Chapter 2
“Stella, I didn’t forget your birthday. I’ve had your gift ready for a while.”
“My gift?” Stella chuckled softly. “Didn’t you give my mother’s necklace to Ms. Pearce?”
That necklace was the last thing Stella’s mother left her before she passed away. But on the day Stella gave birth to Keen, it went missing. Haynes had promised to find it for her. He did find it, but he gave it to Rachel
Haynes expression remained calm, showing not a hint of embarrassment at being caught. His deep eyes seemed even darker than usual. “I only lent the necklace to Rachel. Ill get it back for you soon.”
“How soon?” Stella asked, her voice steady. “When she dies?”
“Stella!” His voice was cold and piercing, slicing through the silence. For once, the anger in his deep–set eyes revealed a depth of feeling beneath his usual indifference. “That’s enough.”
Enough was right. Stella had had enough of living with a husband whose heart was elsewhere, raising a child who felt distant, and enduring the disdain of her in–laws.
Haynes sighed, “Rachel only has six months left. Even Keen understands compassion. Why can’t you?”
At that moment, Stella realized she couldn’t hold back any lon
any longer.
Her voice was icy as she replied, “What does the time she has left have to do with me? She’s not my family. Why should I put up with her?”
Haynes seemed stunned, unprepared for such harsh words from Stella, who was usually so mild–mannered.
His eyes hardened like frost on the glass. “Stella, I thought we had an understanding.”
Stella let out a bitter laugh. “She wants to relive her first love, and I’m supposed to watch you rekindle a romance with her. She wanted to experience a wedding, so my carefully planned ceremony went to Rachel. I’m supposed to stand by as you and she, with Keen, walk down the aisle. She wants to see the world, and you take her on a grand tour. If she wanted the moon, you’d find a way to bring it to het wouldn’t you?“!!
They had been married for five years without a wedding ceremony. Once, Keen asked what a wedding dress looked like, and Haynes decided it was time to have a wedding. Stella had spent six months planning it, only for Rachel to take it away w with a single request.
Haynes‘ gaze turned icy cold. “Stella, you’re out of line.”
Out of line? Stella felt a pang in her chest and closed her eyes, overwhelmed with disappointment!
For years, she had tried to be the perfect wife and mother. No matter how much she tried, Haynes always kept his distance, and she had assumed it was just part of his nature. But when his first love came back, she witnessed a side of him she never knew was there.
She picked up the divorce papers she had prepared and signed. “I’ve signed them. Please sign quickly. If Rachel can become Mrs. O’Brien before she dies, I’m sure it would make her happy.”
Haynes‘ lips tightened, and his face seemed to freeze over with a chilling intensity. It was a sign of his deep displeasure. “And what about Keen?”
Stella’s voice was barely a whisper. “He’ll stay with the O’Brien family.“2
He was about to respond when his phone rang.
“Haynes, something’s happened! Rachel collapsed and has been rushed to the ER!”
