Belated Moonlight: He Regretted Only After I Left-Chapter 44: Who Saved Stella Sterling Five Years Ago?
Shane Donovan left first, leaving Stella Sterling alone in the room.
She looked at the meticulously tidied dining table, then glanced at the disheveled large bed behind her—
Thinking of how, not only did they share a room last night, but they also shared a bed...
Her ears couldn’t help but flush with warmth.
Stella shook her head, casting aside the chaotic emotions, and began to pack her luggage.
She had to return to Riveria in the afternoon; matters in Kenton had come to a temporary halt. Although Grace Quinn’s case encountered obstacles, she would never give up.
After packing her luggage, seeing that it was still early, Stella remembered how Finn Lockwood had been busy in Riveria for the past few days, handling her brother’s tasks and dealing with miscellaneous law firm matters, working tirelessly.
She decided to visit the shopping street near the hotel to buy some Kenton specialties to bring back for him as a reward.
The corridor was empty, and Jasper Hawthorne had left at some point.
Stella felt relieved and took the elevator downstairs.
However, just as she stepped out of the hotel’s revolving doors, before she could take a breath of fresh outdoor air, a familiar tall figure emerged from behind a nearby pillar and blocked her path.
It was Jasper Hawthorne.
He clearly hadn’t slept all night; his eyes were bloodshot, stubble grew on his chin, his suit jacket was somewhat wrinkled, completely lacking his usual sternness and nobility.
Did he wait outside the hotel all night?!
"I have something to say to you..."
Stella’s brow furrowed instantly, "Jasper Hawthorne, haven’t you had enough? There’s nothing to talk about between us."
She tried to bypass him, but he blocked her path again.
"Just five minutes, then I’ll leave."
Stella paused, took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in her heart, "Fine, speak. I’m listening."
She was curious about what he had to say.
"Yesterday... what Shane Donovan said wasn’t true, right?" He stared into Stella’s eyes, as if searching for a shred of evidence, "How could you possibly like him? You’re upset with me, right?"
She sneered, "Jasper Hawthorne, do you think the whole world revolves around you?"
"That’s not what I meant..."
"Jasper Hawthorne, I’m telling you!" Stella interrupted him directly, "If it weren’t for the fact that you saved me five years ago, given what you and Grace Quinn did, I wouldn’t have spared even the last bit of dignity for you!"
Jasper looked at her, each word squeezing out as if from between clenched teeth, "Because I... saved you?"
Stella took a deep breath; although she now only felt disgust for him, she still nodded.
If it hadn’t been for Jasper Hawthorne at that time, she probably would have been doomed...
It was because of this favor that she would always remember his goodness.
Jasper pressed his lips together, his voice terribly hoarse, "When did I save you?"
Stella replied nonchalantly, "Five years ago, in the alley behind Kenton University, I was mugged and nearly... you rushed out to save me, took a stab to the chest that left a scar, right?"
No...
That wasn’t him.
Jasper felt a chill run from the soles of his feet throughout his body, his blood seemed to freeze in an instant.
He had no memory of saving anyone.
The scar on his chest was from being scratched by a tree branch while vacationing in the mountains...
For some reason, Jasper experienced panic for the first time.
It felt as if a red-hot dagger pierced his heart, the pain making it almost impossible to breathe, and his vision turning black.
Seeing his abnormal expression, Stella frowned slightly, "You don’t seem to remember?"
Jasper seemed to snap out of it, "Of course, I remember..."
His hand rested on his chest, "The scar is still there..."
Stella’s gaze involuntarily fell on his chest, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes. But she soon shifted her gaze away.
Jasper inserted his trembling hand into his pocket, forming a tight fist, "If... if I hadn’t saved you back then, would you still have liked me?"
Stella couldn’t help but furrow her brows; she hadn’t expected him to ask this.
She had considered this question herself before.
If Jasper Hawthorne hadn’t saved her in the past, perhaps she wouldn’t have plunged in so recklessly...
Even going so far as to have a falling-out with her family...
"No."
Jasper felt his head buzz, his whole body frozen in place.
Seeing him silent, Stella paid him no further attention and walked straight past him towards the shopping street.
...
It was uncertain how much time passed before Jasper turned his head to look, but by then, where was Stella’s silhouette anymore behind him?
The world seemed to have completely collapsed at this moment.
The surrounding noisy voices sounded like they were muffled by a thick layer of glass, becoming blurred and indistinct.
Jasper stood rigidly in place, like a shell stripped of its soul.
If Stella found out that the person who saved her back then wasn’t him...
And if she found the real person who saved her...
Would she treat that person just like she used to treat him...
Giving her all, dedicating herself wholeheartedly?
Jasper couldn’t help but press down on his chest.
At the mere thought of this scenario, sharp pains surged from his heart, causing him to bend over, gasping for breath, yet still feeling suffocated.
So this is the feeling of heartache?
So distinct, so intense, so...
Despairing.
He was wrong.
He had always been wrong.
He thought Stella’s love was a given.
It wasn’t until now that he was horrified to discover that the grand love affair lasting five years had been built on a ridiculous misunderstanding from the start.
The foundation was imaginary, so when it collapsed, it did so completely, leaving no room for mitigation.
And now, he didn’t even have the right to grasp that life-saving straw.
Because that straw never belonged to him.
"Ah... ah..." He emitted a painful, stifled wheeze, his vision intermittently blurring.
He leaned against the column beside him to barely steady his faltering legs.
Jasper’s trembling hand retrieved his phone, his fingers shaking so severely that he almost dropped the device several times.
He managed to find Jude Kensington’s number and dialed it.
The call was almost immediately answered.
"Old Hawthorne? How did it go? Did you see Stella? Did she..." Jude’s anxious voice came through.
Jasper interrupted him, his voice hoarse and dry, squeezing each word from his throat:
"Jude... help me investigate something..."
He closed his eyes; the immense pain caused his voice to tremble.
"Investigate... five years ago, in the alley behind Kenton University... who saved Stella... who was it?" 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
On the other end of the line, Jude was obviously stunned, motionless for several seconds, "...What? Five years ago? Saved Stella? Old Hawthorne, you... you were the one who..."
"Investigate it!" Jasper suddenly shouted, his voice mixed with a desperate despair and rage, "Immediately! Right now! I need to know... who exactly was it!!"
After yelling this, he seemed drained of all energy and abruptly hung up, his body slowly sliding down the cold column to sit on the ground.
He raised his hand, covering his face, his shoulders uncontrollably shaking violently.
A kind of unprecedented panic and despair, like countless thin ice needles, pierced into his heart.
So...
The heart really does hurt.
Pain beyond endurance.
