THE DIVORCE GAMBIT From Dumped Wife to CEO's Forever novel Chapter 79

After making sure Stuart had taken his medicine, Amanda hurried over to comfort Keira.

"Mom, please don't cry. If Stuart knew you've been in tears every single day, it would only make him feel worse."

Keira turned to look at Amanda, her eyes searching. "Amanda, tell me—do you think your brother will ever wake up?"

There was a desperate hope in her gaze.

"He will, I know he will," Amanda replied, nodding earnestly. "Mom, the doctors said it themselves. As long as we don't give up and keep talking to Stuart, there's always a chance for a miracle."

A miracle.

The word echoed in Keira's mind, leaving her with a strange, hollow feeling.

She wondered to herself: if miracles were so easy to come by, they wouldn't be called miracles in the first place.

Over the years, she had sought out every renowned doctor she could find, even bringing in top international medical teams. She'd tried every possible method.

But still…

The thought made Keira's eyes fill with tears again.

She was getting older; she didn't know how many years she had left. Would she even live long enough to see her precious granddaughter again?

Amanda let out a sigh. "Mom, if I'd known things would end up like this, I would've gotten in the car with Stuart and Carey that day. Maybe if I was there, none of this would've happened. I'd rather it had been me than see Stuart lying in that bed for so long…"

"It's my fault. Mom, it's all my fault Stuart ended up this way…"

By the end, Amanda was sobbing openly.

She wasn't wrong.

Back then, when Stuart had returned to the family estate with his wife and daughter, Amanda and her husband, Gavin Templeton, had come home as well. But on the day of the accident, the two of them had to deal with something urgent and didn't get in the car. That decision was what spared them from the crash.

Now, seeing her daughter shouldering all the blame, Keira quickly pulled Amanda into her arms, her voice hoarse. "Amanda, this is your brother's fate, not your fault. Please, don't ever think that way… Your brother is lying there, and you're all I have left…"

"Mom!" Amanda clung to Keira. "I promise I'll find Freya for you. I will!"

Keira nodded. "I believe you. We'll find Freya, I know we will."

Mother and daughter held each other, sobbing uncontrollably.

It was a long time before Keira finally calmed down. She looked up at Amanda and said, "Amanda, go take care of what you need to. I'd like to spend a little time alone with your brother."

"Of course, Mom." Amanda nodded and quietly left the room.

A flicker of emotion crossed Ann's eyes.

Nineteen years. After all this time, Grandma still hadn't given up hope for her son.

But how often does someone in a coma just wake up? Ann could never quite understand. Instead of pinning all that hope on someone who might never return to them, wouldn't it make more sense to cherish the people still here?

Amanda studied her daughter. "Ann, have you been working too hard? You look thin. You're skipping meals again, aren't you?"

There was only concern in Amanda's eyes.

Ann patted her mother's hand dismissively. "It's nothing, Mom. I'm young; missing a meal or two won't hurt. Besides, staying slim is practically a trend these days. Saves me from dieting."

Amanda frowned. "Your uncle is bedridden, your grandmother is getting older—soon, you'll be the only one left to carry on the Gonzales name and run Gonzales Holdings. If you don't take care of yourself, who can we count on? Who will Grandma have?"

A parent's love always looks far ahead.

Ann was now the only heir of the Gonzales family, Keira's last hope, and the apple of Amanda and Gavin's eye.

If anything happened to Ann, Amanda's world would collapse.

"Mom, don't say that. Grandma doesn't just have me—she has Freya too!" Ann hesitated. "Besides, Freya is the real heir to the Gonzales family. I'm just an outsider in Grandma's eyes."