I Quit Being a Stepmother (Cypress Gem) novel Chapter 351

Chapter 351

“Exactly!” Charlie turned and pointed at Carter, who was bleeding from the nose and mouth. “You should be thanking the law!”

“If we can’t kill him, we could always send him to prison,” a new voice rang out.

Everyone turned toward the voice.

A military–green jeep had stopped nearby.

Arthur got out of the car, carrying the kind of presence only a soldier could have.

His gaze locked on Carter. “You betrayed and disgraced the direct descendant of a Medal of Honor recipient. Have you ever considered the consequences?”

The Medal of Honor recipient was Charlie.

“Damn it! I’ll sue you into the ground!” Charlie snapped, pointing at Carter with a trembling hand.

Carter’s expression darkened, and a flicker of panic surfaced. “Mr. Ravelle Senior, Liam, I strayed, yes. But what matters most is Rhea’s happiness. She still has feelings for me. We used to be a happy family!

“She and George are just putting on an act. She only made that choice for her family’s sake. Can you really stand by and watch Rhea lose her chance at happiness and marry someone she doesn’t love?”

His words stunned Rhea.

She approached him and demanded, “Who told you that I don’t love George? And who told you that I’m doing this for my family? You really think I’m so powerful that I could decide the fate of my family? Every one of us stands on our own merit. We don’t need a marriage alliance to hold us up.”

Carter gave her a look that said he had anticipated her denial. “Rhea, stop lying to yourself. Just admit that you still have feelings for me. You and George don’t have any emotional connection anyway. Or are you admitting you were already involved with him before the divorce?”

That question was a trap. Whichever way she answered, it would sound wrong.

“Carter, don’t try to use this to threaten me. If you’re really a man, build your own career. Why are you clinging to me every day? What, are you that desperate to live off a woman?”

Live off a woman?

Carter’s pride couldn’t stomach those words. Still, he had to admit that he needed the Ravelle family as a ladder to climb back up and rise even higher.

“Arielle, Adrian, come here. Greet your mom.”

Carter deliberately looked at George. “He’s Uncle George.”

Arielle had understood everything by now. She tugged Adrian’s hand and walked over to Rhea. “Mom, don’t be mad.”

Her eyes welled with tears.

Rhea crouched and hugged them tight. “My sweeties.”

Arielle whispered into her ear, “Mom, Adrian and I won’t get in your way. We don’t want you and Dad back together. We just want you to be happy.”

The words hit Rhea so hard that her nose stung. Even the children could let go, yet Carter clung to her like some parasitic leech.

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Chapter 351

+25 BONUS

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