Chapter 5 I left the courthouse and immediately took a cab to the care facility. "Hurry-patient's severely hypoxic. Get her to the ER!" When I arrived, my mother was being rushed down the hall on a stretcher. I grabbed a nurse by the arm. What happened?! What's going on?!" 'Someone removed the patient's oxygen tube. Prolonged hypoxia. She's going into cerebral hypoxia. We need to operate immediately, out Mr. Harrow just pulled all the doctors from the facility." My vision swam. I nearly collapsed. 'How could this..." I didn't have time to think. I dialed Reed's number. 'Reed, my mother's in critical condition-she needs surgery. Send the doctors back. Now." 'I only had them unplug the tube to scare you. What's the point of lying like this? Calla's cat got hurt and needs a vet. Are you seriously jealous of a cat now?" 'I'm not lying. My mother is really-" 'Enough!" He hung up. Blocked me. The next second, even worse news arrived- I'm sorry, Madam. Without the facility's doctors, the remaining staff couldn't perform the procedure. We couldn't save her..." slumped against the hallway wall, seeing my mother's body was wheeled out of the ER. swallowed my grief and held a simple funeral for my mother. At the funeral, I received another call from Reed. Tate, Calla wants to have a wedding ceremony with me. Bring over that wedding dress from the house." Reed, that was MY wedding dress. You know what it means!" 'It's just to make Calla happy. Once this is over, I'll have repaid what I owe her. After that, you can take out your anger however you want. I'll let you.". 'And if I don't?" Tate, your mother's getting old. You wouldn't want her final days disturbed, would you?" After a long silence, I hung up the phone. My children and my mother-both taken from me because of you. Reed Harrow, you owe me far too much. After the funeral, I returned home. Everything that had once been warm now left my heart cold as ice, utterly unmoved. I opened the closet. My wedding dress hung in the center-the one Reed had spent days tracking down a renowned designer to create, custom-made just for me. He'd even participated in the design himself. The flowers and diamonds adorning the waist were meant to symbolize how he would be the strongest shield in our relationship, while I would be his most beautiful flower. Ha. Without love, what use were objects? Half an hour later, I stood at a distance, watching as roaring flames devoured everything in the house. My love. My past. My heartbreak. Goodbye to it all. I pulled out my phone and dialed a number. A moment later, a familiar yet distant male voice answered. "Tate. Did someone upset you?... Don't be afraid. I'll clear away anyone in your path." This phone number had been given to me on my wedding day by Daemon Cross-Reed's sworn enemy. He told me that no matter what happened in the future, he would always stand behind me. At the time, I was too wrapped up in the joy of marrying Reed. I'd carelessly save it but never dialed it again. 30 many years had passed. I'd stopped expecting anything from that number. But Daemon picked up on the first ring. 'Tate, I'm flying back this afternoon. Leave the rest to me." I hung up. Then I drove myself to the venue where Reed and Calla were holding their wedding. Daemon was just my backup plan. The revenge for my sons and my mother-I would take that myself.