up version where you choose

each other despite knowing exactly who you're choosing."

A soft knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Alexander's voice cthrough the wood, warm with

affection and anticipation.

"Camille? | know it's bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony, but | have something for you."

Camille opened the door to find Alexander standing in the hallway, handsin his dark suit but somehow more

relaxed than she had ever seen him. He held a small wrapped box in his hands.

"What is this?" Camille asked, accepting the gift.

"Something | should have given you the first twe got married, instead of surveillance equipment and hidden

agendas." Alexander's voice carried both regret for the past and hope for the future.

Camille unwrapped the box to reveal a delicate bracelet made of intertwined silver and gold bands. The

craftsmanship was exquisite, but it was the engraving on the inside that made her breath catch: "To new

beginnings and honest love - A."

"Alexander, it's beautiful."

"I had it made by the sjeweler who created your engagement ring. But this time, there are no hidden

meanings or secret purposes. It's just a gift from your husband to his wife, given with complete honesty about

who | am and what I'm promising you."

Camille felt tears starting as Alexander fastened the bracelet around her wrist. The weight of it felt perfect,

substantial enough to remind her of his presence but delicate enough to wear every day.

"What are you promising me?" she asked softly.

"I'm promising you that | will choose our marriage over everything else, every day, for the rest of my life. I'm

promising you complete honesty, even when the truth is difficult or painful. I'm promising you that | will never let

anyone cbetween us again."

Victoria watched this exchange from the doorway, feeling her heart swell with happiness for the couple who had

survived so much manipulation and betrayal to find their way back to each other.

Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt

"And what are you promising him?" Victoria asked Camille.

Camille looked into Alexander's eyes, seeing the man who had been manipulated into betraying her, who had

nearly lost her to his own need for revenge, who had fought desperately to save her when she was kidnapped.

"I'm promising him that | will trust in our love even when it's tested. I'm promising him that | will fight for our

marriage instead of running away when things get difficult. I'm promising him that | will love him not just for who

he could be, but for who he is right now."

Alexander felt overwhelming emotion wash over him as he heard Camille's vows. This was what he had always

wanted but had been too consumed by grief and manipulation to recognize - unconditional love from someone

who saw his flaws and chose him anyway.

"I should go," Alexander said, stepping back from the doorway. "The guests are starting to arrive, and | want

everything to be perfect for you."

As Alexander walked away, Camille felt a deep sense of peace settle over her. This ceremony wasn't about

erasing the past or pretending their first marriage hadn't been poisoned by lies. It was about acknowledging

what they had learned and choosing to build something stronger from the foundation of truth.

An hour later, Camille walked down the garden path between rows of white chairs filled with the people who

mattered most to them. Her parents sat in the front row, their faces showing pride and relief that their daughter

had found happiness again. Senator Alvarez had flown in from Washington to witness the ceremony, his

presence a reminder of the family support that had helped save Kane Industries.

Victoria walked beside Camille, serving as both mother of the bride and officiant for the ceremony. As the head

of the family that had been rebuilt through choice rather than blood, Victoria had asked to be the one to speak

the words that would renew Alexander and Camille's commitment to each other.

But it was the sight of Alexander waiting at the flower-covered arch that made Camille's heart race with joy. He

stood with his best man Stefan, both men looking nervous and happy as they watched her approach.

Hannah sat in the second row, wearing a soft blue dress that complemented her dark hair. She had been working

with Stefan to help plan this ceremony, their own relationship deepening through months of supporting each

other during the aftermath of James's campaign of terror.

As Camille reached the arch, Alexander took her hands and looked into her eyes with an expression of pure love

and gratitude.

"We gather today not to witness a first marriage, but to celebrate the renewal of vows between two people who

have learned what love really means," Victoria began, Ker voice carrying clearly across the garden. "Alexander

and Camille have faced betrayal, manipulation, and the kind of challenges that destroy many relationships. But

they have chosen to use those experiences to build something stronger."

Victoria looked at both of them with the pride of a mother watching her children succeed despite tremendous

obstacles.

"Marriage isn't about finding someone perfect. It's about finding someone worth fighting for, someone worth

forgiving, someone worth choosing again and again even when it's difficult."

