THE DIVORCE GAMBIT From Dumped Wife to CEO's Forever novel Chapter 838

Shards of porcelain scattered across the room.

"Rosemary." Dowager Vance entered from outside.

"Mother!" Rosemary threw herself into the Dowager's arms, sobbing. "I don't want to live anymore!"

Rosemary had expected tonight to be her crowning achievement. Instead, it had become her most shameful, unforgettable moment of humiliation. For Rosemary, this was an unbearable disgrace. How could she ever show her face in high society again?

Dowager Vance patted her back, her voice soft and maternal. "It's alright, Rosemary. Mother is here."

But Rosemary continued to weep, her cries raw and heartbroken. "Why? Why would Will do that to me? You said he had feelings for me! Why would he fall for someone else?"

The memory of Will's words was a dagger in her heart. Who was she? Who was the little tramp who had stolen Will from her? If she ever found out who that woman was, she would tear her face to shreds and make sure she died a miserable death.

For a moment, Rosemary's eyes glittered with a dark, vicious light.

Dowager Vance narrowed her eyes. "Will does have feelings for you. There is no doubt about that. Think about it. If he really came to the party for someone he loves, why didn't he ask her to dance? Why did he just leave?"

Her words made Rosemary pause. Her mother... her mother had a point.

"But if he likes me, why would he say such insulting things to me?" Rosemary asked.

"Perhaps," Dowager Vance said, her tone wise and measured, "perhaps he was testing you. Testing your resilience. Rosemary, the position of a lord's wife is not an easy one to hold. If you crumble at a small setback like this, how will you manage the affairs of the Windsor family once you're married?"

To be a Lady, one needed an iron will. She would be more than just a decorative wife; the Windsor family would rely on her to handle many important matters.

Dowager Vance paused, then continued, "Rosemary, my dear, revenge is a dish best served cold. Once you secure your position as Lady Windsor, you can erase this shame. You can make every person who laughed at you tonight kneel at your feet. For someone destined for greatness, what is a little humiliation now?"

With her son gone, Rosemary was now the Dowager's only hope. History was filled with women who had overcome age and scandal to become winners. Why couldn't her precious daughter do the same? Surely Will's standards couldn't be that high. Besides, Rosemary was far more accomplished than those other women.

Hearing her mother's words, the crushing weight of humiliation on Rosemary's shoulders began to lift.

Dowager Vance sneered. "That shameless piece of trash is probably hiding somewhere with a lover. Just wait. When I find her, I'll skin her alive."

This was the Vance family's home! For Carey to have the audacity to cheat on Quinton under her very roof was a direct challenge to her authority.

Rosemary's eyes narrowed. "I told you before, we've been too lenient with her. We should have broken her legs and left her bedridden for life! Why didn't you listen to me?"

Dowager Vance fingered the cross around her neck. "When we find her this time, we will do as you say."

It was true. They couldn't afford to be merciful with that woman. If she had listened to her daughter earlier and broken Carey's legs, none of this would be happening. Of course, the Dowager's hesitation hadn't been out of kindness. It was superstition. She had once heard that if one spouse was disabled, the other would have to carry them on their back for all eternity in the afterlife. She was afraid that crippling Carey would bring a curse upon her son. Otherwise, Carey would have been a broken woman long ago.

Rosemary's eyes flashed with a dangerous glint. "Mother, do you think... she could have escaped?"

"Impossible! The security here is airtight. A fly couldn't get out of this castle, let alone a person! There is no way that trash could have escaped!"