"Because you guys don't look at each-other with butterflies and happiness. You look at each other with reality but at the same time there's a fairytale waiting for you."
When Juliette Laurent returns back to Monaco she surprises everyone, especially...
"This house is beautiful... absolutely beautiful." Pascale smiled, her hands tightened mine as she held me closely to her admiring my dining room.
I chuckled a little, "It's still a work in progress but it will get there.. working on Camila's room first."
Today was housewarming day, I'd invited all of the family up to see the house and have a nice dinner, fully prepared and made by myself, "Mummy can I show uncle Nicolas the garden?" Camila asked me,
I nodded to her "Please wear a coat, it's getting cold now okay?" She jumped up and grabbed one from the coat rack and ran to the garden, Nicolas and Phillipe not far behind her.
"So do you know if Paul is coming..?" I asked Jean as I got the plates out on the table unsure of how many to lay out as he was currently absent from the gathering, "Yeah he's just running late, he'll be here." Jean replied much to my annoyance.
Within minutes the door bell rang, Esme quickly up to go and answer for me as I began to dish up the food, I'd attempted to make lasagna, which I'd very much underestimated the difficulty of.
"Juliette, we're going to need an extra serving." My sister rushed into the kitchen, her hand on my arm as she relayed the news, "Paul has a girlfriend? Damn." I replied grabbing another plate from the cupboard above me, thinking about this poor girl.
Esme chuckled awkwardly "Not quite-
She didn't finish what she was saying as another presence entered the kitchen, I turned around to see who it was, "I'm here," he said "You can talk to me, or not talk to me, but I'm here."
Charles.
His expression was serious, but I liked how it softened when he looked at me. Like the way he looked at me was different from everyone else, he walked over to the counter and began to help carrying the food out without me even asking.
I wished that I'd recorded Camilas reaction after seeing Charles for the first time in over two weeks. She'd practically flown across the room when she realised he was here, and threw herself into his arms, telling him just how much she'd missed him. It made my heart melt, as much as I'd missed him too how she missed him more than anything, more than her friends at home.
"How come you haven't seen him Camila?" Paul asked her immediately trying to figure out what was going on, always trying to stir up the truth.
Charles responded for her, saving me from the awkward conversation "Racing mate, been busy."
Everyone promptly sat at the table, thankfully I had enough seats for all ten of us and I'd overestimated how much to feed everyone so I had enough for an extra person, "This house can't have been cheap Juliette, it's really nice." Paul started, was he being nice to me?
I smiled, looking to my daughter "It was Camilas favourite, wasn't it mon amour? She wanted a house that had a treehouse so I did try my best."
Paul nodded, "How much was it?"
"Uh-
"Paul." Jean huffed.
He continued to remark, "Pierre's money I assume? Pft I mean how else would you afford it. He did leave you all of it didn't he? Don't know what he was thinking."
He always has something to say.
Esme was eager to protect me "I'll have you know my sister has put all of his money in Camilas trust fund, she bought all of this herself."
"Don't buy it." He quipped stabbing a fork into his lasagne, Cyril nudged him on the arm "Lay off alright?" He told his brother but was quickly ignored.
"Paul can we please not, just this once can we just pretend it's all okay," I looked at Camila and mouthed "For her sake."
He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms "Let's be honest here, you've only got this house to prove yourself a capable mother haven't you? You only invited us here to try and prove yourself not because you want Camila to be closer with her family."
I had him taken from me, you cannot take her too, it will ruin me.
I shrugged, "I want Camila to be closer with her family, of course I do, I always have I just could never bring myself to come back."
Paul began to laugh sadistically "So you're selfish too? Depriving your daughter of her family because you can't get a grip?"
Pascale had enough, "Paul stop it."
"Let's change the subject alright?" Jean suggested, I nodded in agreement as I grabbed a napkin from further up the table to wipe Camilas face, red all around her mouth.
"Okay," Paul thought for a moment "How many boyfriends have you had since Juliette?"
Camila whispered "Ew boys." Causing me to smile a little at her, "Exactly, right Cami, I've had none since."
Paul raised a brow "Is that so?"
I nodded, pushing my plate forward full already "I had other priorities."
Charles glanced over at me, he was sat opposite me at the table and next to Paul, "Are you sure? Camila did you ever see mummy bringing boys home?" He asked her.
She looked at him confused "Huh?"
"What are you trying to achieve here?" Esme asked him, actually getting to see his behaviour around me for the first time.
He looked over at me, "Trying to tell Camila in a way she'll understand that her mummy doesn't really love her daddy and her mummy is probably a whore."
I covered Camila's ears with my hands as he spoke, already expecting an uncouth reply from Paul, grief I've learned is really just love, it's all the love you wanted to give but cannot, all of that unspent love gathers in the corner of your eyes, the lump in your throat, and the hallow part of your chest. Grief is love with no place to go, and Paul is still grieving.
All of his family remained silent, unsure of what to say to his fucked up comments, "You need to leave." Charles told him, standing up and ushering him out.
Paul stood but didn't stop with the comments, "No she needs to leave, leave her daughter with her family and fuck off back to Italy for the rest of her life, gold digger."
Pascale recognised that the situation was escalating and picked up Camila, taking her out to the kitchen with her and shutting the door behind them so she wouldn't hear anything else, "Please just go." Cyril told Paul.
All of the brothers were accepting of Camila and I and visited regularly, Phillipe and Nicolas took Camila to the park yesterday afternoon and she had a lovely time, all of them were making an effort other than Paul, yet he was the one prepared to send me to court.
"You're all on her side? She's been fucking around since he died and probably before too! She kept his daughter from us and you're all fine with that?" Paul asked baffled, nobody said anything in response.
Paul then began to shout around, walking to the kitchen door and slamming on it "Camila your mum is a fucking mess- you're going to be saved from her very soon I promise."
What shocked me most was what came next, I'd never known him to be violent, it wasn't in Charles' nature, hence the gasps as he punched Paul and proceeded to throw him out of the house.
