THE LOST HEIRESS RETURNS AFTER DIVORCE
Chapter 86: Waiting to burn them all

Chapter 86: Waiting to burn them all

Heather walked quietly behind as Alex ran ahead toward Caius’s chambers.

For someone who had just survived brain tumor surgery, he was surprisingly full of energy—too agile, really.

She was happy to see him recovering, of course. Nothing brought her much joy than seeing him happy and alive.

But everything she’d been told said that children who went through brain tumor surgery usually stayed weak and quiet for a while.

Especially right after the operation. The recovery process was supposed to be long and slow. One particular woman online told the public her experience.

Saying the waiting part was crucially as painful as the sick part. And that she thought the tumor was still in his brain.

Heather had prepared herself for that possibility. Even telling herself that she wouldn’t panic if she saw him in that condition.

And yet, here he was—running around the garden, picking flowers, acting just like he used to.

It was almost as if nothing had ever happened. As if there had never been a surgery at all.

She hated that the thought even crossed her mind, but it did: What if there never was a surgery?

But no—that was ridiculous. Completely absurd.

Still... she couldn’t help but wonder.

No. It was actually a stupid thought. She didn’t think Alex would be able to fool the doctor, nurses, and even the specialist.

"You okay?" a voice asked beside her.

She didn’t need to look to know who it was.

"I’m fine," she said shortly.

But she wasn’t.

Not exactly.

Lauren’s last words still lingered in her mind. It wasn’t fear—Heather wasn’t scared of Lauren.

But she knew exactly how far Lauren was willing to go. She’d seen it before.

Lauren had never lost anything that mattered. And when she did, she always came back fighting harder.

Heather wouldn’t have had a problem with her—if only Lauren hadn’t underestimated her. She wasn’t even trying to take this from her.

It really was ironic. Her plan was far different; Caius had just happened. She didn’t even plan on using him.

Heather had been watching, waiting. Waiting for Lauren to slip up. And in the meantime, she’d done her own digging.

She found out Lauren had left Velmora at 21. Back then, she’d turned down Caius to marry someone richer.

That part didn’t surprise her. But what did surprise her was that Lauren returned barely a year later—straight into Caius’s arms.

What happened to that husband?

So Heather kept looking. And she found the answer.

He was arrested in the country they’d moved to—charged with fraud, embezzlement, and money laundering.

A dumb move, especially since he was a shareholder in the company he stole from.

The moment he was caught, Lauren ran back home. She claimed she still loved Caius. But Heather knew better.

Lauren came back because she needed him—his influence, his name, his resources—to clean up her mess.

Though her name was cleared, Heather remembered a detective mentioning Lauren’s involvement.

Just once. But the story was buried almost immediately.

Probably Caius’s doing.

Still, Heather had no doubt she was part of it. Lauren was too careful, too calculated. She always knew how to play things in her favor.

Heather figured she had lost everything after the scandal—her name, her money, her standing.

That’s why she was so desperate to marry into the Thornes. She needed security. A future for herself and her son. Acting didn’t give the kind of money she wanted.

Now, she worked at Heather’s company. She is the public face the Remingtons used to represent their shares, but Heather knew she wasn’t earning much.

Lionel was a greedy man. He’d rather die holding his money than give any to his children.

So Lauren worked like an elephant but ate like an ant. That was why she fought so hard for Caius—because this was her last card.

The detective also told Heather that Lauren’s husband had been drowning in debt before he stole anything. They were going bankrupt.

And as for her father, Lionel, and his mistress, Evelyn—Heather had her eyes on them too. She was gathering everything she needed.

Not just to expose them. To destroy them. And she wasn’t in a rush. She would wait. And when the right time came, she’d make sure they felt every bit of it.

Before Caius could even speak, she cut in.

"Caius, don’t."

He looked at her, frustrated. But she could see there was something else behind his eyes. He wanted to talk.

"Can we talk?" he asked anyway, ignoring her protest.

Heather let out a sharp breath through her nose. She kept walking. "I don’t need another apology."

"I’m not apologizing."

That made her pause—just enough for him to notice.

"Then what?" she asked, turning toward him.

He looked down at her, his jaw tight. His expression shifted between frustration and something heavier. He wasn’t angry, but he wasn’t calm either. And he was standing too close.

She stepped back.

"Did tonight change anything for you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No."

"Even now?"

"Especially now."

There was a long silence between them. They both knew what this was about. He hadn’t stopped thinking about the divorce conversation from earlier.

Caius shifted slightly. His fingers brushed the cuff of his sleeve—an old habit. He always did that when he was holding something back.

He was trying. Really trying. To fix something she didn’t want fixed.

"What would make you stay?" he asked.

She almost laughed—but the moment didn’t feel light enough for that. "You really think there’s an answer to that?"

"I would do it," he said quietly.

But that didn’t matter.

"There’s nothing you can do," she said, her was voice steady.

He stared at her for a long time. Longer than she expected. And finally, he nodded. It wasn’t agreement, neither was it understanding either.

It was something else, something unfinished.

"Then I guess I just have to prove you wrong," he said.

Heather scoffed and turned away. "Good luck with that."

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