Tammy felt she was being too cruel.

She could have waited until Avery had recovered and let her tell the children about the matter herself, but she could not bring herself to let the children stay in the dark.

"Hayden told me about it this morning, Aunt Tammy." The moment Layla spoke, her eyes reddened. "I won't trust Daddy anymore. He's a bad man!"

Tammy pulled Layla into her arms and cooed, "Don't cry, Layla. Even without your father, you still have your Mommy, your brother, and me. We will always love you."

"I'm mad at Daddy for lying to me." Layla rubbed her eyes, then said, "I'm also mad that he made Mommy sad. Mommy's so upset that she got sick. I can't cry… Mommy would be even sadder if I cried."

Tears were streaming down her face as she said those words.

"I'll try to cry softer…" she sobbed.

Tammy's heart was breaking. "Let's stop crying after this, sweetie. That dirtbag isn't worth your tears. He could be living his best life in Aryadelle right now!"

Layla felt betraye