Chapter 221
Calvin shot Davina a sharp, disappointed glare. He already knew it—once the police stepped in, it wouldn’t be Camilla who’d suffer, but them.
But Davina was totally clueless. She thought she’d outsmarted the world just because she managed to fool herself. If there hadn’t been outsiders around, they could have easily ganged up and pinned everything on Camilla. With the police here though, there was no room for them to swagger or bully their way through.
Davina, still missing Calvin’s unspoken warning, thought he wanted her to stand up to Camilla. She cleared her throat and started, “So you’re just going to say there’s some kind of drug in the room and expect everyone to believe you? For all I know, maybe you put it there yourself. Maybe you blame me for stealing Barnard, so you drugged him just to lure me over. You did it so I’d lose my baby p>
She turned to the officer, voice trembling with indignation. “Officer, I have phone records. She’s calculated and cruel, you have to arrest her and lock her away p>
Mahoney looked at Davina, his eyes briefly flickering with clear contempt. Calvin was so embarrassed he wanted to disappear. Even Laura couldn’t hold it in and muttered, “Maybe just stop talking already p>
Anyone could see Davina’s story was full of holes, yet she genuinely believed she’d covered every angle. Laura felt a surge of secondhand embarrassment just watching her.
It was like Davina had zero awareness. Everyone in the room just wanted the police gone—not another problem. Laura stared at Davina’s bloodless face, noticing how she could barely stay on her feet, but still stubbornly fought for someone to stick up for her. The thought flashed through Laura’s mind: if Davina would just faint, at least it might quiet things down.
Barnard, catching Laura’s glare, tried to signal Davina to clam up.
Camilla ignored the whole scene. She looked at Mahoney and said, “Officer, could you please check the evidence? I just want what’s fair p>
Mahoney nodded subtly at one of his colleagues, who put on gloves and went in to collect evidence.
Barnard started to sweat, realizing the direction things were going. Calvin jumped in, trying to smooth things over. “Officer Mahoney, honestly, this is a family issue. There’s really no need for you to go through all this trouble. We can handle it from here p>
Camilla cut in, calmly but firmly. “Barnard and I are already in the process of getting divorced. For him to try something like this isn’t just a Carter family affair anymore. I have every right to ask for your help p>
Mahoney nodded. “Sorry, Barnard. We have to respect the victim’s wishes p>
Calvin tried to reach for Camilla, wanting to pull her aside and speak in private. Camilla stepped away and didn’t hesitate to call him out. “The police are right here. I’m warning you, don’t try anything p>
She caught Mahoney’s watchful gaze, and Calvin pulled his hand back, fuming. He shot angry, blaming looks at both Barnard and Davina.
This was all on them, especially Davina, who just didn’t get it. They could have handled things quietly, but of course she had to go and call the police, putting them all in a worse position.
The cruise ship had a medical bay for emergencies. After a stern warning to the Carter family, Mahoney escorted Camilla to get checked out.
Inside the medical room, Mahoney’s strict demeanor softened. “Camilla, why didn’t you tell me you were going through something like this? If someone from the Charles family hadn’t insisted I come, I wouldn’t have even known what was happening with you and the Carters p>
Camilla gave a tired smile. “It wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. I didn’t want to bother you p>
Mahoney shook his head. “How could you think it’s a bother? Your father… We couldn’t openly watch out for you, but there are always ways to help. Still, you never called, not once in all these years p>
He trailed off, looking at Camilla’s delicate, tired face, his words catching in his throat.
Camilla’s father had been Mahoney’s best friend on the force. He’d disappeared during an undercover job, and the department had never stopped searching, not even after all these years of silence, without any sign of life or word that he was gone.
They were always afraid—if Camilla’s father was still alive, maybe under the control of criminals, those people might track down his family. That fear had kept Mahoney and the others from getting too involved in Camilla’s life.
Mahoney used to visit, bringing food and money. But when Camilla started college, she’d told him herself that she didn’t need help. She could take care of her mother on her own.
He’d watched her marry into the Carter family, seen her life look like it was improving, and he’d let himself relax a little. Given his job, he couldn’t stay too close to Camilla anyway, so they drifted into occasional contact at best.
When rumors about her began appearing online, he and his colleagues didn’t pay much attention. Most of it sounded half-true at best. Besides, Mahoney always thought if things ever really got bad, Camilla would let him know.