I Quit Being a Stepmother (Cypress Gem) novel Chapter 63

Chapter 63

The living room fell deathly silent.

Rhea’s eyes were filled with pain. She choked out, “Carter, just let me go.”

He held on to her tightly, unwilling to let her leave, while still tangled up with Lauren. What was the point?

“Do I really look that easy to push around?”

Arielle and Adrian rushed to Rhea’s side, each hugging her from one side.

“Mom, please don’t fight with Dad…” Arielle was clearly shaken. She and Adrian had never seen Rhea like this.

Carter’s head snapped to the side from the blow. Rage rose in his chest like a storm.

It wasn’t just because she had slapped him in front of everyone, humiliating him. But it was also because he felt like nothing he did was enough. He thought that she was just impossible to please.

The moment everyone came to their senses, the room erupted in a flurry of voices.

“Rhea! How could you slap Carter?” Lauren limped over with her crutch, planting herself in front of him.

Tears rolled down her face as she cried out, “If you don’t love him, fine. But don’t you dare hurt him! Not in front of me! He’s the man I’ve loved most in this life. I won’t let anyone hurt him!”

“That’s right. How could you get physical?” Chloe scolded. “A woman with a temper like that is exactly why this house is always in chaos.”

Leah added, “You went too far, Rhea.”

Peter chimed in, too, “Even if you’re angry, you can’t just lash out.”

The chorus of criticism echoed in Rhea’s ears, each word like a hammer pounding her skull.

Arielle shouted back, “Don’t talk about my mom like that! This is her house!”

“You silly girl, why are you defending an outsider?” Chloe moved as if to pull Arielle back.

Rhea stared at Carter and asked, “Do you think I’m just an outsider too?”

Carter’s gaze was a bottomless void. He said nothing.

A pain stabbed through Rhea’s chest. She felt it, sharp and clear. She wiped her tears, then crouched and gently pulled the kids in close.

“Arielle, Adrian, all these years you’ve called me ‘Mom‘, I’ve done everything I could to protect you. I always will. However, I can no longer stay here. When you’re older and need me, I’ll still do everything I can for you.”

She had raised them herself and saw them as her own flesh and blood. As she looked at them, her tears poured like a broken dam.

Not even Carter had ever made her feel this kind of ache.

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Chapter 63

Rhea bent down and kissed each child on the forehead before saying, “I have to go now.”

Then she stood and turned to leave.

Adrian grabbed her hand tightly. “Mom, don’t go! Mom!”

+25 BONUS

Lauren was nearby. When no one was looking, she quickly reached out and grabbed Arielle’s arm with some force just as the young girl was about to run over.

The force made Arielle stumble.

Lauren looked down at her and said, “Arielle, I’m your mom. I’ll take care of you.”

There was a hint of warning in Lauren’s eyes, along with something cold and unsettling.

Children were susceptible to emotions. Arielle might not have known how to describe what it was, but she definitely felt the fear.

Acting on that sudden sense of unease, she instinctively pushed Lauren away. “I don’t like you!”

Lauren, already with one injured leg, lost her balance and fell hard to the floor.

“Lauren!” her friends shouted.

Arielle ran straight to Rhea. “Mom… Mom…”

Her cries tore at Rhea’s heart, as if it were being ripped apart.

Behind her, Chloe’s scolding rang out again. “If you want to leave, then leave! You’re not gentle or understanding. No wonder this house is always a mess!”

The others shot Rhea looks of annoyance and disapproval.

They had shown up to celebrate her birthday. Shouldn’t she be grateful? Why make a scene?

With manners like that, it was no surprise that she came from a small town.

“Rhea, you should be grateful that Carter even married you. You had no one to rely on, and no one in your family holds any real power. You should appreciate the fact that you’re living in a house like this,” Leah said.

“Exactly,” another added. “Without Carter, what chance would you ever have of standing alongside the wives of the elite in Colburn?”

Meanwhile, Carter simply stared at Rhea.