Divorced the Cheat Married the Fleet (Camilla and Lance) novel Chapter 518

Camilla didn't waste a second. She reached out to Magee to track down the top specialists in the field and leveraged The Charles Family's vast network to order the most advanced, state-of-the-art prosthetics money could buy.

By the time she finished organizing everything, the sky outside was pitch black.

Through it all, Lance had remained quietly by her side.

When she finally put her phone away, he looked at her exhausted, conflicted expression and gently suggested, "Let's go bring your dad some dinner. Camilla, stop running from this. Relationships only get easier the more time you spend together, but someone has to take the first step. I know you don't want to see him like that, but what's done is done. You have to face it eventually. I'll go with you."

Camilla pressed her lips into a thin line. She couldn't argue with him.

Her feelings toward Tanner right now were a tangled, agonizing mess.

Back when she was desperately searching for him, she thought that as long as he was alive and she could see him again, everything would be perfect.

But facing the brutal reality of a father who had been stripped of his limbs, the devastating shock left her unable to process her own emotions.

For a fleeting, terrible moment, she had actually felt resentment.

She resented him for always trying to play the hero, for never stopping to think about what his choices would do to their family.

But as quickly as the thought came, the anger dissolved into a hollow resignation.

Tanner had only been doing his job. He carried the safety of thousands of families on his shoulders. The moment he chose to put on that badge, he accepted the responsibility of facing the darkest filth of society. It was the burden he swore to bear, and Camilla knew she had no right to blame him for that.

Still, that tiny sliver of resentment couldn't be erased overnight.

She was only human. She had her own selfish desires.

She knew those selfish feelings were wrong, but she couldn't stop them.

Lance took her hand in his. "Come on, Camilla. Let's go make him a home-cooked meal. You haven't seen him in over ten years. I know you want to cook his favorite dishes. I'll take you to get the groceries."

The steady warmth radiating from his palm slowly untangled the painful knots in her chest.

He was right. What happened had happened, and pointing fingers wouldn't change the past.

She and her father had already lost over a decade. Now that they were finally reunited by some miracle, she couldn't let her negative emotions poison the time they had left.

Camilla looked up at Lance. "Thank you, Lance. Once everything settles down, let's get married."

Tanner beamed. "I was just telling Carol that something smelled incredible. I should have known it was you."

Carol took the hint and quietly slipped out. Seeing the tension finally lifting, Lance prepared to follow her, but Tanner called out to him. "Hold on, son. We're going to be family soon. Stay and eat with us."

Lance stopped in his tracks and walked back over.

Mahoney had already given Tanner the rundown on Lance and Camilla's relationship. As Lance sat down, Tanner offered a heartfelt thanks. "Thank you, son. Thank you for stepping in and protecting Camilla when I wasn't there. I..."

"You just said we're family now. There's no need for that kind of formality," Lance replied, neatly steering away from the heavy atmosphere. He helped Camilla unpack the food containers on the bedside table. "Camilla made all of this from scratch. You should try it while it's hot."

Camilla picked up a bowl and a pair of silverware, intending to feed him. But Tanner smiled and shook his head. "You don't have to go through the trouble, Camilla. I can do it myself."

He awkwardly shimmied his torso to adjust his position on the bed, then craned his neck, leaning his head all the way down toward the bowl.

Watching him move, Camilla felt an agonizing pressure crush her chest, so heavy she could barely pull oxygen into her lungs.

The practiced, mechanical fluidity of his movements told her everything she needed to know. This was how he had survived all these years.

He didn't have hands to hold a plate. Clement's thugs certainly weren't going to feed him. So he had been forced to eat like this...