Falling For The True Heiress

"I-I..."

Before I could finish, my phone suddenly rang, interrupting us and, at the same time, saving me.

I quickly pulled my phone out of my clutch and glanced at the screen.

Mom.

Without wasting another second, I answered the call and lifted the phone to my ear.

"Honey."

The moment I heard her familiar voice, my chest tightened.

God...

I really missed her.

Everything about her.

Even after finding out that I wasn’t her biological daughter, she had never treated me any differently.

Not even once.

"Mom..." I called softly, my voice almost breaking.

"How are you doing, honey?" she asked with a gentle laugh.

"I’m fine, Mom," I smiled despite myself. "I just miss you."

"How’s Sylvia?"

"She’s fine, Mom. We’ll come over this evening."

"Oh, good." Her voice softened with relief. "I just got home and didn’t see either of you, so I started worrying. I had to call and make sure you girls were okay."

"We’re okay," I assured her. "We went to a book launch."

"A book launch?" she repeated before laughing lightly. "Alright then. I’ll see you girls this evening."

"Okay, Mom. Bye."

"Bye, honey."

I ended the call with a small smile still lingering on my lips.

When I looked up, Camila was already staring at me.

There was annoyance in her eyes...

But beneath it, I could also see worry.

I reached over and gently ruffled her hair.

"I’m fine, Mummy."

She let out a quiet sigh and looked away through the windshield.

"Cam..."

I reached for her arm and gave it a small tug.

"I’m sorry."

She finally turned to look at me. "And what exactly are you sorry for?"

I opened my mouth. And then closed it again.

Right...

What exactly was I apologizing for?

I swallowed hard and forced an awkward smile.

"Everything."

I scratched the back of my neck before looking at her hopefully.

"How about I kiss you? Maybe then you won’t be angry anymore."

Camila didn’t answer. She simply looked away, inserted the key into the ignition, and started the engine.

The soft hum of the car filled the silence. A second later, she pulled out of the parking space.

Then she stepped hard on the accelerator.

The car shot forward.

My body jerked back against the seat as buildings flashed past the windows.

I instinctively grabbed the door handle.

"Cam..."

My voice cracked.

"Slow down."

She didn’t even look at me.

Her eyes stayed fixed on the road.

Her jaw was clenched so tightly I could see the muscles moving.

"Cam..."

I called again.

Nothing. Not even a glance.

"Cam..."

"Cam..."

She didn’t respond.

Her foot stayed firmly on the accelerator as the car surged forward, overtaking one vehicle after another.

A loud horn blared beside us.

Another driver rolled down his window, waving angrily for her to slow down.

She ignored him.

Ignored everyone.

My fingers tightened around the handle above the door until my knuckles turned white.

My heart was racing so fast it felt like it would burst out of my chest.

Fear settled deep inside me, making my whole body tremble.

"Cam... please." My voice cracked.

Tears blurred my vision before they spilled down my cheeks.

"Please..."

"Slow down."

Without warning—

Camila slammed on the brakes. The tires screeched against the road.

The car came to such a sudden stop that my body lurched forward, my forehead hitting the airbag before I fell back into my seat.

The engine idled softly. The only sound inside the car was our heavy breathing.

Camila didn’t look at me. Both hands remained locked around the steering wheel.

Her grip was so tight that her fingers trembled. She took a slow, shaky breath.

Finally, she spoke.

"Tell me something." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Do you still love me?"

She never lifted her head. She never looked at me.

I couldn’t answer.

My heart was still pounding from the fear. My body wouldn’t stop shaking.

"Answer me."

Her voice remained calm. Her fingers tightened even more around the steering wheel.

I parted my lips. Nothing came out.

Slowly...

She turned to look at me.

My breath caught.

Her eyes were red. Not just with anger...

But with hurt.

She looked like someone trying desperately not to fall apart. It didn’t even feel like I was looking at the Camila I had always known.

"Can’t you hear me?" she shouted, her voice cracking with emotion.

I flinched.

"I..."

I swallowed hard.

"I still love you, Cam."

The words slipped out in a rush before I could stop them.

A smile slowly spread across Camila’s lips.

It wasn’t gentle.

It wasn’t warm.

There was something unsettling about it.

A smile filled with hurt...

And possessiveness.

"Fine," she said quietly.

"Then kiss me, Lia."

I froze.

Kiss her?

If I did...

Wouldn’t that be cheating on Sylvia?

I couldn’t.

I just couldn’t.

