Lauren froze for a moment, her eyes wide with disbelief. “Arielle, how could you slander me?”

The way Lauren looked so hurt only made Carter believe that Arielle was lying.

In his mind, Arielle was trying to protect Rhea, which was why she intentionally slandered Lauren.

After all, what kind of mother would hurt her child?

Carter firmly said, “Arielle, children shouldn’t lie. And she’s not some stranger. She’s your and Adrian’s biological mother. Without her, you wouldn’t even exist.”

“I’m not lying!” Arielle insisted.

Tears shimmered in Lauren’s eyes, but she managed a smile. She quickly tried to calm Carter down, saying, “It’s okay. Kids don’t lie. They only lie because they want to protect the people they love. It’s fine if they like Mrs. Jamison. It means that she’s been good to them. That’s what matters.”

Her statement about how kids wouldn’t lie implied that Rhea had told Arielle to say that.

Seeing the hurt and grievance in Lauren’s eyes only fueled Carter’s anger. “Where are the maids?”

A nanny, Alisha Berry, rushed in.

Carter fixed his eyes on Rhea as he ordered, “Take the kids away.” He was clearly trying to keep the children away from her.

Once Alisha had carried both children out, Carter—still fuming—left with Lauren without looking back.

Rhea stood frozen in place.

They were the twins’ birth parents. So, she felt that she had no right to say anything.

Her chest constricted at the sight of the bloodied swab. But beneath the pain, it was the disappointment that cut deeper.

Throughout their six years of marriage, she managed the household and cared for the children, just so he could devote himself fully to his work.

She thought she was special. After all, Carter had remained loyal over the years. He had treated her with care and fulfilled his duties as a husband.

But now, she realized that all of that only held true because Lauren hadn’t been around.

In just one evening, the way Carter defended Lauren far outshone anything he had done for Rhea in the past six years.

Suddenly, all the care he had shown her felt like a cruel joke.

…

Later that night, after Rhea had showered and lain down, footsteps soon followed.

Carter had also taken a shower and gotten into bed. They lay back-to-back in silence.

After a long pause, Carter said, “Lauren only came because she missed the children. You didn’t have to be so defensive, and you certainly shouldn’t have taught Arielle to lie. Don’t let this happen again.”

Rhea couldn’t believe her ears. She clenched her jaw. “I’ve been raising them for six years since they were newborns. I want what’s best for them more than anyone. So what makes you think I’d teach them to lie?”

“If it wasn’t you, then who? Lauren?” Carter’s tone turned ice-cold. “Do you need me to remind you that she’s their birth mother?”

Those words hit her like a knife to the chest. She had given six years of her life, yet one emotional moment from Lauren outweighed it all.

Did those years mean nothing at all?

…

The night passed without Rhea and Carter exchanging another word.

The next morning, Rhea woke up to an empty bed.

It was the weekend, which meant that it was family day. Carter always stayed home with the kids on weekends.

As Rhea walked downstairs, Devan met her at the bottom of the stairs.

“Mrs. Jamison, breakfast… is ready.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but bit his tongue.

Then Rhea stepped into the dining room and understood why.

Lauren had made breakfast. And it was elaborate.

“Mrs. Jamison, good morning. Come eat!” Lauren’s smile was gentle.

But in Carter’s eyes, it only looked like Lauren was trying to please Rhea.

He couldn’t bear to see that. “You don’t have to do that. This is your kids’ home. You have every right to live here with peace of mind.”

Rhea froze mid-step. It felt like someone had just slapped her across the face.

Lauren only smiled. “Alright.”

Once Rhea took a seat, Lauren said, “Try this. I used to be great at making crab quiche. Carter used to love it. So, I thought I’d make some for you and the kids to try.”

He did love crab quiches.

Carter didn’t hold back his praise. “It’s even better than I remember. Thank you for making it. But you don’t have to cook next time. Rhea knows how to make it, too.”

Thank you? Rhea knew how to make it, too? So what, Lauren didn’t need to cook, and she had to?

Rhea stared down at her oatmeal. She recalled that she had stayed up two nights straight caring for a feverish Adrian. Her eyes were red with fatigue, but Carter hadn’t even thanked her.

Nevertheless, she swallowed the urge to argue. She chose to believe that Carter was simply treating Lauren like a guest and being polite.

So, she lifted her head and said, “Yeah, I know how to make it too. But Arielle’s allergic to crab. She can’t have this.”

Lauren was surprised. “Allergic? Carter, that’s probably because she wasn’t properly weaned. You can’t be too overprotective with kids. They need exposure to germs when they’re young. It helps build a stronger immune system.”