I Quit Being a Stepmother (Cypress Gem) novel Chapter 88

Chapter 88

What did Carter even have back then?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

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“Rhea, are you…” Kate looked at Rhea with concern.

Rhea replied, “I’m fine. Can you help the kids with their food?”

With that, she turned and walked further away. She took out her phone, spent a long time gathering the courage, and finally dialed Nathan’s number.

It only rang for five seconds before the call was answered.

“Hello?”

Just hearing his voice broke something inside Rhea. She had been holding it together, but now a lump formed in

her throat.

“Nathan.”

The sound of her voice instantly took the edge off half of Nathan’s anger.

“Yeah? What’s wrong?”

Rhea bit her lip, trying not to cry. “Can you come to Colburn?”

There were three seconds of silence on the other end.

“Did something happen?” Nathan asked.

“No.” Rhea looked toward the other side of the field.

Carter was wiping sweat off Lauren’s face.

Rhea closed her eyes. “I want a divorce.”

“Then do it quickly.”

“But he insists on meeting my family first.”

“And who the hell is he to demand that?” Nathan snapped.

Rhea sounded tired. “Maybe if he gets what he wants, he’ll agree to the divorce sooner. I’m just afraid he’ll keep stalling.”

Nathan’s voice turned cold as he said, “Tell him that if he wants to see your family, he can drag himself to Draventh.”

With that, he hung up.

That offer to see Carter was already a sign of Nathan’s generosity. There was no way he would ever go to Carter

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Chapter 88

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himself.

He wasn’t trying to make things complicated for Rhea. He was trying to protect her.

Why should she be the only one constantly making compromises?

Rhea approached Carter with her phone in hand. “Find a time to go to Draventh. My brother’s there. Once you’ve met him, we’re going straight to the courthouse.”

Draventh? Did she mean the small town near Draventh?

Carter thought that she could have just told him the name of the town, instead of simply mentioning Draventh. He thought that Rhea’s obsession with status was evident.

Carter felt a growing aversion. “Fine. This weekend, then.”

That would be three days later.

Rhea went back to sit with the kids to enjoy the fast food together.

Lauren pressed her lips together. “Carter, I’ll go with you. What if her family is rude or unreasonable? I know that this is between you two, but I do owe her family some thanks.”

Her kindness soothed some of Carter’s frustration. He closed his eyes for a second before he said, “Lauren, I wish you’d never left.”

She gently placed her hand over his. “It’s not too late. We’re still young. We still have a future ahead of us. Don’t waste your time and give your heart to someone who doesn’t deserve it.”

They all sat around the spread of fast food.

Rhea looked distracted.

Evelyn leaned over and said, “Rhea, my brother found something. Take a look.”

Rhea took the folder and skimmed through the pages. Her eyes widened the further she read.

Lauren’s illness was fake? She was never pregnant?

Evelyn flipped to the last page and prompted, “Look at this.”

Rhea froze when she read that.

Lauren had undergone three hymenoplasty surgeries in six years and had two abortions.

As Rhea closed the folder, a smile tugged at her lips. The gentle and kind Lauren that Carter spoke fondly of turned out to have quite a past.

It turned out that her illness was just an excuse for leaving. She was just chasing wealth and status.

Now, Rhea was curious to see what Carter would think when he found out.

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Chapter 88

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After a full day out, it was time to go.

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