The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman) novel Chapter 981

Tavon’s face was tight with anger, barely holding it together.

When he spoke, his jaw clenched and a muscle twitched in his cheek. Deep down, he was scared. If Sandy really had something to do with this… that was too much to handle.

Sandy turned and met Tavon’s eyes, calm and unflinching, almost indifferent.

Then she smiled—soft, almost sweet, but cold enough to send a shiver down his spine. “Dad, once bitten, twice shy, is that it? You think I made Mom jump? After all these years, you haven’t changed a bit. It’s always someone else’s fault. Why don’t you ask yourself what you did to her? What you said to her?”

Sandy’s voice grew sharper, her anger building. She stood up, staring him down. “Why don’t you think about how Salma and Anastasia treated her? Mom begged you to come home, but you wouldn’t. You kept waving divorce papers in her face. You broke her, Dad. You were the last straw.”

Her words landed hard. She looked delicate, the picture of a classic Willowbrook girl, but there was nothing soft about her now—just ambition and ice.

Sandy drove Tavon into a corner with every word, her gaze fierce. “You, Salma, Anastasia—you’re all responsible.”

That was it. Tavon’s bluster faded away.

He remembered Ashley’s birthday, when he’d threatened divorce in front of everyone. He’d meant it, too. As soon as Pattie’s surgery was done, he’d planned to end things with Ashley. Letting it drag on was just making everyone miserable.

Now, looking at Sandy, all he saw was anger and hurt. He felt a chill. “I wanted to divorce your mom,” he admitted, his voice low. “But I never thought she’d… do something like that.”

He’d been talking about divorce for a year. Ashley just refused to let go.

“Well, you got what you wanted,” Sandy said, her voice trembling just a little. “Mom’s lying there now. Nothing left to get in your way. You and your precious firstborn can finally play happy family.” She sounded fragile, for a split second—the little girl she used to be.

Tavon felt a wave of guilt and dropped his gaze. For a moment, it was like he’d caught a glimpse of his old, gentle daughter.

“I’m sorry, Sandy,” he whispered. “I failed your mom. But this… it wasn’t Salma or Anastasia’s fault. I went to Riverdale to get away from your mom, but that was between us. No one else.”

“You’ve been here all day,” Sean protested. “Let me take over. I’m your big brother. You look exhausted. Go get some sleep.”

Since the Morton family declared bankruptcy, the debts were gone. But Sandy had already moved some assets to safety before it all fell apart. She’d be okay—she always found a way.

“Alright, I’ll go home,” Sandy agreed. “I’ll come back tomorrow. Don’t wear yourself out, okay?”

Sean nodded. “Okay.”

As Sandy left the hospital, her expression emptied out—cool and unreadable. She slid into the car, leaned her head back, and let her memories take over.

She saw it all again: Ashley on the balcony, a hand giving her a gentle push, and then—Ashley falling, slipping away from everything.