My Amnesic Ex Married My Sister, So I Married His Uncle-Chapter 19: Keep Yapping, and I’ll Leash You

The past few days since returning home hadn’t been very pleasant for Kiana Sterling.

After that fainting spell in Lumina, she’d reaped some unexpected rewards.

She had only intended to sow discord between Stella Sterling and Ethan Rhodes, as usual, but she never expected Ethan to deliver the very words that would finally crush Stella.

She knew all too well what Ethan Rhodes meant to Stella Sterling.

Ethan wasn’t just Stella’s boyfriend; he was the last person in the Sterling Family who would still stand up for her. He was the final thread holding her together, the last reminder that someone was willing to believe in her.

For Stella, those latter two roles had long surpassed the hollow title of "boyfriend."

But in truth, Ethan Rhodes had stopped believing in Stella Sterling long ago.

It had started when he began subtly pressuring Stella to listen to Chase Sterling and Madeline Jennings. It had continued when he accompanied her to the hospital under the guise of comforting her, and when he gently asked her not to make things difficult for Joel Joyce.

Ethan Rhodes was just very good at hiding it.

Stella Sterling was so smart; she must have noticed long before.

She had simply closed her eyes and chosen to deceive herself.

The moment Ethan said, "Joel Joyce will come pick you up," was the moment he personally severed that final thread.

And so, Stella’s world completely collapsed. The bird that dreamed of soaring finally had its wings broken.

She was delighted.

But in front of Ethan Rhodes, she cried more heartbrokenly than anyone.

In the hospital room in Lumina, an anxious and helpless Ethan Rhodes tried to coax her, asking what heartbreaking things Stella had said to her.

She said, "Ethan, I mentioned to Stella before that you planned to buy that pink diamond ring at auction to propose to me. But when she saw my ring today, she said... she said it proved you don’t really love me..."

In truth, she cared a great deal about this.

She genuinely adored that ring, loving it from the first moment she saw it. Ethan Rhodes had promised it to her so readily, but he hadn’t kept his word.

Being "understanding," she couldn’t press him about why.

Ethan Rhodes squeezed her hand and explained, "Kiana, how could I not love you? That ring... it was actually my uncle who bought it. I recognized his proxy bidder at the auction, so when I knew he wanted it, I gave up."

Owen Rhodes was part of the reason he’d given up the ring, but ultimately, it was because the price had simply gotten too high.

It was just an engagement ring. There was no need to go that far.

Kiana Sterling shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears. "I never doubt your love for me. I just hate myself for fainting before I could even say a word in your defense... Ethan, I’m so sorry... You’re so good to me..."

Ethan Rhodes was already feeling a little guilty, and hearing Kiana say this made his guilt overflow.

He immediately promised that once they returned to Jandor, he would buy her an even better diamond ring, necklaces, tiaras—anything she liked, he would buy for her.

Kiana Sterling was thoroughly satisfied.

As for those letters Stella Sterling had mentioned, they weren’t important.

She had helped sort through all the things Ethan had come to return this time.

So she knew exactly what he had.

From beginning to end, she had never seen any letters.

Besides, Ethan had amnesia. There was no need to deliberately bring it up and make him dwell on it.

And anyway, what Stella said wasn’t necessarily true.

Stella Sterling’s personality had changed drastically since the car accident, especially after Ethan Rhodes lost his memory.

She was certainly different from before, but if Kiana could control Stella for all those years, she could surely control her for many more to come.

What’s more, the current Stella had been completely crushed psychologically by Ethan Rhodes.

She would only be easier to deal with than in the past.

Just thinking about it made Kiana Sterling feel elated.

All she cared about now was Ethan’s promise to buy her jewelry. She couldn’t wait to share the news with Madeline Jennings and ask for her help in picking out styles.

But to her surprise, after they returned to Jandor, Madeline Jennings and Chase Sterling spent all their free time looking for Stella Sterling.

She truly hadn’t expected Stella to have disappeared after that day in Lumina.

