Chapter 465 The Broken Memorial Frame

The memory of Tilda’s memorial frame shattering on the floor froze Darell’s hand in midair.

For reasons he couldn’t explain, he didn’t want to touch Kyla. Not at all.

He pulled his hand back and said, stiffly, “Kyla. Long time no see.”

Kyla flushed with awkwardness.

She stood there, humiliated, wishing she could disappear. Her face had gone pale.

“Hmm… yeah, Darell. Long time no see,” she managed.

Kyla knew Darell had always kept her at arm’s length.

Any affection he had shown before was merely a facade to appease the family.

Still, of all her brothers, Kyla liked Darell the most.

It wasn’t just because he was handsome and aloof.

Darell was in show business. He had won the award she had always dreamed of.

Because Darell barely noticed her, Kyla’s competitive streak flared, making her want his attention all the more.

She had won over the whole family, making them dote on her without ever noticing her flaws.

But with Darell it didn’t work. Kyla’s perfect act—and her pride—wouldn’t allow her to fail like this.

Even after all these years, Darell was still against her.

Kyla herself didn’t know what she’d done wrong.

Everyone else was caught up in the joyful moment and didn’t notice Kyla’s odd reaction.

They helped Darell into the car and drove straight home.

On the ride, Darell fought down his curiosity. He didn’t ask about Tilda.

His gut told him Tilda had become a wound for his family.

Only after they reached home did Darell roughly explain what had happened to him over the last half year.

After that, he turned to his parents with a serious look. “Dad, Mom,” he said, “I rushed back from filming in Jeselton because I need to know what happened between Tilda and our family.”

The room fell silent the moment he said Tilda’s name.

Justin and Kayden had expected Darell to ask about her–just not so soon.

As soon as someone brought up Tilda, the two brothers felt a pain they couldn’t put into words.

They had tried so hard to forget her, but they couldn’t.

It sat in their chests like a deep thorn, stabbing now and then.

No remedy could ease it.

Whenever they tried to pretend the wound wasn’t there, someone would mention her by accident.

The scar would tear open again.

It would never fade–impossible to forget, even in a lifetime.

Russell and Blair’s faces darkened.

But the one shaken the most was Kyla.

She lowered her head, fists clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. She used the pain to keep herself awake and steady.

Her chest burned with fury.

In her mind, all she could see was Tilda’s smug smile–a smile she longed to slash away with a blade.

Russell let out a heavy sigh. “Darell, you just got back from Jeselton. After such a long flight, you must be exhausted. Why don’t we talk about Tilda tomorrow?”

“Dad, I know Tilda has shaken our family. But the reason I rushed back was because of her. I saw her in Jeselton and I also saw things I never thought were real. Things I still can’t understand. I need to know what really happened between Tilda and our family, or I’ll never have peace of mind.”

“You saw her in Jeselton? She’s there?”

…

Their eyes widened in disbelief.

None of them had expected it. Jeselton was such a huge city.

How could Darell and Tilda have crossed paths?

“It’s fate–bad fate,” Russell groaned. His chest ached with grief. “What did we do in another life to deserve this kind of punishment now?”

Russell clutched his chest, his face twisting with pain and sorrow.

He was convinced they must have owed Tilda something far worse than a single life.

And now, in this lifetime, they were trapped, tangled deeper and deeper in her shadow, unable to escape.

Blair’s mind flashed back to that day in the restaurant restroom, when Tilda coldly admitted she never intended to save Blair or Dominic. She had even thought about paying someone to kill them in secret.

Even now, hearing Tilda’s name, Blair couldn’t stop herself from asking, her voice trembling.

“When did you see her? Did she say anything? Is she doing okay?”

Her heart quivered with those questions.

Tilda hated them. She hated Blair, hated Dominic, and hated everything tied to this family.

And at the root of it all, it was Blair’s cold indifference years ago. That blind favoritism toward Kyla.

Even though Tilda had saved Blair and her eldest son’s lives, Blair couldn’t forget.

Every day back in Slosa, the memory haunted her.

What mistake had she made that brought them to this point?

At last, she came to one conclusion.

She had never been a good mother.