Fiancé Cheated... So I Took His Rival’s Deal - Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Camila genuinely hadn't seen the message. By the time she noticed it, two whole days had slipped by.
Back in Hollowbrook, she'd done something radical—she'd actually turned off her phone and enjoyed a rare, peaceful weekend for once.
"Ms. Bateman, heading back to Emberwick?" Lily Norris, her grandmother's caregiver, asked as Camila prepared to leave.
Camila nodded and pulled a thick envelope from her bag. "Lily, here's your monthly pay plus extra for any medical expenses. Thank you for looking after Grandma."
Lily waved her off immediately. "Oh please, you're paying me good money. This is just what I signed up for."
Camila managed a thin smile before her gaze drifted to her grandmother, Matilda Shaw, lying motionless on the hospital bed. Her chest constricted. If not for work obligations, she'd never leave Matilda alone at Hollowbrook General.
Two years. That's how long Matilda had been in this vegetative state since the accident. Doctors said a top specialist might help, but after two years of searching, Camila kept coming up empty-handed.
She squeezed Matilda's hand, resolve hardening in her eyes. She wouldn't give up. Somehow, she'd find a way to bring her back.
On the train ride home, Camila finally saw Tyrell's message but scrolled right past it. She and Noel were done. No way was she returning to play housekeeper for him anymore.
Noel Anderson—VP of Anderson Group—lived and breathed work. Late nights, skipped meals—that was his default setting. Back in college, worried he'd work himself to death, Camila had taken a PA job at his company before even graduating.
She'd essentially become his 24/7 nanny—managing his life at home and at work. Years of this had made her scarily efficient, but her own dreams? Those kept slipping further away.
She'd graduated from Emberwick Music College as a violinist. That was supposed to be her path—until a hand injury three years ago derailed everything. These days, she just did weekend gigs at a music studio—enough to keep her skills from atrophying and pad her wallet. She couldn't handle professional pieces anymore, but amateur stuff? No problem.
The thirty-minute train ride gave her just enough time to pull up a resignation template, tweak it, and hit send to HR right as the train pulled into the station.
'Let someone else play nanny,' she thought. 'I'm out.'
An hour later, Camila walked into Springside Villa—the home she'd shared with Noel since their engagement. "Shared" being generous. Same roof, sure, but aside from some chaste kisses, there'd been zero intimacy.
She used to think Noel was saving himself for their wedding night. Then she caught him with Shirley in that private room. The truth hit her—he just wasn't into her.
'Fine by me,' Camila mused. 'At least I won't have gross memories to look back on.'
Maria, their housekeeper, brightened when she spotted Camila. "Ms. Bateman! Welcome home. Taking the day off?" The villa had been an icebox since Camila left, frozen under Noel's foul mood.
Camila gave a noncommittal response and headed upstairs to pack. One suitcase held all her essentials. Everything Noel had ever given her—clothes, jewelry, bags—she left behind. Shirley could have them, though knowing Noel, he'd probably buy his precious darling all new things. Not that Camila had used much of it anyway.
Standing at the doorway, she took one last look at the place she'd lived for three years. Shouldn't she feel something? Instead, all she felt was relief.
'Damn right I'm relieved,' she thought. 'No more living under someone else's thumb. No more walking on eggshells. No more being called a gold-digger by his mom. Hell yeah, this feels good.'
Camila headed straight to her best friend Jasmin's place.
"Dumping that asshole is the smartest move you've ever made," Jasmin declared, thrusting a coconut water at her. "That scumbag's got nothing going for him except his looks and family money. He's—"
"I know," Camila cut in, the sweet drink doing nothing for the bitterness in her heart. "If you hadn't shown me yesterday, I'd still be getting played."
Jasmin exhaled sharply. "I was worried you'd think I was butting in."
"Are you kidding? I owe you. Should I have waited to catch them in bed?" Camila gave a wry smile. "I'd rather not be that pathetic."
Jasmin launched into a tirade: "That jerk and his side piece broke up five years ago and still act like they've got unfinished business. He pursued you like some lovesick puppy back then—total bait-and-switch. And Shirley? Her husband's barely cold in the ground and she's out here playing victim while pregnant? Please. That manipulative witch—with her as a mother, God help that kid."
Camila blinked. Same old Jasmin—no filter, no chill.
"Okay, maybe that was harsh," Jasmin conceded. "But come on—she came back specifically to wreck your relationship. And you're just... handing him over?"
Camila's smile turned bitter. "What choice do I have? I was never part of their story. Staying would just be embarrassing."
Jasmin's face clouded with concern. "But what about your grandma's medical bills? And you just quit your job!"
Before Camila could respond, Jasmin dashed to her room and returned with a bank card. "Sixty grand. It'll tide you over."
Camila pushed it back. "I prepaid a month at the hospital. I've got eight grand saved, make about two grand monthly at the studio. If I go full-time and pick up extra gigs, I can pull in four thousand."
Jasmin frowned. "That's too much strain on your hand."
"I don't have a choice," Camila said quietly.
This set Jasmin off again: "Your dad died saving Noel's grandfather! You've been working since you were a kid to support your family. You were this close to finally catching a break—and now this? I swear, I want to stab that—"
Camila actually laughed. "Not worth going to prison over trash like him."
"True," Jasmin grumbled. "Anyway, stay as long as you need. Anything you want—just say the word."
Camila nodded gratefully. For the first time in years, she felt free.