Page 93 of Love Unscripted
As she drove home, Camille reminded herself that the deception would soon be over. Just one and a half more days—and she would confess everything to Aaron.
Chapter 16
Day four ofShadow Peakfilming found Camille delivering her lines with accuracy. If she could just get through the episodes cleanly, efficiently, maybe all your anxiety would quiet down too.
She had arrived bright and early after a restless night. Sleep had refused to come easily. Every time she drifted off, her mind replayed dinner at the Cortelli’s. Aaron’s family had been so warm. So welcoming. So… wholesome. The kind of wholesome she had only ever seen on television.
Unlike her own family. Unlike, if she were honest, any family she had personally known.
The memory made her chest ache.
Guilt followed quickly behind it.
She hated the deceit. Hated that she had sat at their table smiling, knowing she was withholding truth. But what choice did she have? She had done what she had to do. She was protecting Aaron. That had to count for something. Wasn’t it better to lie now than for him to be hurt later?
She had tossed and turned all night between those two verdicts, prosecuting and defending herself in equal measure.
Simon wasn’t on set when she arrived, which felt like a small mercy. But he appeared about an hour later, just as she was in costume with her makeup being touched up.
He came over and stood there, watching her reflection in the mirror for a long moment.
“More makeup under the eyes,” he said to the makeup artist. Then to Camille, “Have you recovered from yesterday?”
She nodded. “Mostly.”
“Did you get the rest you needed? Your eyes look a little heavy.”
She nodded again.
“I’ll take care of the heaviness,” the makeup artist said almost apologetically. “Nothing a little concealer can’t fix.”
“Good,” Simon said. “This will be the big scene today. The crescendo. Lots of close ups, Andrew tells me. You need to look perfect.”
Camille didn’t respond. Perfect. Of course.
“Also you’re going to need to pull a later night so that we can regain ground that we lost yesterday.”
There it was.
She nodded slightly. Not surprised. She had known Simon would find a way to make her pay for her early departure.
“And it’s likely we’ll have to shoot at least half a day tomorrow too.”
Still she said nothing. Didn’t argue. Didn’t bristle. Simply inclined her head in agreement.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw the flicker of confusion cross his face. No defiance. No attitude. Just compliance. He wasn’t used to this version of her and it showed.
Unsure what to make of her, he turned on his heel and left.
Camille exhaled slowly.
Positioning herself to inhabit Aradia again had become… complicated. It used to feel thrilling, like slipping into something tailored just for her. Now it felt more like putting on someone else’s used clothes. They fit, technically. But they weren’t hers.
Still, she needed to do it. And do it well.
A moment later she was under the lights, playing her role as if nothing inside her was fractured.
Three hours later, when shooting for that particular scene finally broke, she checked her phone and saw that Aaron had called three times.
