Divorced the Cheat Married the Fleet (Camilla and Lance) novel Chapter 427

"Dad, that is incredibly out of line! I raised Sarah with my own two hands. How could you call her a treacherous outsider?

Even if she made a mistake, it was just a momentary lapse in judgment. She regrets it! She's been calling me every day in tears.

Dad, you can't just completely write her off because of one mistake. Who hasn't messed up? Has Lance never made mistakes? Don't forget, he almost killed her when they were kids.

Even if it's just to make up for what Lance did to her, we cannot abandon Sarah," Tessa argued.

As she spoke, she turned her head to look at Lance, her eyes flashing with a manipulative edge.

Darwin's expression turned ice-cold. He slammed his hand against the table and barked, "Why are you dragging that up again? That was years ago!"

"I'm just saying that if Lance can be forgiven for his mistakes, Sarah should be too," Tessa retorted.

"Besides, Sarah didn't even do anything that terrible. She just went astray for a moment."

Darwin didn't even want to spare the stubborn woman a glance. Deep annoyance etched itself into his features.

Didn't do anything terrible?

The girl had offered a single apology, and Tessa had bought it completely—conveniently forgetting how Sarah had bitterly accused and despised her in the hospital.

But Darwin was completely out of sympathy. The sheer fact that Sarah had dared to forge a paternity test—nearly costing him his great-grandson—meant Darwin would never let her off the hook.

"It wasn't a momentary lapse. That girl has never walked a straight line in her life," Darwin sneered. "Enough. Don't even waste your breath. I am never letting her back in."

"Dad, you can't be this cruel. Sarah has never spent the holidays alone. You cut off all her cards—you're leaving her with nothing! Do you know how lonely she is out there?

You used to like her too, didn't you? Please, just let her come home," Tessa pleaded.

Did he like Sarah? Not really. It was just that Oscar and Tessa had spoiled the girl rotten. She had a sweet mouth and knew exactly how to charm people from a young age. The Charles family had more than enough money to feed another mouth, so he had simply accepted her presence.

To say he actually cared for her was a massive stretch.

He hadn't even bothered to truly understand her, which was why it took so long to realize how toxic she was.

Darwin almost scoffed at her twisted logic, but he offered a curt correction. "No one called you an outsider. You are the one stubbornly protecting an outsider.

Tessa, we have done more than enough for Sarah. You need to cool down and take a hard look at reality."

Tessa let out a bitter scoff. Without another word to Darwin, she spun on her heels and stormed out of Laguna Shores.

Darwin sighed heavily before turning to Lance. "Don't take what just happened to heart. Your mother poured too much of herself into Sarah, and she just can't accept it right now. Once she finally sees that woman's true colors, she'll come around."

Lance's expression remained perfectly calm. "Grandpa, you don't need to comfort me. I stopped expecting anything from her a long time ago. She and Sarah can do whatever they want, as long as they stay the hell away from me."

It had been like this since childhood—they only ever cared about Sarah. In Lance's heart, Tessa had long since faded into nothing more than a familiar stranger.

Darwin let out another quiet sigh. He harbored a deep sense of guilt toward Lance. If he had only noticed what was happening sooner, Lance wouldn't have suffered so much under that couple's roof...

Sensing the shift in the room's atmosphere, Jasper grabbed Lance's hand. "Dad, don't be sad. You have me now. Mom and I will stay with you forever."