Chapter 471 The Truth No One Wanted
Darell decided to handle things himself. He went upstairs to call Kayden and Justin. By then, Kyla had cried herself to sleep in Blair’s arms.
Blair stayed close, holding her tightly. When she saw Darell walk in, she raised a finger to her lips. “Tell your dad I’m staying with Kyla tonight. I won’t be going back to my room.” Darell said nothing.
On the bed, Kyla still had streaks of tears on her cheeks. Her lashes trembled even in sleep, her shoulders twitching as if she were a wounded snake. Thinking about what Russell had uncovered about Kyla’s actions, Darell felt a wave of disgust rise in his chest. He almost gagged but forced himself to swallow it down.
“What’s wrong, Darell?” Kayden asked, frowning. He and Justin had grown up with Darell. They knew him too well not to notice something was off. “Dad’s waiting for you two downstairs. Let’s talk there,” Darell said quickly. He turned to his mom. “Mom, just take care of Kyla. Don’t worry about anything else.” “Alright.”
Blair’s entire focus was on Kyla’s pain. She didn’t notice Darell’s unease at all. Watching Kyla sobbing unconsciously in her sleep, Blair secretly let out a heavy sigh. What a mess. What a terrible mistake. Blair regretted ever bringing Tilda back. If I hadn’t, Kyla would still be fine. The family would still be fine. Even Tilda… She probably would have been fine too. With one careless choice, she had caused nothing but pain for everyone. She couldn’t escape the truth–she was guilty.
Kayden and Justin followed Darell in silence down to the living room. There, Russell sat in the haze of cigarette smoke, something he rarely touched. The smoke curled around his face, but even through the gray fog they could see the storm in his eyes. The sight made both brothers’ hearts sink. Their instincts told them terrible stuff had happened while they were away. “Dad,” Justin broke the silence. “We’re all here now. Can you tell us what happened?” “Dad…” Kayden echoed. “You tell them, Darell,” Russell cut in sharply, his voice flat. “I don’t want to talk about Kyla Jenson right now.” “What?” Justin and Kayden froze. Did they just hear him right?
Once, Russell spoiled Kyla like a little princess. He would have pulled down the stars and the moon if it meant making her smile. And now he spoke her name with such coldness it didn’t even sound like the same man. Darell sighed heavily. He had no choice but to share the truth with Justin and Kayden. When they heard it, their faces froze in shock. They looked just like Darell had earlier–stunned, unable to believe a word of it. Kayden was the first to react. “Dad, maybe this is a mistake. Maybe Kyla-” “She’s not that kind of person, right?” Russell helped him to finish the question.
His eyes burned red, filled with an icy fury. Even Kayden, usually calm and collected, was rattled into silence. “I wanted to believe that too!” Russell shouted. “I prayed it wasn’t true. Before I knew the truth, I thought Kyla could never be like this. But I was wrong–dead wrong! The day I misjudged Tilda, I already suspected Kyla, because she stood to gain the most. But I let her tears fool me. I let her weak act deceive me. And I let my favoritism blind me while I pushed Tilda away. I became the fool who only now learned the truth about what happened half a year ago!” His voice rose, shaking with fury and grief. “Tilda was right. I’m nothing but an arrogant fool, always preaching empty words, chaining others with hollow promises, while I couldn’t do a thing myself. I’m the biggest clown of all!” Russell grew increasingly worked up. Finally, he choked on the smoke from his cigarette. His body shook with violent coughs, and tears spilled down his face. “Dad, calm down! Please don’t get so worked up!” Darell and the others rushed forward, trying to steady him. “Dad, maybe Kyla had her reasons,” Justin said softly. His heart ached. He didn’t want to believe it. Justin couldn’t accept that the one who had driven Tilda away, who had plotted it all from the shadows, was Kyla. And then–Kyla had still played the part of the innocent. If that were true, what did it mean for him? For all those years he had cherished Kyla as his only sister? For all the trust he had given her? Were all those innocent, bright smiles nothing but a performance? “Reasons? The only reason she had was fear,” Kayden snapped. “She was afraid that once Tilda came home–as Mom and Dad’s real daughter, our real sister–we’d push her aside. She thought we’d neglect her just to make up for nineteen years of lost time with Tilda. That’s it.” Kayden was nothing like Justin. He wasn’t gentle. He wasn’t sentimental. He didn’t cling to old ties. All he could think about was this–Tilda had been betrayed and driven away, not by strangers, but by Kyla. The very sister they had trusted the most.