I Quit Being a StepMother Novel

Chapter 43 +25 BONUS Chapter 43 At that thought , Lauren unknowingly tightened her grip on Arielle . However , Arielle was sweaty , and her hand was slippery . As she yanked it free from Lauren's grip , she suddenly tumbled down the stairs . Arielle let out a startled cry . Lauren's eyes went wide as she screamed , " Arielle ! " " Ms. Arielle ! " Alisha and the maids panicked and bolted down the stairs . Arielle landed at the turn of the staircase . Lauren rushed over and was just about to pick Arielle up when a pair of small hands suddenly shoved her from behind . " Don't touch Arielle !

" Adrian stood there barefoot in his pajamas , his face red with rage . Caught off guard by the sudden push , Lauren stumbled down the remaining steps and hit the floor of the living room . Carter came running , immediately crouching to shield Lauren . " Are you okay ? " " I'm fine ... " Lauren buried herself in his arms . " Please don't blame Adrian . " Seeing Carter rush to protect Lauren without even checking on Arielle first , Adrian felt his anger boil over inside him . He hated Carter now .

Just then , blood suddenly began to seep from Arielle's forehead , and the gash beneath her hair became painfully apparent . She burst into loud sobs . " Arielle's bleeding ! " Adrian's voice shook with fear when he saw all the blood . Alisha scooped Arielle up and said anxiously , " Mr. Jamison , we need to get Ms. Arielle to the hospital now ! " Carter looked up sharply . Only then did he realize how badly Arielle was hurt . He pushed Lauren out of his arms . " Let's go now ! " They were in the emergency room at 12:30 am . Arielle ended up needing four stitches .

The sweet , soft - hearted young girl now had a bandage wrapped around her head . Her forehead was swollen , and her eyes were red and teary . She looked heartbreakingly pitiful . Carter tried to comfort her , but Arielle ignored him . She clung to Alisha's arms instead , refusing to let Carter 1/2 Chapter 43 hold her . She didn't spare Lauren a single glance either . Adrian stood beside the hospital bed and asked , " Dad , can you please ask this lady to leave ? " " Adrian , it was an accident ... " Lauren said , her voice laced with guilt . +25 BONUS But Adrian didn't hold back .

He blurted out exactly how he felt . " You're the one who grabbed Arielle ! She fell because of you ! Ever since you showed up , bad things have been happening to us ! You're like that jinx they talk about on TV ! We don't like you ! " " Adrian ! " Carter barked . Adrian jumped , fear flickering across his face . " Is this how you were taught ? " Carter scolded . Adrian shrank back a step . He missed Rhea and wondered where she had gone . Did she really abandon them ? Arielle pulled him close and rasped , " Adrian , don't talk to them anymore . We'll just wait for Mom to come back .

" She was starting to realize that as long as Lauren was around , no matter what she or Adrian did , Carter would always see them as the ones at fault . Only Rhea was on their side to protect them . " Dad said that Mom doesn't want us anymore ... " Adrian cried as he said that . Lauren couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache . She quickly said , " Rhea's not here , but I am . I'll always love you both ! " Seeing his two children like this made Carter feel a deep , twisting pain inside . He turned to Lauren and said softly , " You should go home and rest first . " Lauren froze .

So she was not needed here ? But she was their mother ! It was one thing for the kids to reject her , but now even Carter was pushing her away . Nevertheless , she knew that this wasn't the time to argue . " I'll wait for you outside . " With Rhea gone , she figured that this was her chance to prove herself to the kids . She had to take this opportunity to take Rhea's place in their hearts slowly . Once Lauren left the ward , she sank into a chair and stared blankly ahead . What Adrian said about her being a jinx had stung her more than she wanted to admit .

However , what Adrian said reminded Lauren of something . She pulled out her phone and made a call . " Grandma , did I wake you ? " 2/2