First

“It just doesn’t make any sense,” Leila says in a clearly angered tone, stuffing clothes into a box. “Why now? I mean why after fifteen good years. What’s the point? We are his family, we should be the ones seeking justice. If they cared about him so much, why didn’t they look into it after his death, they’re just going to put my innocent mother through unnecessary trauma. I hate them all.”

Kelvin sighs, zipping the box full of Amara’s clothes. “Look on the bright. side, we could get evidence to find those rogues who did it.”

“I know who did it,” Leila replies sharply, her cold gaze flushed with anger. “It was Carmela’s father, I’m certain of it.”

“But without proof, those are just mere accusations. I know you are angry and you want revenge on those who hurt you and your family, believe me, I do too but we have to pick our fights wisely.”

Leila groans, dropping on the bed defeatedly, hanging her head before she raises it to look at Kelvin with a sullen took in her eyes.

“She should have just come over here when I asked her to and after this, she’s moving back here with us, I don’t care if I have to excavate dad’s remains and bury him here for that to happen.”

A year after Amara was born, Liana secretly paid them a visit and Leila had asked her to stay behind and continue living with them, she missed her mother so much but Liana refused, she would not leave the remains of her fated mate alone in the blood oak pack, it was the only way she still felt close to him.

Sometimes Leila wonders how even in death, her mother’s bond to her father remains as strong as ever while Tatum wanted her and their child dead and now she has to go back to face him.

She doesn’t even know what it would feel like seeing him again after all these years.

Is it even safe for her to return? Will Tatum not punish her like he wanted to

five years ago?

She thought she would never have reason to go back there and that their paths will never cross again but apparently, fate has another plan for her.

“Listen,” Kelvin says, crouching in front of her and holding both her hands, looking into her eyes with sheer concern. “We are going to win this time but you have to be ready, Leila, we cannot play by the rules. Whoever is framing your mother for this is probably doing it to lure you back to finish what they started but we are wiser…..and we are stronger….but most importantly, we are ready to get our hands dirty if need be, are you with me?”

Leila purses her lip tightly, letting his words sink in as she closes her eyes and heaves a deep sigh.

“I’m with you, I trust you, my beautiful knight in shining armour,” she teases Kelvin with a small smile, feeling a bit relieved.

Even now, Kelvin is a solid rock she can stand on and the more she thinks about it, the more she realises that she may never experience a love like he has shown her in her life again.

Tatum took her love for granted, she doesn’t want to do the same with his.

“I’ll get the car ready,” Kelvin replies smoothly, leaving the room.RêAd lat𝙚St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

As their car drives into the grounds of the blood oak pack, the nervous pool in the pit of Leila’s stomach begins to twirl hard, a sense of foreboding filling her heart, memories of the bitter past coming hard, the pain of how they beat her past these very grounds like a criminal with a child inside her hits her with full force, her chest tightens and flashes of the cold, hungry and thirsty nights in the cell batter her mind.

“Mama, are you alright?” Amara asks, noticing Leila’s breath turning ragged as she suddenly finds it hard to breathe.

*Stop the car,” Leila says in a breathless voice but Kelvin doesn’t hear her.

“Stop the car!” She yells, gasping for breath and the car barely comes to a halt before she runs out to the side of the road, spilling her guts and catching her breath.

She should not have come back here, this place reminds her of nothing but pain, agony and suffering.

Pain that she endured endlessly because of Tatum, in hope that he would choose her, that their love will prevail,

Agony that she brazenly faced, thinking it would all be worth it in the end, only for her sacrifice to be spat back in her face.

Suffering that became her way of life, her modus operandi, suffering that numbed her heart daily but yet, every time she saw Tatum’s passionate eyes, everytime he would promise her that she was his ultimate choice and he would never let her go, her numb heart would find life but in the end, that life was squeezed out of it by Tatum’s very own hands.