His Bride, Her Revenge-Chapter 53: A Forgotten Past

The air inside the penthouse felt suffocating. Cambria could feel the weight of the conversation pressing on her chest as she stared at Maddox, the man she had once loved. He stood there, his face clouded with guilt and regret, but the truth was already out. There was no going back. The lies had been exposed, the foundation of their relationship shattered.

The silence between them stretched, thick and heavy, as Maddox struggled to find the words to explain himself. But Cambria wasn’t interested in his explanations anymore. She had spent too many years allowing herself to be fooled, too many years believing in a version of Maddox that never truly existed.

"Maddox," she said, her voice breaking the tension, her words firm and unforgiving. "You’ve been lying to me for so long. I gave you everything, trust, loyalty, love and you used it all against me."

Maddox’s face twisted in pain. "I didn’t mean for this to happen. I never wanted to hurt you, Cambria. You have to believe me."

Her heart clenched as she remembered the moments they had shared the love they once had, the dreams they had built together. But now, all of that seemed like a distant memory, a dream she could no longer reach. Maddox had chosen his family’s empire over her, over them. He had been playing a dangerous game, and now, both of them were left standing in the rubble.

"I don’t know if I can believe you anymore," Cambria whispered, her eyes softening just a fraction, but the hurt and betrayal still clouded her judgment. "I want to, Maddox. I want to believe that the man I fell in love with is still there somewhere, but I don’t recognize you anymore."

Maddox took a step toward her, desperation in his eyes. "Cambria, I was forced into this. My father he’s the one who pulled the strings. I didn’t have a choice. I did everything I could to protect you, to keep you out of it. You were never supposed to find out."

Her pulse quickened, her thoughts a whirlwind of anger and confusion. "Protect me? By lying to me? By betraying me?"

"I didn’t want to hurt you," Maddox repeated, his voice cracking. "But I had no other option. You don’t understand. My father threatened you, threatened everything we had. He told me that if I didn’t go along with his plan, he would ruin you. He used you against me, Cambria. And I... I couldn’t let that happen."

Cambria’s chest tightened as the weight of his words hit her. "And you thought lying to me, betraying me, was the only way to protect me?"

"I thought it was the only way to keep you safe," Maddox said quietly, his voice full of regret. "But I see now that I was wrong. I should’ve told you everything. I should’ve trusted you. You were the only person who ever truly understood me. But I didn’t, I couldn’t let you know the truth."

Tears welled in Cambria’s eyes as she turned away from him, her back stiff with the weight of his confession. She felt broken, shattered in a way she hadn’t expected. She had wanted to believe in Maddox, to believe in their love. But the reality was different. He had chosen his family’s empire over her over them and that truth hurt more than anything he could ever say.

"I gave you everything, Maddox," she whispered, her voice trembling. "And you destroyed it."

There was a long pause, but Maddox’s voice finally broke the silence again. "Cambria, I’ve lost everything. I’ve lost you. And I can’t bear the thought of living in a world where you’re not in it."

She turned back to face him, the tears she had held back finally spilling over. "You didn’t just lose me, Maddox. You lost yourself. You became the man I never thought you’d be the man who would destroy everything for power, for control. I can’t trust you anymore. Not after everything."

The pain in her chest felt suffocating. It wasn’t just the loss of Maddox she mourned; it was the loss of everything she had once believed in. She had thought their love could overcome anything. But in the end, it didn’t. It had been built on a lie.

Maddox stepped forward, his hand reaching out for hers, but Cambria recoiled, the space between them growing.

"No," she said, her voice firm. "I can’t do this anymore. I can’t keep holding on to something that was never real. You made your choices, Maddox. And now, I have to make mine."

Her words were like a knife to both their hearts, but Cambria knew it was the right choice. She couldn’t keep living in the shadow of their broken past. She couldn’t keep loving someone who had betrayed her, who had chosen everything over her. She had to move on. For herself.

Maddox’s face fell, the weight of her rejection sinking in. "Cambria, please don’t "

But Cambria shook her head, cutting him off. "It’s over, Maddox. I’m done. I’m done being your victim. I’m done being anyone’s pawn."

With that, she turned and walked toward the door, her heart breaking with every step. But she didn’t stop. She couldn’t stop.

As the door clicked shut behind her, Maddox stood in the middle of the penthouse, staring after her. His body was still, his face a mask of regret and defeat. For the first time in his life, Maddox realized that he had lost something far more important than power; he had lost the woman he had once loved, and now, he might never get her back.

The following days were a blur of activity as Cambria focused on dismantling everything Evelyn and her uncle had built. She knew the road ahead would be long and filled with challenges. But now, more than ever, she had a sense of clarity. She had spent too long running from her past, too long allowing others to control her future.

Her empire was rising again, piece by piece, and this time, she would make sure nothing could ever tear it down. She would rebuild her legacy, her strength, her control and she would never, ever let anyone take that from her again.

But as Cambria sat in her office late one evening, the weight of everything she had fought for settled heavily in her chest. She had come so far, but the pain of losing Maddox still lingered. She had walked away because it was the only choice she could make, but part of her still wondered if she had made the right choice? Would Maddox ever change? Or was he just another part of her painful past that she had to leave behind?

And then, as if on cue, her phone buzzed, pulling her from her thoughts. The name on the screen made her heart skip a beat.

Maddox.

"Cambria, I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. But I need you to know that I would do anything to make this right. Please, let me prove it to you."

Her breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t expected to hear from him again, not after everything. But there he was, reaching out, asking for a second chance.

For the first time in weeks, Cambria felt a flicker of hope, a fleeting thought that perhaps, just perhaps, love could be rekindled from the ashes of betrayal.

But the question remained: Was it too late?