"You don’t want to kiss me?" Camila asked, her voice unusually calm.

She held my gaze for a long moment before giving a faint nod.

"I understand."

Before I could react, she leaned across the space between us.

One hand caught my wrist while the other slipped behind my neck, gently but firmly pulling me closer.

Then her lips met mine.

My eyes flew open.

Instinctively, I pushed her away.

Without thinking, my hand shot into the air.

It stopped there.

Halfway.

Frozen.

The silence inside the car became suffocating.

Camila stared at my raised hand, then slowly looked back at me.

Disbelief filled her eyes.

"You were going to slap me... Lia?"

The words came out almost as a whisper.

My heart dropped.

What...

What was I doing?

I slowly lowered my hand and leaned back against my seat, unable to meet her eyes.

A quiet laugh escaped her lips.

It wasn’t a happy laugh.

It sounded empty.

"So..."

"You really were going to slap me."

She lowered her head for a moment before looking back at me with a sad smile.

"I get it."

"I’ll stay away from you."

"If that’s what you want."

My head snapped toward her.

"What?"

She didn’t answer.

She simply opened the car door and stepped out.

"Cam."

I hurried after her.

"Cam!"

She kept walking.

Not once did she look back.

She raised her hand and flagged down a passing taxi.

The taxi stopped beside her. She opened the door, got in, and quietly closed it behind her.

The car pulled away.

I stood rooted to the spot, staring as it disappeared into the traffic.

The afternoon breeze brushed against my face. It did nothing to ease the heaviness in my chest.

I dragged both hands through my hair and let out a shaky breath.

"Fuck..."

"What was I thinking?"

That was the first time...

The very first time...

I had never raised my hand at Camila.

She had never raised hers at me.

Not even when I had hurt her. Not even when I had given her every reason to walk away.

She had always stayed beside me.

Always.

A lump formed in my throat. "I really messed up..."

After standing there for what felt like forever, I forced myself back to the car.

I slid into the driver’s seat and reached for my clutch on the passenger seat.

My fingers trembled as I pulled out my phone and dialed Camila’s number.

The call wouldn’t connect.

I tried again. Still not connecting.

"Damn it..."

I rested my forehead against the steering wheel and closed my eyes.

The tears wouldn’t stop. They slipped down my cheeks one after another until my vision blurred.

"Cam..." My voice cracked.

"I’m sorry..."

"But I love someone else."

The words hurt just as much said out loud as they had inside my heart.

I covered my face and cried quietly.

Buzz!

Buzz!

Buzz!

The sudden vibration of my phone made me lift my head.

My heart jumped.

Maybe...

Maybe it was Camila.

I quickly grabbed my phone, unlocked it, and opened the notification.

Westbrook Grade 12: Remember Monday’s presentation.

The tiny hope that had bloomed inside my chest died just as quickly.

I let out a shaky sigh and dropped the phone onto the passenger seat.

Maybe I should call Daniela.

I picked it up again and unlocked it. My fingers trembled slightly as I scrolled through my contacts.

The moment I found Daniela’s name, I pressed the call button.

Ring...

She answered on the second ring.

"Lia?"

"Ela..." I called softly.

"Hey, Lia." Her voice was as gentle as ever. "What’s wrong?"

I swallowed hard before answering.

"Is Camila home yet?"

I tried to sound normal, but even I could hear how strained my voice was.

There was a brief silence.

"Didn’t she tell you?"

My brows pulled together. "Tell me what?"

Daniela sounded surprised.

"She booked two flight tickets for tomorrow. The two of you were supposed to visit Grandpa and Grandma in New York."

I blinked.

"What?"

"I thought you already knew." She paused before continuing. "She called me a while ago and said she was flying to New York alone."

My grip on the phone tightened. "She... already booked the tickets?"

"Yes." Daniela’s voice softened. "She wanted to surprise you."

Another painful silence settled between us.

Then Daniela spoke again. "She also bought an ice cream store."

I frowned. "An ice cream store?"

"Yeah."

She chuckled softly. "She registered it under your name."

I stared at the windshield, convinced I’d heard her wrong.

"She... what?"

"She said you once told her that if you ever became rich, you’d buy a huge ice cream store so you could eat free ice cream whenever you wanted."

Daniela laughed again.

"I guess she took you seriously and remembered that silly little dream of yours."

My throat tightened. I couldn’t find a single word.

The inside of my chest felt painfully tight.

She remembered...

Something I had said as a joke.

And she actually made it come true.

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