Kyle's pov
I woke to the warmth of Coco's head still resting on my chest, the blanket had tangled around us, the faint sunlight was creeping in through the curtains and for a second, in that moment everything felt… right in hear.
Then the sound of heels clicking across the marble floor snapped me out of my moment of total bliss.
I blinked, lifting my head. "Camilla?" Lord help me.
She stood in the doorway, hair perfectly curled, lips painted too bright for this early in the morning. My stomach dropped.
"Wow," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "So this is what you've been doing while ignoring me for the past three years and a half? Cuddling little strays on your couch?"
My jaw tightened. "Camilla, what the fuck are you doing here?"
She smirked, stepping closer, her eyes raking over Coco like she was something stuck to the bottom of her shoe. "I thought maybe you'd come to your senses by now. Clearly, I overestimated you."
I shifted, pulling Coco closer instinctively, even as she stirred awake. "Bitch, you need to leave now, you're not welcomed here."
"Oh, come on, Kyle," Camilla said, laughing lightly, the kind of laugh that used to charm rooms full of people. "You and I both know you belong with someone like me. Not… her." She flicked her hand toward Coco dismissively.
My chest burned. "You and I broke up a long time ago. You don't get to walk in here and talk to her like that."
Before Camilla could fire back, another voice cut through the tension from behind her.
"Are you kidding me?"
Kairo walked in, hair messy from sleep, but her glare sharp as glass.
I exhaled, already knowing where this was going.
Kairo's arms crossed. "Camilla, what the hell are you doing here? you're not invited or welcomed in our home."
Camilla scoffed. "What? Did you two rehears your lines for me? Kyle asked the me the same question. Well… I'm looking out for your brother of course. Someone has to, while he is busy entertaining this. At the end of the day, she will never be like us, she doesn't come from an affluent background and worse, your parents want me, not just some low life like her."
Kairo's laugh was sharp, humourless. "Please. You've never looked out for anyone but yourself. Social climbing isn't a full-time job, you know, and besides I look out for my brother and that's why you're not welcomed here. As for my parents and what they want, leave that to me"
Camilla's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"
Kairo stepped closer, fire in her voice and eyes now. "You're excused. From this house. From our lives. I told Kyle from day one you were bad news, and guess what? I was right."
I rubbed a hand over my face, the tension coiling in my chest, but watching Kairo stand between Camilla and Coco, I felt a flicker of relief.
"Get the fuck out, Camilla!" I said, voice low. "We're done here. If you want to talk about who is a low life, then maybe you should hold a mirror to your face. "
Camilla's lips pressed into a thin line, but she flipped her hair and turned her flat ass toward the door with a parting shot: "You'll regret this, Kyle. She'll never be enough."
Kairo muttered, "God, I hate her," as Camilla's heels clicked away. "You're not good enough for my brother and you never will." She shouted seconds later.
I tightened my hold around Coco, heart pounding, anger simmering, but also… gratitude. Gratitude that my sister had seen through Camilla from the start, and hadn't been afraid to say it out loud.
Coco's pov
I sat frozen on the couch, still half-wrapped in the blanket, watching Camilla's back disappear through the doorway. My chest felt tight, like all the air had been sucked out of the room.
I whispered, barely audible, tears threatening to come out. "Who… was that?"
Kyle's arm tightened around me instantly, like he was shielding me from something poisonous. "Camilla Roberts," he said, his tone clipped, clearly annoyed and fuming. "My ex."
Kairo crossed her arms, still glaring at the empty doorway. "Ex from hell, and a dark cloud all at once." she muttered. "More like a parasite that refuses to die, until it has sucked dry the life out of its host." She added.
I blinked, trying to piece it together. "She… she hates me so much and she doesn't even know me. I could feel it. Why?"
Kairo snorted. "She hates anyone who isn't her. Don't take it personally." Then her eyes softened a little when she looked at me. "But yeah… she was trying to get under your skin."
I swallowed hard. "I hate to say it, but it worked."
Kyle brushed his thumb gently over my hand, reassuringly. "Hey… don't, please. She doesn't matter. Not anymore. Come to think of it, she mattered more to my parents than she ever did to me."
But I needed to understand. "Then why did she act like… why did she act like she still had a claim on you?"
Kyle sighed, leaning back, running a hand through his hair. "Because that's who Camilla is. High maintenance. Materialistic. An evil serial cheater who always thought I'd just… overlook everything because she knew how to play people around her."
"Play people? What does that mean?" I asked quietly.
Kairo jumped in before Kyle could. "She's the daughter of our family doctor. Mom and Dad adore her. They've always wanted Kyle to marry her and they never believed a single thing Kyle or I told them about her, and Camilla knows it. She spins lies better than anyone I've ever seen. She can make herself sound like a victim in two seconds flat while she's stabbing someone in the back simultaneously."
Kyle's jaw tightened. "She lied to my parents about why we broke up. Said I was the one who cheated. They still half-believe her, even now, even though I've never cheated. That shit broke me Coco and to think she still believes to be worthy of my love is crazy to me."
My stomach twisted. "That's… awful Kyle, I'm so sorry."
Kairo shook her head. "Awful doesn't even cover it. She's manipulative, Coco. A pathological liar. She feeds off attention and money and the status of being with someone like Kyle. Trust me, she doesn't love him. She never did. She loves the idea of him."
Kyle looked at me then, his expression softened, almost apologetic. "I should've warned you she might show up someday. She's been trying to worm her way back into my life for over a year. I am sorry, I just wanted us to have genuine fun without dealing with my past."
I pressed my lips together, staring at my hands. "And she sees me as… what exactly? Competition?"
Kyle's voice was firm. "She sees you as proof that I can do better, that she lost, and she hates losing. So she will use every opportunity to shrink you because she knows she has nothing on you."
Kairo leaned closer, dropping her voice like she was sharing a secret. "She can act like the sweetest angel in front of my parents. Perfect hair, perfect manners, that 'Yes ma'am, no sir' tone, but the second she doesn't get what she wants? The claws come out."
A chill ran down my spine.
Kyle reached for my chin, gently turning my face so I met his eyes. "Don't let her get to you. She'll try again, sure, but I don't want her. Not now, not ever. She doesn't matter."
I wanted to believe him. Looking into his eyes, steady, and unwavering, I realized I did, but deep down, I also knew this wasn't the last time Camilla Roberts would make me feel like I didn't belong in his world and I wasn't about to allow her like I did my stepmom and stepsister.