Chapter 560:

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With her fiery temper blazing, Nell wouldn’t hold back. She was ready to teach Tina a harsh lesson, but Dayna’s firm grip stopped her mid-motion.

Dayna shook her head slowly, her eyes silently urging Nell to stay calm. “Stooping to her level would only cheapen yourself.”

Years of pampered luxury hadn’t softened Tina’s inherently vicious nature. Getting into a real fight today would only hand Tina the advantage she craved. Dayna refused to give Tina any opening. Instead, she pulled out her phone and began dialing the police. “Aren’t you trying to extort money? I’ll give you that opportunity, but I hope you can keep this brave act up when the officers arrive.”

Dayna’s fingers moved across the keypad, finally making Tina panic. She scrambled to her feet, lunging desperately for the phone.

Dayna stepped back gracefully, leaving Tina clutching nothing but empty air.

“You!” Tina snarled.

Nell couldn’t resist twisting the knife. “Why are you suddenly standing up so easily? Weren’t you just claiming you were injured and needed medical attention?”

Tina’s teeth clenched as she glared at Dayna with pure hatred. “What will it take for you to leave the Foster family alone? Tell me, what do you want?”

T𝗁𝗈us𝘢ո𝘥s 𝘰f 𝗿𝖾аdе𝗿ѕ 𝘰𝗇 𝘨а𝗹𝗇ov𝖾𝘭𝘀.cо𝗺

Dayna’s eyes turned ice-cold, and a bitter laugh escaped her lips. “I want you to taste what it feels like to lose everything you hold dear. You treated me exactly like this before, so why can’t you handle it now that karma’s come full circle?”

Nell scoffed with disgust. “Such pathetic double standards.”

Tina’s eyes burned with venom as she stared at Dayna. “If you refuse to leave others any escape route, then expect serious consequences. Even if it kills me, I won’t let you get away with this.”

Dayna turned to Nell with an amused smile. “You caught that threat, didn’t you? Should we tack on another charge?”

Nell nodded eagerly. “I’ve got surveillance footage and solid evidence right here, plus my witness testimony. I wonder how many years behind bars that would earn her?”

“You!”

Upon realizing Dayna meant business about involving the police, Tina’s bravado crumbled completely. She fled in a panic, terrified of getting arrested and thrown into a cell.

Nell could barely contain her laughter as she watched Tina’s pathetic retreat. “Exactly right. Dealing with scum like that requires zero mercy or respect.”

Dayna stood quietly, her expression troubled as a heavy sigh escaped her. “How incredibly naive was I to let someone like her walk all over me for so long?”

Nell slipped her arm through Dayna’s comfortingly. “You weren’t naive, just too generous and trusting. You treated them like real family. You actually cared what she thought and desperately wanted her acceptance, never realizing you were handing them weapons to use against you.”

Dayna nodded slowly, understanding dawning in her eyes. “You’re absolutely right.”

She had poured her heart into being the perfect wife and daughter-in-law, bending over backwards to earn Declan and Tina’s approval, only to receive nothing but contempt in return.

Nell couldn’t help but laugh. “I stumbled across this saying online recently that really struck me as profound.”

Dayna’s curiosity sparked. “What was it?”

Nell spoke with deliberate weight behind her words. “Caring too much about others’ opinions turns you into their puppet.”

Dayna couldn’t hold back her laughter. “That’s incredibly accurate.”

“From now on, we only need to live for ourselves,” Nell declared with conviction.

Dayna nodded firmly. “You’re absolutely right. Speaking of which, how is Henry doing today? I came here specifically to take him for his surgery.”

“He’s finishing up breakfast right now,” Nell gestured toward the interior.

Dayna walked into the studio.

Though Nell owned her own house, she’d purchased this three-story townhouse for practical reasons. The ground floor served as her workspace, while the upper floors functioned as a modest living area. She’d spent the night here to keep a closer eye on Henry. When Dayna pushed open the door, Henry sat hunched over his breakfast, nibbling on bread.

His face brightened instantly upon seeing her. “Hi, angel! Are you here to take me for surgery?”

Dayna beamed at the boy. “You’re so perceptive, Henry. Let’s head to the hospital right now.”

“Okay.” He nodded.

Yesterday, Nell had picked up a fresh set of clothes for Henry at a nearby shopping center. After he changed into the new outfit, she drove both Dayna and Henry toward the hospital.

Their partner hospital was nearly an hour away from the studio by car. With morning rush hour in full swing, traffic crawled at a snail’s pace. While they sat waiting for the gridlock to clear, Dayna suddenly sensed that something wasn’t right.

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