The Scorned Heiress: No More Mercy novel Chapter 861

Over the phone, Deanna's voice carries a faint, barely detectable tremor as she explains that the gifts were left specifically for Tara by her father. Every year since Tara left the Dennis Family, Charles quietly bought a birthday present and hid it in a secret compartment in the villa's study. For some reason, he never gave them to her in person. That habit remained unbroken, even through her brief return and subsequent departure. He prepared a gift every single year, yet Tara never knew.

Since her return to the Dennis Family, no one had ever remembered or mentioned her birthday. Even when it was brought up, it was always a belated afterthought. She is already used to spending her birthdays alone, or with her closest friends and mentors, completely detached from her family.

Now, as Tara opens these gifts, a sudden ache tightens her chest. They are all things she loves. It is obvious how much thought went into them; each item is something she cherished in the past or would still adore today. She remembers her father always claiming he was too busy with work, his affection always seemingly hidden behind an impenetrable wall. She never expected him to conceal his love in such a quiet, unspoken way for so many years. Her fingertips lightly brush over a pink diamond necklace—the exact design she wanted most when she was twelve. Tears instantly well up in her eyes.

Just then, Danny walks into the room. Seeing her sitting there in a daze with red-rimmed eyes, he panics, rushing over to pull her into his arms. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"It's nothing, really..." Tara hugs him back, her voice choked with emotion as she tells him about the hidden gifts. She guesses Deanna brought them over because her birthday is approaching. Deanna couldn't have just discovered them now; she likely knew about them for a while but struggled with how and when to tell her. Now, unsure of what to give her daughter and afraid Tara would reject a new gift, she chose to reveal Charles's hidden treasures instead. Tara reads her mother's intentions with perfect clarity.

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