THE DIVORCE GAMBIT From Dumped Wife to CEO's Forever novel Chapter 624

The police swarmed Amanda, and in seconds, cold handcuffs snapped around her wrists.

"Amanda Templeton?" one of the officers said. "You're under arrest on suspicion of two counts of attempted murder. You're coming with us."

As two officers dragged her away, she twisted her head back toward her daughter, who was still slumped on the floor. "Ann, I'm so sorry!" she cried.

Hearing her mother's voice, Ann looked up, her expression shifting from shock to fury. "You almost killed my grandmother and my uncle! You're not my mother! You're not my mother!"

She scrambled over to Keira on trembling legs, sobbing. "Grandma, she's not my mother! What she did has nothing to do with me! I'm innocent! You can disown her, but you can't disown me!"

Ann understood her precarious situation perfectly. If she and Amanda were related by blood, she might have stood a chance. But now that the truth was out, she had no connection to the Gonzales family at all, yet everything she had came from them. She was terrified they would take it all back. After the scandal in The Capital, her reputation was already in tatters. If she lost the Gonzales's support, she would have nothing left.

*No. No, that can't happen!* Ann thought, panicked, clutching Keira's legs tighter.

Keira looked down at her, her eyes filled with nothing but disgust. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. As terrible as Amanda is, she's still your mother, yet you disown her in a heartbeat. You've enjoyed the privilege of being a Gonzales granddaughter for long enough. I will be publishing a formal notice severing all ties with Amanda, and I will be reclaiming everything this family has ever given to the two of you."

Ann's face went white. The old woman was ruthless. Absolutely ruthless. She had called her grandmother for over twenty years. Even without blood ties, their years together had to mean something. But Keira was casting her aside without a shred of sentiment.

Stuart's voice was hoarse. "Mom, I have to apologize. The truth is, I've been awake for a while now. I didn't tell you because, for one, I had no concrete proof that Amanda was behind the car crash." He had been conscious for nearly two weeks, using the time to regain his strength while he and Caitlin secretly pieced together the events of the past and planned their next move. Twenty years had passed; evidence had vanished. More importantly, Keira's trust in Amanda had been absolute. Without irrefutable proof, she would never have believed it. So, they had decided to keep her in the dark, knowing her genuine reactions were the only way to draw Amanda out.

"Secondly," he continued, "my condition was unstable at first. Caitlin was worried Amanda would try to harm me again, so we came up with this plan together. The reason you fainted was the tea Caitlin gave you. It was meant to protect your heart from the shock, but it also induced a state that mimicked death."

His eyes darkened, his voice dropping to a gravelly whisper. "But after all this, we still have no news of Carey." Would he ever see his wife again?

Keira pulled him into a fierce hug. "The darkest hour is just before the dawn," she sobbed. "Stuart, you have to believe me. Carey is alive somewhere. Your family will be whole again one day."