Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 83

The newly assembled Transformer didn’t last a minute. Wobbly as a newborn deer, it toppled off the table and smashed into a hundred plastic pieces on the hardwood floor.

Of course, that was the exact moment Jordan Smith walked back inside, just hanging up his phone call. He froze in the doorway, catching the scene at its climax.

His voice dropped to a low, sharp edge. “Camila Davis, what on earth are you doing? What did Daniel do now? Are you seriously smashing his toys? Grow up, Camila! Don’t you think this is a bit ridiculous?”

Camila’s cheeks flushed red, her eyes blazing with leftover anger.

“Why don’t you ask what *he* did?” she shot back. “If you insist on bringing Daniel over, why don’t you keep an eye on him? He ruined Lillian’s painting, the one she worked so hard on!”

Did he even realize how much that painting meant to Lillian?

Just this morning, Lillian carried it around like her favorite teddy bear, saying she wanted to show it to her uncle and learn how to paint better. That painting was her lifeline—something helping her step out of her shell.

Jordan faltered, glancing at Daniel. “Daniel, what did you get up to this time?”

Daniel looked up with big, watery eyes, as if he’d just been caught sneaking a cookie from the jar. “I’m sorry, Uncle Jordan. I didn’t know it was a painting. I thought it was just some old paper, so I picked it up... I didn’t mean to...”

His bottom lip quivered, and a fat tear rolled down his cheek.

Jordan’s heart softened immediately. He turned back to Camila, irritation in his voice. “Camila, it’s just a painting. Is it really that big of a deal?”

Camila felt a chill run down to her bones.

Just a painting? *Just* a painting? That painting was everything to Lillian, and to Jordan, it was nothing more than a throwaway line? Did it not matter how much Sandra Taylor’s kid messed up—would he always just brush it aside?

In that moment, Camila’s heart broke for her daughter.

She’d always hoped for a loving father for Lillian, but this man never truly cared.

Through clenched teeth, Camila snapped, “Of course it’s a big deal! Do you have *any* idea how much that painting meant for Lillian’s recovery? Jordan, do you even have a heart? Do you feel proud of yourself, always defending someone else’s kid over your own? If that’s really how you feel, then let’s just get a divorce. I’m done!”

She’d been let down too many times. Her patience was gone.

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