Chapter 6

Callum knew exactly where Tamara was most vulnerable.

And he knew how to strike where it would hurt the most.

He was ruthless enough to do it without hesitation,even when it meant using their own daughter against her.

Tamara’s voice trembled as she forced the words out one by one.“Fine.I’ll do it.”

Her hands shook uncontrollably as she wrote the statement.

The moment she finished,she drove straight to the police station and handed it in.

One of her mother’s former students tried to reason with her.

“Tamara,we’ve almost finished the investigation.Give us a few more days,and we’ll have everything figured out.Please,just wait a little longer.”

There was nothing left in Tamara’s eyes but despair.

She shook her head.“I don’t have time.My mother is already gone.I can’t lose my daughter too.”

The other person immediately sensed that something was wrong.

“Tamara,is someone threatening you?”

Tamara couldn’t bring herself to say anything.She was terrified that if Callum found out,he would send Tilly away in a fit of anger.

After all,he was Tilly’s father.

If he really took their daughter away,Tamara knew she might not be able to win a custody battle against him.

Tamara only said,“Jasper,thank you for everything you’ve done for me.But everyone has their own path to walk.I was blind back then and chose the wrong man.This is a mistake I have to pay for.”

Tamara had already made up her mind,and Jasper didn’t try to persuade her any further.

When Seraphina was released,Callum arrived just in time.

He hurried over to her,his face filled with concern.“Seraphina,did they treat you badly in there?”

Sometimes,Tamara wanted to tear Callum’s heart open just to see how deeply it could favor one person over another.

She had lost more than ten pounds in a single month,and he hadn’t cared.

Their daughter had been taken away,crying until her voice was hoarse,and he hadn’t cared.

But Seraphina had spent only a few days in custody,and Callum was already beside himself with worry.

Seraphina deliberately nestled into his arms,her voice trembling with practiced helplessness.

“I was terrified.I thought I’d never see you again.”

Callum patiently comforted her.“Don’t worry.I’m here.I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Tamara could barely stand the sight of them together.The scene made her eyes ache.

She forced herself to remain calm and asked coldly,“I did what you asked.Now,where is my daughter?”

Before Callum could answer,Seraphina gently tugged at his sleeve,deliberately stirring up trouble.

“Callum,she had me arrested this time without even knowing the truth.What if she does it again?I’m scared.”

Callum immediately soothed her.“Then how do you want to handle this?”

Seraphina hesitated before putting on a forgiving expression.

“Forget it.We’re all family,after all.If Tamara sincerely apologizes to me,I’ll let this go.”

Callum nodded in satisfaction before turning his gaze to Tamara.

Tamara fought the urge to slap Seraphina across the face.

“Callum,that wasn’t part of our agreement.”

“You’re right.It is now.Apologize to Seraphina.”

“And what if I refuse?”

Callum narrowed his eyes,his voice carrying a clear threat.“Then you can forget about seeing your daughter.”

For a moment,Tamara felt utterly exhausted.

Tilly had once been the precious little girl born from their love,the child they had both cherished beyond measure.

Now,Callum had turned their daughter into a weapon to control her.

But this would be the last time.

Tomorrow,Tamara would finally get her divorce certificate.Then she would take Tilly and leave this place far behind.

At last,Tamara apologized to Seraphina.“I’m sorry.This was my fault.”

Where Callum couldn’t see,Seraphina gave her a triumphant,mocking smile.

But Tamara no longer cared.

She had made mistakes,that much was true.

She had been too trusting back then,too willing to open her heart and her home to someone who never deserved either.

That apology wasn’t for Seraphina.It was for her mother—for all the ways Tamara had failed to protect her.

After Tamara apologized,Callum finally gave her Tilly’s location.

As Tamara turned to leave,Callum reminded her,“Tilly cried pretty badly this time.Make sure you comfort her.When I get back next time,I’ll buy her some building blocks.”

Tamara didn’t even look back.

There was no future left for them.

Once she found Tilly,the two of them would leave tomorrow and never look back.

An hour later,Tamara arrived at the Blackwood family’s private helipad.

But there was no cheerful daughter waiting to greet her.Only Tilly,lying motionless on the ground,not breathing.

Tamara’s heart stopped.

She approached slowly,almost afraid of what she would find,then carefully checked for a breath beneath Tilly’s nose.

Nothing.

Her little girl was dead.

Tilly had suffered from a heart condition since she was young.The intense emotional distress must have triggered something her fragile heart couldn’t withstand.

But if Callum had cared enough to leave someone with her,even just one person to watch over her,Tilly might still be alive.

Why?

After enduring so much,after holding on for so long,why had she still lost everything?

The grief and shock overwhelmed Tamara,and she collapsed.

When she woke again,she was in the hospital.

A bodyguard stood beside her bed,holding out a small urn.

“Mrs.Blackwood,the rain had soaked and damaged Miss Tilly’s body,so we took the liberty of having her cremated.”

“We tried calling Mr.Blackwood over and over,but we couldn’t get through…”

Tamara’s face remained eerily calm.She simply stepped forward,took the urn containing her daughter’s ashes into her arms,and spoke in a barely audible voice.

“It doesn’t matter anymore.What difference would it make if he knew now?”

Callum knew better than anyone how much Tilly meant to her,yet he had still used their daughter to threaten her.

He knew Tilly was terrified of the dark,yet he had still left her alone in a warehouse at the helipad.

How was that fair?

Why had everyone she loved been taken from her while the people responsible were still alive and well?

That afternoon,Tamara went to the airport with Tilly’s ashes in her arms.

She had booked a flight to Mordova.

Callum had no idea that Tamara had a father.Her parents had divorced when she was young,and she had grown up with her mother.

Her father was a powerful politician in Mordova.If she wanted revenge,getting his help would be effortless.

Before boarding the plane,Tamara took one last look in the direction of the Blackwood estate.

More than a decade of love.Seven years of marriage.In the end,it had all been wasted on the wrong people.

The next time they met,there would be no mercy between them.

Two lives had been taken,her mother’s and her daughter’s.

They would pay for both.