Chapter 643

“You watched him get cremated, didn’t you? It’s probably just a coincidence.” Without waiting for a response, he ended the call. His gaze drifted back up to the Ferris wheel, where Keira was still at the top.

I stayed up there until the last of the park-goers had left, until the bright lights dimmed and melted into the quiet of the night. Only then did I finally step off the Ferris wheel. Wayne was still waiting, coming over to help me down. His eyes scanned my face, like he was trying to read something I wasn’t offering. But I’d left everything up there, spilled out with the view. By the time I was back on the ground, I was just… me again.

“It’s late. Let’s go,” he said softly.

I trailed behind him out of the park, breaking the silence with, “Tell me about Demi.”

“She’s in Lindale. That’s all I know. If you want more, you’ll have to reach out yourself,” he said, careful as always. He pulled out his phone and tapped out a quick message. “Her number and address. Sent.”

“Thanks,” I said, keeping it short. Then I turned to leave.

“Rea,” he called after me. His voice was steady, but his eyes held something heavier. “…Get some rest.”

I could tell that wasn’t what he really wanted to say. But I let it slide, gave him a small nod, and walked away.

The amusement park incident, with its viral spectacle, totally dominated the trending topics overnight. But somehow, I was trending too, except for something completely different. The headlines weren’t about me being at the park. Nope, they claimed I’d checked into a hotel with some “young hunks” after drinking at a bar. The post even came with a video so cleanly shot it might as well have been directed by Spielberg.

It was obvious this wasn’t just some nosy passerby trying to stir the pot. Someone went out of their way to film me and make it go viral—straight-up sabotage.

Honestly? I couldn’t care less. If I was bold enough to actually pull something like that, I wouldn’t flinch at people finding out. Just yesterday, Lena and I joked about me stirring up my own scandals for fun. But this wasn’t my stunt, and I wasn’t about to let someone else use me for clout.

Tracking them down was almost too easy. A quick trip back to the bar, and there she was. When Tanya stepped into view, I actually blinked in surprise. She was working here now? As a hostess?

The manager didn’t waste a second throwing her under the bus. “Ms. Kay, whatever you want to do with her is your call. We won’t defend her, and she’s no longer employed here.”

“Do you think I need your help to find work?” Tanya’s words were as sharp as broken glass.

The woman standing in front of me wasn’t the proud, polished Tanya I once knew. She was hardened now, stripped of grace, a shell of who she used to be.

Life’s a gamble—one wrong move, and everything falls apart. If Tanya had just let go of her schemes and settled for a quiet life with Desmond, she might not have been rich, but she could’ve had peace. Now, she had neither.

“What do you want? Just spit it out,” Tanya snapped, defiant as ever, her posture full of arrogance despite her downfall.

“Do you regret it?” I asked, my voice calm.

Tanya sneered. “Regret? For what? People are always trying to get ahead, to climb higher. That’s all I ever wanted. Is that so wrong?”

Even now, she refused to see the cracks in her logic.

“If your heart’s in the wrong place, the harder you chase something, the faster it slips away,” I said, standing up.

There was no point dragging this out. She wasn’t going to change, and I wasn’t about to waste energy convincing her. But I wasn’t leaving without making my stance clear.

“Tanya, you couldn’t touch me before, and you sure as hell can’t now. I’m letting you off this time because we’re both women, but next time? No mercy.”

She laughed, sharp and mocking, as if my words were a joke.

I didn’t care. With a faint smile, I turned and walked away.

Seeing Tanya again, and realizing how far she’d fallen, stirred up memories I hadn’t thought about in years—memories of the baby she’d been carrying. She was seven months pregnant back then. What had happened to that child?

I remembered where Desmond used to live. Jace and I had dropped him off there once. Acting on a sudden impulse, I drove to the neighborhood. As luck would have it, Desmond’s parents were outside when I arrived. But they were alone. No sign of a child.

A kid that young? They wouldn’t have left him behind. So where was he?

My heart raced as I approached them, the question spilling out before I could stop myself. “Hi, Mr. Blake, Mrs. Blake. Um… where’s your grandson?”