THE DIVORCE GAMBIT From Dumped Wife to CEO's Forever novel Chapter 865

No one could possibly understand the overwhelming joy and excitement Hannah felt at that moment.

Twenty years. For two decades, she had endured one tragedy after another: her granddaughter went missing, her son-in-law was left bedridden, and her only daughter vanished without a trace, her fate unknown.

The series of disasters had been too much for Old Mr. Richards. His health deteriorated rapidly, and he eventually passed away.

To this day, Hannah has no idea how she made it through, especially the dark period after her husband's passing. Countless times, the thought of taking her own life to be with him crossed her mind.

But whenever she looked at a family portrait of her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter, she would grit her teeth and hold on.

She told herself she had to live. She had to live well. She had to see their family reunited, for her late husband's sake.

But as days turned into weeks, and weeks into years, her hope had slowly faded. She had started to believe that, like Old Mr. Richards, she would never see her daughter's family whole again.

But fate, it seemed, had not forgotten her.

Finally, the day had come.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Hannah was desperate for answers. How did her daughter end up in Valerium? How did she lose her memory? Who was responsible for all this suffering?

"Carey," Hannah clung to her daughter, her grip so tight she seemed afraid Carey might vanish. Her tears quickly soaked the fabric of Carey's shoulder. "I've missed you so much all these years! Tell me, how have you been?"

Carey, held in the old woman's embrace, was completely bewildered. The silver-haired woman felt deeply familiar, her kind eyes so full of love they brought tears to Carey's own. But she just couldn't remember who she was.

Warren and Willis stood by, tears streaming down their faces as they looked at their long-lost sister. They had waited for this moment for far too long.

"Carey," Warren, who rarely cried, choked out, his last tears shed when they'd finally found his niece. "I'm your big brother!"

"And I'm your second brother, little sis!" Willis added.

Jade Sinclair and Kelley followed behind them, their eyes also red and swollen. "Carey, I'm Jade, your oldest brother's wife."

"And I'm Kelley, your second brother's wife."

Both Jade and Kelley were overcome with emotion. After twenty years, their sister-in-law, Carey, seemed to have changed so much, and yet, not at all.

Carey looked at the familiar faces of her family, a feeling she couldn't describe washing over her. A massive force seemed to crash down from the heavens, and an excruciating pain exploded in her head. It felt like her skull was splitting apart. She swayed, unable to stand.

Thump!

Finally, Carey succumbed to the overwhelming shock. Her vision went black, and she collapsed into Hannah's arms, unconscious.

Hannah was terrified, her face turning pale as she held her daughter. "Carey! Carey! What's wrong? Carey!"

Stuart reacted instantly, taking Carey from Hannah's arms. "Carey, wake up!"

Keira then asked, "Freya, when will your mom wake up?"

"She'll be up soon, Grandma. Please don't worry."

Caitlin opened her medical kit, took out a small porcelain bottle, uncapped it, and waved it gently under Carey's nose. A peculiar scent wafted out and into Carey's nostrils.

Within seconds, Carey's brow furrowed slightly. Then, she slowly opened her eyes. As she looked at the faces surrounding her, her eyes began to well with tears.

Was she... was she really not dreaming?

"Mom!"

Her gaze finally settled on Hannah. She looked right at her and spoke, her voice hoarse.

Hannah gasped, grabbing Carey's hand in disbelief. "Carey, you remember me? You remember?"

Carey nodded, a tear tracing a path down her cheek. "Yes, I remember everything now! Mom, I've missed you so much!"

Her memories came flooding back, playing like a film in her mind. She remembered the car crash from twenty years ago. And she remembered everything she had endured at the hands of the Vance family.

For Carey, those twenty years had been a living nightmare.