I Quit Being a StepMother Novel

Chapter 23 When Carter remained silent , Lauren gently wrapped her hand around his arm . " Let's go to our new place tonight and cook a nice dinner with Grandma . We can have a proper family meal . Don't send the kids back just yet . Their birthdays are the day after tomorrow anyway . " Chloe nodded . " Yes , Carter . You should stay too . Let's celebrate together . " However , Carter hesitated . Every year , it was Rhea who planned their birthday from start to finish . If the kids stayed here ... Arielle's eyes were starting to droop . " Dad , we want to celebrate with Mom .

" Smiling , Lauren said, " Mom's right here , sweetheart . " The words had barely left her mouth before Arielle's body tilted forward and collapsed . " Arielle ! " Carter shouted . " Arielle ! " " She's running a fever of nearly 104 degrees Fahrenheit ! How did none of you notice ? " The doctor's voice was sharp with worry . Carter was filled with guilt . " She looked- " " You can't tell if a kid's sick by looking ! " the doctor snapped . " She called for her mom when she passed out . Where is her mother ? " Lauren jumped in . " I'm here . I'm her mom !

" But Adrian immediately objected , " She's not ! " Carter gave him a warning glare . " Adrian . " Arielle had fainted without Rhea around . Adrian stood there all alone , protectively shielding her and refusing to let anyone come near . He wasn't scared of Carter's warning . He stood his ground stubbornly . " She's not our mom ! Doctor , can you help us call our mom ? " The doctor instantly tensed and turned to Carter . " What does he mean by that ? " Carter had no good answer . He turned and stepped outside to call Rhea .

Meanwhile , Lauren kept wiping away her tears , but Adrian didn't feel the slightest bit sorry for her . After all , it was her and Carter's carelessness that caused Arielle to faint in the first place . Rhea was driving home through the rain when her phone rang . Carter didn't even say hello . He simply said , " Come to the hospital now . " Rhea was already beyond numb . She honestly couldn't understand how Carter , who was almost 30 , somehow managed to land the kids in the hospital every time he had them . Chapter 23 Gritting her teeth , she slammed her foot on the gas pedal .

" What happened ? " " Arielle fainted from a high fever . " This time , Carter actually sounded guilty . +25 BONUS 40 minutes later , Rhea rushed into the hospital . " Where is she ? " Carter frowned . " What took you so long ? " She nearly slapped him right there . " It's raining . Are you blind ? " Carter's face darkened , but he said nothing . They found Arielle's ward , and Rhea hurried to the bed . Arielle was awake but looked weaker than she had the day before . She had a cooling patch stuck to her forehead and an IV drip in her hand . When she saw Rhea , she mustered a tired smile .

" Mom , you're here . " Lauren saw it , and it stung . These kids had never once smiled at her like that . Rhea felt so sorry for Arielle that her eyes began to sting . " Sweetie , I'm sorry . I came too late . " " You should be sorry . " The voice that spoke was unfamiliar . Rhea turned in response . It was Chloe , sitting in a wheelchair , glaring at her . " This is how you take care of kids as a stepmother ? Just * because they're not yours doesn't mean you get to be careless ! " Rhea didn't take the words to heart .

She didn't even know this old woman , so why would she care what she thought ? What did get to her was that in the middle of Chloe's scolding , some part of her still hoped that Carter might say something to defend her . She couldn't believe how pathetic she was . Rhea lowered her head and stayed by Arielle's side . " I'm here now . Don't be scared , okay ? I'll read you a story . " Just then , Carter said , " Mrs. Thayer Senior , Arielle's always been frail . She was born that way . " Rhea froze for a second at those words .

So he had brought the kids out to spend the day with Lauren and her grandmother . And now that something had gone wrong , he dragged her here to clean up the mess .