Scars Of A Broken Bond



Keilani stood up abruptly and gazed at Lance, disbelief written all over her face.

"If you still think of me as your brother, then please, just hear me out and head back to Philade tomorrow." Lance remained seated on the sofa, staring at Keilani intently.

"I'm not going back!" Keilani, fuming with anger, huffed and retreated to the corner of the sofa. "Well, if you want to go back, you can go back on your own!"

"Tyrone isn't the right man for you. Even if you two have a kid, he won't consider being with you," Lance calmly retorted.

Tyrone had an affair before and was head over heels in love with Sabrina. Caring parents wouldn't approve of Keilani's making advances toward Tyrone.

"And how do you figure he's not my Mr. Right? How could you be so certain he won't consider spending his life with me? We just had lunch together today!" Keilani yelled.

Seeing Keilani's refusal to budge. Lance felt a wave of disappointment and scoffed. "You two didn't share the lunch alone, right? Jennie was there with you guys, wasn't she?"

Tyrone having lunch alone with Keilani at this point would mean he was considering leaving Sabrina.

"Well... So what if Jennie is with us? She's our daughter. Realizing Lance was on to something, Keilani quickly added, "We had lunch together as a family. Doesn't that show where he stands?"

Scrutinizing Keilani, Lance remained quiet for a few moments, baffled by how his sister could be this stubborn and foolish.

Sharing a meal didn't prove anything. It was common for friends, coworkers, classmates, clients, and even strangers to dine together. The act of eating together didn't signify a special connection.

Keilani's statement suggested two issues. Firstly, Tyrone had never shared a meal with her before. Secondly, she lacked any close bond with Tyrone, resorting to their shared lunch as evidence of their association. The only reason Tyrone would have lunch with Keilani was because she was supposedly the mother of Jennie.

Noticing Lance's doubtful gaze, Keilani felt compelled to convince him, "You have to trust me on this. He made it clear today that he has no plans to get back with Sabrina! He's not going to remarry Sabrina! Do you know what this means?"

Keilani had completely forgotten the promise she made to Alice. For now, her main aim was to talk Lance into advocating her advances toward Tyrone, so she stressed the point deliberately. She expected Lance to react positively to her revelation since she still assumed Lance had taken a liking to Sabrina.

However, Lance's expression remained unchanged. "And? That doesn't prove they won't end up together. Stop being so naive!"

Lance didn't think Keilani's revelation of Tyrone's lack of intention of remarrying Sabrina made any difference.

Keilani's expression turned to stone, struggling to figure out the cause of Lance's indifference to her words. Could it be that Lance's feelings for Sabrina had run this deep? So much so that he was okay with stepping aside to let Sabrina and Tyrone be together?

"Lance, aren't you glad they're not getting back together? Keilani ventured cautiously.

"I'd rather they did remarry to spare you from holding onto impossible dreams."

Keilani was stunned.

Lance got up and towered over Keilani. "If you're fond of that kid, I'll make an effort to secure her custody for you and bring her back to Philade. As for other things, spare me from your nonsense."

"Anyway, I'm not planning on returning! You can't force me!"

The two separated in discord.

"What did Lance tell you?" Alice hurriedly asked.

Back in Keilani's room, Alice approached Keilani with a worried look as she noticed Keilani sitting at the bed's edge, clearly upset.

Keilani huffed, "He found out about Jennie being my daughter, but he refused to support my relationship with Tyrone. He's sending me back to Philade tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Who knows?" Keilani rolled her eyes and muttered, "Maybe he's obsessed with Sabrina. All he wants is for Sabrina to be happy."

Alice looked down and said, "She's definitely trouble, but now's not the time to deal with her. What are you going to do now?"

"I'm not going back, that's for sure."

"And if he talks to your parents and they want you to return?" Alice urged.

Keilani bit her lip, unsure. She firmly replied, "I still won't go back."

"Maybe you should talk to your uncle first. Tell him how hard it's been to reconnect with your child and that you need to stay here for a while. The kid's been with Tyrone for so long, and she's not used to you. You can't just take her back to Philadelphia without preparation. Ask your uncle to talk to Lance for you."

"But Lance won't be convinced."

"It doesn't matter. The point is your uncle's efforts to talk to him for your sake."

"Alright, I'll try," Keilani decided after a moment.

At ten in the evening, Tyrone, working in his study, got a call from Royce. "Hello, Mr. Nelson."

"Tyrone, it's me."

Royce's voice was calm. "I know about what went down between you and Keilani."

After a moment, Tyrone replied, "Mr. Nelson, I really feel sorry for Keilani."

Oblivious to the truth, Tyrone felt a twinge of guilt for Keilani. While unconscious, he had coerced Keilani into intimacy. Kira feared Kellani might report him to the authorities, risking imprisonment. By leveraging Kellan's youth, Kira persuaded Keilani not to involve the police and to go through with the pregnancy.

Had they not encountered each other in Linbourne and Philade before Keilani reconnected with Jennie, he would have done anything to meet Keilani's demands, except for being with her.

Yet, during his time in Philade, having already met Keilani, Tyrone understood Keilani's collaboration with Kira to reclaim Jennie was aimed at driving a wedge between him and Sabrina. It was hard for him to harbor guilt toward Keilani thereafter.

Still, Tyrone felt the need to act in front of Royce.

Royce replied, "Let's not dwell on the past. I heard Jennie is quite adorable. If you're free tomorrow, feel free to bring her over to meet me."

"Alright."

After ending the call, Tyrone gently placed the phone on the table, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes to rest. Royce's knowledge of the situation cut both ways.

The good thing was Royce wouldn't assist Keilani in pursuing him. Royce might even thwart her efforts. Since Sabrina had spoken to Royce on his behalf, Royce understood their affection for each other lingered even though they hadn't remarried yet. Plus, if Royce was looking out for Keilani, Royce wouldn't approve of Keilani's being with him.

The downside was that if Keilani made the request, Royce might wrest Jennie's custody away for Keilani.

For Jennie, having an uncle like Royce came with more benefits than drawbacks. Tyrone would always allow Royce to see Jennie.

During Sunday breakfast, Tyrone shared with Jennie that they were going to visit some relatives.

Jennie looked up, her brow furrowed in curiosity, and asked, "Who are they?

"They're your biological mother's uncle's family," Tyrone explained.

"Is her uncle important?" Jennie inquired, tilting her head, her question reflecting her feelings about this uncle.

"Yes, he's important. He's the leader of our city and wields power. He could easily take you away if he wanted to," Tyrone

said.

'Really?" Jennie's eyes widened in surprise. "He has that much power?

"Indeed," Tyrone confirmed. "But there's no need to worry. He's fair. Just be yourself."

"Alright," Jennie agreed with a nod.

At 10:30 in the morning, they arrived at Royce's house.

Tyrone exited the car, opened the back door, and helped Jennie out who was dressed in a shiny dress. With large eyes, long eyelashes, a small and straight nose, and pink lips on her rosy face, she resembled those delicate dolls.

"So, you're Jennie? You're so adorable!"