Chapter 73

Third-Person POV

The ballroom fell silent as Camille stepped onto the stage. The crystal chandeliers above cast a glow that seemed to highlight her transformation, her posture straight and confident, her chin raised, her eyes clear and focused. Gone was the woman who had once shrunk herself to make others comfortable. In her place stood someone new, someone forged in fire.

She took the microphone from Victoria, her fingers steady despite the hundreds of wide eyes fixed on her. Whispers rippled through the crowd: “It can’t be...” “She’s dead...” “How is this possible?”

The faces that mattered most to her stood frozen in shock. Her mother clutched her father’s arm, her mouth hanging open. Stefan had gone deathly pale, as if seeing a ghost. And Rose.... Rose’s face had drained of color, her perfectly manicured nails digging into her palms.

“Thank you all for coming tonight,” Camille began, her voice carrying across the stunned silence. “Some of you knew m