As more time passed since her disappearance, Madeline and Chase grew visibly more and more restless.

This feeling of not being the center of attention was one she hadn’t experienced in a long time—so long, in fact, that she started wishing Stella would just disappear for good.

That was why these past few days had not been pleasant for her.

Perhaps sensing she was in a bad mood, Ethan Rhodes took her out shopping that afternoon.

When they reached the entrance of a jewelry store, she remembered Ethan’s promise and decided to go in for a look.

Before she even stepped inside, she saw a figure in white standing at the counter.

As the woman lowered her head, her long, dark, wavy hair cascaded down like silk. The white, flat-stitch embroidered dress she wore gave her an ethereal air, while the layered lace of the hem added a touch of graceful movement.

’What a beautiful dress,’ Kiana thought. ’I love this kind of exquisite design.’

But at a glance, she couldn’t tell which major brand the ready-to-wear piece was from.

Perhaps it was custom-made. She decided she would ask the lady.

Coincidentally, the lady was in the section for matching rings—and as it happened, Kiana needed matching rings too.

Even more coincidentally, they had both taken a liking to the same set.

When the lady turned to look over, Kiana Sterling was stunned.

’How could it be Stella Sterling!’

Stella Sterling watched as Kiana’s face filled with shock. A flash of disgust crossed Kiana’s eyes, only to be replaced by a joyful smile as she exclaimed, "Stella!"

The next second, she looked as if she was on the verge of tears.

"When did you get back? Why didn’t you tell the family? Do you have any idea how worried sick Mom and our brother have been?!"

Stella Sterling crossed her arms and clicked her tongue. "TSK TSK. With acting skills like yours, it’s a real shame you didn’t become a star."

"Stella, can’t you speak like a decent person?" Ethan Rhodes pulled Kiana protectively behind him, glaring at Stella with wary disgust. "I haven’t even settled the score with you for what happened in Lumina, and now you have the gall to go into hiding."

The shop assistant, unsure of the situation unfolding before them, nervously wondered whether to lock the rings they had just taken out back in the display case.

Stella ignored them, instead asking the assistant to take out the woman’s ring for her to try on.

As she lowered her gaze, she suppressed the bitterness and disappointment welling up inside her. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

She spoke. "Ethan Rhodes, you should be careful with your words. What do you mean, ’go into hiding’? I’m a healthy adult, free to come and go as I please. I don’t see why I need to report my whereabouts to you, do I?"

Stella raised a faint smile, her subtle detachment casting a thin veil over the glittering jewels in the room, making the scene feel as hazy as a dream.

She turned sideways to face Ethan Rhodes. "Or could it be... that you care a great deal about my whereabouts?"

As she spoke, she deliberately let her gaze fall on Kiana, who was standing behind him.

Ethan’s face turned cold as he warned, "Stella, cut it out with your cheap tricks!"

When Kiana stepped forward again, her face was noticeably paler.

"Stella, I know you can’t let go of Ethan and you’re still angry. If saying a few things will help you vent... then just curse me!"

She looked at Stella with furrowed brows and tear-filled eyes, her expression one of grim determination, as if she were marching to her doom.

Stella scoffed.

’Who begs to be cursed out like this?’

But she had other things to do and didn’t want to waste her time on unimportant people.

Stella ignored them completely and turned to the assistant. "Those two are sick. You should probably call an ambulance for them. I quite like this set. Do you accept custom orders? How do I pay the deposit?"

Seeing that she had only tried on the woman’s ring, the assistant smiled apologetically. "I’m sorry, miss, but these are a matching set. We don’t sell them individually."

Stella smiled. "Oh, I’m not buying just one~"

Kiana’s expression turned even uglier. "Stella, you’re buying... a matching set? For... Ethan?"

Ethan Rhodes immediately tried to distance himself. "Stella, I’ve told you, the only one I love is Kiana. You—"

"SHHH—"

A porcelain-white finger drew a line of silence before Stella’s rosy lips. "So noisy. Keep it up, and I’ll have to put you on a leash~"