Alexander squeezed Camille's hands as he spoke his renewed vows. "Camille, | vow to you that | will never again

let anyone manipulateinto hurting you. | vow to choose our love over any need for revenge or any outside

pressure. | vow to be the husband you deserve, not just the husband | thought | was." Camille's voice was steady

and clear as she responded. "Alexander, | vow to you that | will trust in your love even when my past

experiences make trust difficult. | vow to fight for our marriage instead of protecting myself with distance. | vow

to love you not just in spite of your mistakes, but because of how you've grown from them."

As Victoria pronounced them renewed in their commitment to each other, Alexander and Camille kissed with the

passion of people who had almost lost

each other and the tenderness of those who understood how precious their love truly was.

The reception that followed was

intimate and joyful, filled with dancing and laughter and the kind of easy happiness that comes from

surviving something terrible together. As the sun began to set over the estate gardens, Stefan

stood up from his table and approached the small stage where a string quartet had been playing throughout the

evening.

"Excuse me, everyone," Stefan said, his voice carrying a nervous energy that

made Hannah look up from her conversation with Victoria. "I have something |

need to say."

The reception guests turned their attention to Stefan as he stood on the stage, looking out at the crowd with the

expression of someone about to take the biggest risk of his life.

"Six months ago, | thought | understood what love meant. | thought love was about grand

gestures and tic sacrificeen et

and proving yourself worthy of someone's affection." Stefan's eyes found Hannah in the crowd, and his voice

grew stronger. "But watching Alexander and Camille rebuild their marriage taughtthat real love is much

simpler and much more difficult than that."

Hannah felt her heart beginning to race as she realized what Stefan was about to

do.

"Real love is about choosing someone every day. It's about building trust through small, consistent actions. It's

about creating something together that's stronger than what either person could create alone."

Stefan stepped down from the stage and walked directly to Hannah's table, dropping to one knee beside her

chair as the reception guests realized what they were witnessing.

"Hannah Zhao," Stefan said, pulling a ring box from his jacket pocket, "you have shownwhat healthy love

looks like. You have supportedwithout trying to

fix me, challengedwithout trying to change me, and lovedwithout needingto be perfect."

Hannah felt tears streaming down her face as Stefan opened the ring box to reveal a beautiful emerald-cut

diamond surrounded by smaller stones that caught the light from the garden lanterns.

MVR q q

Will you marry me? Will you build a

life withbased on the kind of

: 1

honest, daily love that we've learned

q . u

is worth more than any fairy tale?

: |

Hannah looked into Stefan's eyes,

seeing the man who fe workediso

hard toepgmesbrie € worthy of

Ide! Who had supported her through

the crisis with James, who had

shown her that it was possible to

: n "

trust again after betrayal. "Yes," she

said, her voice breaking with

q " . "

emotion. "Yes, | will marry you." As

: : 1

Stefan slipped the ring onto Hannah's

finger, the reception guests erupted

Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm

in applause and cheers. Alexander

and Camille stood together, watching

their friends begin their own journey

toward marriage, feeling grateful that

their love had survived long enough

to witness this moment. The content

is on novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

Victoria raised her champagne glass

as the celebration continued around

[1 : : n

them. "To new Peasy m

in .

celled aut to thécradwd. "To love that

Le o a ' 5

survives testing, to family that's built

through choice, and to the courage to

keep believing in happy endings even

f [1

after everything goes wrong." The

content is on novelenglish.net! Read

the latest chapter there!

As the evening continued with

dancing and toasts and the joy of

people who had survived something

terrible together:Cariie fétt a deep

sense Sean, The past year

' 9

had tested everyone's capacity for

forgiveness, growth, and love. But

they had all emerged stronger, more

honest, and more committed to

protecting The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

what mattered most.

The war that James Whitfield had started was finally over. The healing had begun. And love, in all its complicated

and resilient forms, had won.

THE END

Dear Readers,

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the tto read my book. Your

support means the world to me. Whether you laughed, cried, or held your breath

through the twists and turns, I'm truly grateful that you chose to be part of this journey.

Every page was written with care, and knowing it reached you makes it all worthwhile. | hope the story stayed

with you long after the final chapter.

With deepest gratitude,

ANNYPEN

The will be updated first on this website. Cback and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!