The morning of the family brunch, I booked a one–way ticket overseas.
The whole Kingsley estate was buzzing with activity.
My son was dressed up like a little ring bearer, introducing Vivienne to everyone he met.
Everyone praised how charming he was, how well Vivienne fad raised him.
No one seemed to care that I was his biological mother.
Even fewer cared that I was leaving.
I gave the house staff their final instructions and got ready to go.
I didn’t have much to pack–everything I owned fit into a single crossbody bag.
Just as I stepped out the door, Carter appeared out of nowhere.
He was out of breath, like he’d been looking for me for a while.
When he saw the way I was dressed, like I was leaving for good, he froze.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
I shook my head.
“Doesn’t matter.”
‘What do you need?”
Carter pressed his lips together like he’d been wrestling with something for a long time.
“Thank you… for everything you did for the brunch.”
‘Once all this is over, maybe we could have another baby.”
He smiled at me-
And I realized, in all the years we’d been married, I’d never seen him smile at me like that.
gave him a polite, distant smile,
We’ll talk about it later. Vivienne’s calling you.”
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Chapter 4
He turned around, and sure enough, Vivienne was waving him over from the porch.
Carter took a step toward her, then paused and reached back to pat my hand.
“I meant what I said.”
“I promise I’ll make it happen.”
“Okay.”
With that, Carter finally relaxed and walked off to join Vivienne.
We turned our backs on each other and walked away.
I headed straight to the private investigator’s office.
He handed me a thick stack of evidence–Vivienne and several other men.
I flipped through the files, then handed them back to him.
“Send this to every media outlet in the city.”
“Have them publish it in exactly two hours.”
“And make sure they know–I’m still Mrs. Kingsley.”
The lawyer hesitated, but when he saw the fat retainer I handed him, he agreed.
Two hours later, my flight would be taking off.
On the way to the airport, I texted Carter:
[Turn on the news in two hours.]
He didn’t reply.
By now, the family brunch had probably just kicked off.
An hour before departure, I got to the airport.
Check–in. Security. Boarding.
The chaos of it all left no time to check my phone.
But I did catch a glimpse of the Kingsley family brunch on the airport news screen.
Eleanor was holding Vivienne close, all warm and motherly.
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Nine Years Wasted – Now I’m Marrving Your Rival
Chapter 4
“She may not be my daughter by blood,” she said, “but in my heart, she’s always been family,”
My son Ethan clung to Vivienne’s other arm, grinning, “She’s my real mommy!”
And Carter stood behind them, looking like the happiest man alive.
Five minutes before takeoff, I was buckled into business class.
The flight attendant reminded us to power down our phones.
One minute before takeoff, just as my thumb hovered over the power button–my screen exploded with notifications.
