Rhea pressed her lips together and gritted her teeth. She told Lauren, “Go ahead.”

Rhea stayed at the hospital all night, looking after Adrian with Arielle by her side, never stepping away.

As for Carter and Lauren, who had said they would be back soon? They never showed.

Rhea felt a deep, bitter ache in her chest.

In the photo Carter had sent Lauren earlier on WhatsApp, he was clearly at home, asking Lauren if he had gotten the items right.

That level of care wasn’t just about being a good host or co-parent.

Rhea wondered if he was still in love with Lauren.

At first, Rhea had believed that Carter was simply trying to make up for the past. After all, Lauren had given birth to his twins, and he had even said so himself.

But now, with the way he treated Lauren, and especially after what he said about a stepmother being just a stepmother, the past six years felt more and more like nothing but a hired arrangement.

It felt like her worth was entirely tied to the children, and her only role was to care for them.

When the kids were doing well, she was the devoted, capable wife. But the moment something went wrong, she became the irresponsible stepmother, looking to shift the blame.

No matter how much she gave, she could never compete with Lauren’s title of birth mother, even though Lauren had done absolutely nothing.

…

It was 9:30 pm when Adrian finally finished his IV. He didn’t want to stay in the hospital any longer. He said, “Mom, I’m fine now. Can we go home?”

Rhea thought about it, then nodded. “Alright. I’ll get you discharged. You and Arielle stay here, okay? Don’t go anywhere.”

“Okay!” he chirped.

Rhea left the ward but kept glancing back every few steps. She had no one to help her. Carter hadn’t even bothered to send Alisha. She was terrified that the kids might wander off or get lost in the hospital.

When she left the ward, she flagged down a nurse to keep an eye on the twins and rushed through the discharge paperwork.

Once everything was done, she hailed a cab and took them home.

…

The Jamison residence was blazing with lights, and a few luxury cars were parked out front.

Rhea remembered Carter saying that he was meeting his friends. It seemed that the gathering was happening at their house.

“Mom, is that car expensive?” Adrian asked as he pointed out one of them.

Rhea glanced at it and said, “Not really.”

To her, it really wasn’t expensive. Back in the day, any random car she had picked would have cost more than all of these put together.

When she brought the children inside, she was frozen by the sight before her. For a second, it was like her chest had exploded, and the sound of it rushed to her head.

The house wasn’t just occupied. It was lively.

The front door was well soundproofed, so she only heard the cheers and laughter after she stepped inside.

“Come on! Kiss her! Kiss her!”

“Carter, don’t be shy!”

“Come on, Lauren! You two have kids together! What’s there to be embarrassed about?”

Everyone was having a grand time, so much so that no one noticed Rhea walking in with the kids.

However, the maids saw them. They wanted to speak up but were scared stiff by Rhea’s expression.

Across the room, Carter stood face-to-face with Lauren.

Smiling, Lauren scolded their friends, “Stop it, guys! Carter and I were engaged, but that’s not the case anymore.”

“Well, that’s only because fate was cruel. If it weren’t for what happened back then, you two would still be living the dream. Come on. Carter’s company just went public, and he’s reunited with his childhood sweetheart. Let him kiss you to celebrate!” said Carter’s friend, Peter Henderson.

As they brought up the past, Carter looked at Lauren, who had stepped in to defuse the situation. She always seemed to have his best interests at heart.

And yet, he had given her nothing in return.

Lauren smiled softly. “Let’s not dwell on the past. Look at Carter now. He’s so successful. That’s enough for me.”

Her words hit Carter hard. A wave of guilt surged through him, tightening in his chest. Before he realized it, he was leaning in toward her cheek.

“Kiss her! Kiss her!” The crowd kept chanting, with Peter shouting the loudest.

However, one of Carter’s childhood friends frowned and stayed silent the entire time.

Everyone was waiting for Carter and Lauren to kiss, so the room fell into complete silence, all eyes locked on them.

The sudden stillness made Rhea’s voice ring out with startling clarity. “Having fun?”

Just two simple words, yet they made everyone in the room flinch.

Carter jolted back two full steps, as if snapping out of a trance. Lauren, too, looked a little flustered.

No one had expected Rhea to return all of a sudden.

Rhea felt as though her heart was being torn apart. If she hadn’t walked in when she did, they would have already kissed by now.

She knew Carter. He never did anything he didn’t want to do, no matter how much pressure there was. So if he leaned in toward Lauren just now, it could only mean one thing—that deep down, he wanted to.

He still had feelings for Lauren. That much was clear now.

That realization nearly took Rhea’s breath away.

She had been caring for the kids alone while they said that they would be back soon. Yet here they were, flirting with each other and enjoying a lively gathering like nothing else mattered.

Carter’s friends had seen Rhea before, but not often.

Most people assumed that she was the one who had gotten lucky. After all, she landed a ready-made pair of twins without having any title or notable background.

To them, she was just an unemployed woman from an ordinary family—a housewife at best. She was nothing more than a pretty face with a touch of grace.

Otherwise, how could she have possibly caught the eye of Carter, once Colburn’s most eligible bachelor? But technically, she was Carter’s wife, which made what he and Lauren were doing a little hard to justify.

Peter grinned. “Rhea! You’re back! Weren’t you at the hospital?”

Rhea smiled faintly. Her eyes trailed over to Carter and Lauren as she said, “Yeah, I was.”

So what were they doing?

The moment she said that, the guests grew even more uneasy.

Arielle was furious. “Dad, you said you were just meeting your friends for a bit and that you’d be back soon.”

Adrian also huffed and said, “You don’t even care about me anymore! I almost died from that allergy, and you’re here partying with the person who caused it. I don’t like you anymore!”

Everyone exchanged awkward glances. They hadn’t known about that.

The children’s words hit Carter like a punch to the gut. He had originally planned to return to the hospital, which was why he changed his dinner plans to a gathering at home. That way, he could head back later with the kids’ clean clothes.

However, his friends wouldn’t let him leave, and Peter had also called Lauren back, which only ended up delaying everything.

Rhea looked around the room and remarked, “You’re Carter’s friends. I’m happy to welcome you into our home. But I ask that you show some basic decency. Ms. Thayer is our guest. Please show her the respect she deserves.”

Everyone could hear what she really meant. She was calling them out for their lack of decency and shame.

Yet, no one dared to say a single word.

Suddenly, Rhea turned to Lauren and asked, “Ms. Thayer, did you forget that Carter is married?”

No one ever expected it.

Rhea, known for her gentle nature and for always responding with a smile, regardless of what was said, was suddenly confrontational in front of everyone.

Yes, confrontational.

Peter, who had known Carter and Lauren since they were kids, saw Lauren as the delicate one who needed protection.

To him, Rhea was the bully, the one playing innocent after getting the better end of the deal.

Lauren didn’t know how to react. “I’m sorry. I didn’t—”

Carter stepped in. “Rhea, that’s too harsh.”