My eyes stung with tears.
Clement only frowned.
After examining the death certificate front and back several times, the way he looked at me turned to disgust.
"You almost had me fooled."
The death certificate hit my body. His voice was ice-cold.
"Looks like Mildred was right. You're far more calculating than you appear."
"You—!"
"By the end of today, bring Camille home. She's only six. She doesn't need to learn bad habits from a mother like you."
He turned to leave.
I scrambled to my feet, desperate to stop him.
But Mildred stepped between us.
"Mary..."
Her voice dropped to a whisper only the two of us could hear.
"I know Camille's been dead for a long time."
I stared at her in disbelief.
"Want to know why Clement doesn't?"
She laughed softly. "Because I made sure every piece of news about Camille never reached him."
My fists clenched.
"It really is a shame, when you think about it.
"Diagnosed with congenital heart disease right after her daddy died.
"A matching donor heart was available, but her own mother couldn't scrape together a single dollar. Working four jobs a day, not sleeping, and still couldn't cover the surgery.
"You let that little girl miss her only chance at a donor heart."