I Quit Being a Stepmother (Cypress Gem) novel Chapter 216

Chapter 216

Kate smiled and said, “I don’t need a listening ear anymore. I’ve already worked through it myself. Don’t worry about me.”

Liora looked at her, feeling guilty. If not for her slip of the tongue, Kate wouldn’t have gotten so upset and fallen sick for days.

“I heard that Carter has moved to Draventh and is going to settle down here. Are you just going to stand by and watch them gloat like this?” Kate asked.

Rhea said, “Lauren’s only confident because she thinks that I don’t have the nerve to reveal my past. After all, I need to preserve my family’s dignity.”

A family’s dignity and reputation were indeed important. An heiress like Rhea had married Carter, who was beneath her station, and had been a stepmother for six years. To make matters worse, she was now about to get a divorce.

No matter how one looked at it, it was a scandalous affair.

Kate lowered her voice and said, “I heard from Marcus that Carter has plans for a gathering next week, and that all the prestigious families will be invited. It’s supposed to be for building connections.”

Rhea caught her underlying meaning–Carter wanted to seize the chance to cozy up to Draventh’s elite. It was no wonder he’d acted so oddly the day before. It seemed that he had latched onto the

Cains.

Other families were easy enough to handle, but the Cains… Even her parents needed to show them

some respect.

After the banquet started, Ruby suddenly said, “Rhea, you don’t need to feel ashamed as long as you’ve done the right thing. Your father and I don’t care about those superficial things.”

She felt frustrated on Rhea’s behalf. It was beyond easy for them to crush Carter, yet Rhea kept holding back for the sake of the Ravelle family’s dignity and reputation. She had already disgraced the family once, so she didn’t want to stir up any more trouble with Carter.

Rhea gripped her glass tightly. “I understand, Mom.”

During the meal, Lauren sat at another table and shared her parenting tips with the other wives. She spoke about her children as if she truly knew what she was saying. Anyone not in the know would think she had actually raised Arielle and Adrian herself.

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Chapter 216

+25 BONUS

“They’re no trouble at all. They bathe, get dressed, and go to school by themselves. I don’t need to worry about a thing. My daughter, especially, is such a sweetheart. She clings to me and can’t bear to go a day without seeing me.” Lauren beamed.

“You’re so lucky. My boy is a handful. He has two nannies, but even they can’t keep him in check!”

Lauren said, “Kids need to let loose, you know. I remember my boy being mischievous when he was younger, but I was patient with him, and he understood the things I told him.”

“Kids nowadays fall sick very easily, don’t they?”

Lauren pressed a hand to her chest. “That’s so true. My daughter ended up in the hospital due to an allergic reaction some time ago. As her mother, my heart ached so badly for her. I stayed by her bedside day and night. It was exhausting.”

Rhea, who was seated at the table beside hers, smiled coldly. She wondered when Lauren had been by Arielle’s side when she’d been hospitalized due to her allergies. Hadn’t she been busy socializing with Carter, Peter, and the others then?

“Allergies aren’t easy to fix, are they?” a woman asked.

Lauren nodded. “Yeah, they’re tough to treat. You’ve got to catch them early on.”

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