But the real blow came when I called Daniel. Daniel and Camille had been together for almost six years. On and off, sure, but he once told me over a beer that he thought he'd propose soon. They weren't perfect, but they were committed—his words.
So, when I texted him, "You got a second to talk? It's about Camille," he replied in under five minutes.
I told him everything: the video, the hotel, the silence. I didn't want to destroy Camille; I just figured he had a right to know.
There was a long pause. Then Daniel said, "That's not the first time."
"What do you mean?"
"They've hooked up before. At least twice that I know of. Once at a music festival, once at some beach trip. I thought it was just a phase, man. You know, college stuff." He laughed, but it was hollow. "She said Riley wasn't like that anymore. Said they'd cooled off."
"So they were involved?"
"Bro, they were obsessed with each other. But Riley told her it was just experimenting. Said she still wanted a husband, a future. So Camille agreed to keep things quiet. I thought it was over."
I didn't respond because now it all made sense: the way Camille looked at Riley when she thought no one was watching; the time Riley said Camille would always be her person; the way Riley once cried after we got engaged, then blamed it on wedding stress. That wasn't wedding stress. That was guilt.
Daniel didn't say much else. He just said, "Thanks for telling me," then hung up.
Ten minutes later, Camille's name popped up on my screen. I didn't answer. Instead, I watched her voicemail roll in. She sounded calm, collected, like a lawyer trying to negotiate:
"Hey, I think we need to talk. Riley's freaking out. I didn't know she hadn't told you about everything. I thought you knew. I'm sorry this got messy. I never wanted to come between you two."
That last part—that's what made me laugh. She'd already been between us: physically, emotionally, secretly. Riley didn't want me to find out. Camille didn't want me to find out. But they didn't have a plan for when I did.
So, I made one for them. I called the hotel where I'd booked their room, added Camille's name to the reservation, and asked the front desk to leave a welcome note.
Here's what it said: She said you'd always be her backup. Enjoy the upgrade.