Page 106 of Love Unscripted
“She also said when she promotes the episodes, she’ll be upfront about who she is and what she believes. Every chance she gets.”
“And you agree with her?” Aaron had asked.
A pause.
“Yes, Aaron. I do. I know I was livid at first but after she explained things I understood. We all did. I believe that she has the ability to charm audiences and convince them that she did nothing wrong.”
Aaron wanted to say, “The way she convinced you?”
But he hadn’t.
It was obvious Camille had Ray eating out of the palm of her hand.
Now, in the editing suite, Aaron continued reviewing footage. There were only a couple of scenes that needed pick-ups, mercifully involving the actors playing Haman and Mordecai. He wouldn’t have to reshoot anything with Camille.
He wondered—uneasily—if he was being too lenient. If he was overlooking minor flaws in her scenes simply to avoid standing across from her again.
Not searching for reasons to reshoot.
Searching for reasons not to.
~*~*~*~
One night, after an emotionally draining day reviewing their most intense scene—himself, Camille, and Yves—Aaron’s phone buzzed.
Ray.
Camille is promoting Shadow Peak tonight at 11:35 p.m. on The Tonight Show. You might want to check it out.
He told himself he didn’t.
At 11:39, he turned it on.
There she was. And she was perfect. Dark hair swept back from her face, makeup soft but luminous. A pale pink satin dress that caught the studio lights every time she shifted. Composed. Radiant. At ease beside Jimmy.
The crowd cheered loudly when her name was announced.
Jimmy leaned forward, grinning. “We are very excited. The internet nearly broke when it was announced that Aradia is returning for theShadow Peakseason finale. I mean—people lost their minds.”
Camille laughed lightly. “They did. I’ve seen the comments.”
“So let’s address it,” Jimmy continued. “You left the show last year, publicly saying that you’re a Christian now and it no longer aligned with your values. And then—boom—you secretly film the final episode. What happened?”
She shook her head, smiling. “No secret conspiracy. No publicity stunt. I am a sincere believer. Born again. That hasn’t changed.”
“So the faith thing wasn’t—”
“Not a marketing ploy,” she said gently but firmly.
“But you’re back,” Jimmy pressed, though his tone remained playful. “You made this dramatic exit. And now you’re closing it out. That’s poetic.”
“It felt right,” Camille said. “I had a conversation with the producers. With Simon. We worked through it. I was given creative input into Aradia’s final arc. And it aligned with my values.”
Jimmy raised an eyebrow. “So Aradia gets a redemption moment?”
Camille smiled knowingly. “You’ll have to watch.”
“Oh come on. Give me something.”
