I Quit Being a Stepmother (Cypress Gem) novel Chapter 118

Chapter 118

“What do you want to eat tomorrow?” George asked.

Rhea was surprised to hear me mention “tomorrow“, wondering if that meant he would come by again.

“I’ll handle it myself. I have maids now,” Rhea replied.

George pulled a cigarette from his pack and repeated, “What do you want to eat tomorrow?”

His insistent tone made Rhea want to laugh. “Then… let’s have fish.”

Upon hearing her answer, George left with a lazy, almost strolling pace, disappearing into the night. After all, he couldn’t stay over at a woman’s house.

On the way back to the Jamison residence, Carter’s mind was elsewhere. Just thinking about Rhea alone with George had stirred a fire in his chest that he couldn’t suppress.

At the same time, he wondered if Rhea had felt the same pain when he was with Lauren. He started to wonder if he had done everything wrong all along.

But there really wasn’t anything going on with him and Lauren.

“Carter, what’s wrong?” Lauren asked cautiously.

He snapped out of it. “The kids are really resistant toward you. Just take it slow. If they don’t want to be with you, just focus on your own things.” It was a gentle way of putting it.

Lauren froze. The kids were the only link between her and Carter. So, how could she not connect with them?

“I’ll change. I’ll go with what they want. They’re probably the only two children I’ll ever have in my life. I really want to spend more time with them.” She lowered her head, a wistful sadness in her eyes.

Carter felt conflicted. “Don’t let something like this happen again. At the very least, don’t lay your

hands on them.”

Rhea had never struck the children, nor did she ever scold them harshly. She always guided them with gentle words. Scenes of a loving mother and devoted children often played out at home. Now, that image had been replaced by quarrels and tears.

Upon entering the house, Carter felt foreign and unsettled. He noticed some things had changed.

“What happened to the old things?” he asked Devan.

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Chapter 118

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Lauren, following behind him, explained, “I said I’d clean the house, so some of the old stuff got replaced.”

Arielle noticed. “Where are our family photos?”

Devan replied, “Ms. Thayer asked to throw them out.”

Lauren quickly intervened, “They’re not thrown. I just wanted to put up landscape paintings instead. It’ll look more formal when we invite the executives from Eryham over.”

Carter was silent for a long moment. “Put the photos back.”

Devan immediately went to replace them without hesitation.

Lauren drew a deep breath and forced a smile. “You all get some rest. My grandma and I will head

back first.”

Carter nodded.

Sensing his distant coldness, Lauren said, her eyes red, before leaving, “Carter, no matter what happens, I don’t want you to doubt my heart as a mother. I never gave up on them, even during my family’s turmoil back then.”

After saying that, she left with tears in her eyes.

Her words made Carter’s heart skip a beat.

Back when Colburn was in chaos, Lauren suffered greatly during her pregnancy, but she never once considered going through an abortion.

He thought that he shouldn’t have judged her like that.

“Lauren,” he called out,

Her steps paused.

“Come with me to the Colburn Investment Forum.”

She turned around and smiled weakly at him. “Okay.”

In the kids‘ room, Adrian and Arielle had finished washing up but weren’t sleepy yet. The twins were playing with building blocks together when Carter came in to see them.

“Dad.”

“I’ll play with you.”

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