THE DIVORCE GAMBIT From Dumped Wife to CEO's Forever novel Chapter 866

But now, the nightmare was finally over. The clouds had parted, and she could see the sun again.

"Carey!" Hannah broke down, sobbing as she embraced her daughter. "My child! You've suffered so much!"

Seeing them, everyone else in the room began to wipe away tears. Even Celeste, who had no blood relation, was crying uncontrollably.

"What about me, Carey? Do you remember me?" Stuart asked, his voice thick with emotion.

Carey turned to him, a smile mingling with her tears, and nodded. "Stuart!"

That single word transported Stuart back more than two decades. He knew, with absolute certainty, that his wife was back. She was really back.

"I'm sorry, Carey," Stuart said, gripping her hand, his face etched with guilt as tears streamed down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry. I failed to protect you and our daughter. I let you both suffer!"

Carey shook her head, crying. "No, Stuart, it wasn't your fault. Don't say that."

Though her memory had been gone, she had learned a great deal from her daughter over the past two days. She knew that after the crash, Stuart had been bedridden for over twenty years. He was a victim too. She also knew that their families had never, ever given up searching for her.

Kelley looked at Carey and asked, "Carey, what about us? Do you remember who we are?"

"Kelley," Carey said, her gaze moving to Jade, then to Warren and Willis. "I'm so sorry. I've made you all worry for so many years."

"And thank you, all of you, for never giving up on finding me and Freya."

If not for their family's persistence, they might still be scattered and lost.

"Carey, what are you talking about!" Warren's tears started flowing again at his sister's words. "We're family! No matter how much time passes, we will always be family!"

Willis nodded firmly. "Big brother is right. Our family stands together, always."

Carey then asked, "Where are my other brothers?"

"They're on their way. They should be here this afternoon."

Carey wept. "It's so good to see you all again. It's so good! I thought... I thought I was an orphan in this world, with no home to return to!"

"She told me I had to spend the rest of my life as a widow, atoning for Quinton's death... I believed I was Flavia Cartwright. My years with the Vance family were like being in a cage. The dowager and Rosemary would beat and berate me. To prevent my memories from returning, they kept me on medication."

"I was forced to take antidepressants for over a decade."

"Later, when Diana saw my condition had stabilized, she had them stop the drugs. A few years after that, I started having the same nightmare over and over. I saw a black car tumble down a cliff, and I heard a baby crying."

"At the time, I didn't know the baby was Freya. I didn't know I was Carey."

"I lived in constant fear and pain!"

"When Diana noticed something was wrong, she had them put me back on heavy doses of drugs to suppress my memory. After taking them, I seemed to forget the dream for a while."

"It was around then that I met Tina. Tina was a good doctor. She realized the medication the Vances were giving me was wrong, so she secretly swapped it out. After that, I started getting better day by day. I began to doubt the lies the Vances had told me..."

"On the day Freya came to Vance Castle for the party, the Vances must have sensed something was off. They tried desperately to keep me away from the main hall and even had me locked up. It was only with Tina's help that I managed to get there."

Carey looked up at Caitlin. "Luckily, fate was on my side that day. After Tina helped me get to the banquet hall, I found Freya!"