My Amnesic Ex Married My Sister, So I Married His Uncle-Chapter 34: Give the Sun a Hug

When Owen spoke to Stella, his voice was gentle.

It was so soft and soothing that it made one instinctively compliant.

So much so that Stella didn’t even realize Owen was holding her hand as they walked.

Owen let go just before she got into the car. As the cool evening breeze brushed against her palm, Stella finally registered what had happened.

Under the orange glow of the streetlights, the blush on Stella’s face wasn’t as noticeable.

Once they were both settled in the car, Owen asked, "Are you upset?"

Stella snapped out of it and instinctively denied it. "No."

’Actually, I wasn’t in a bad mood before, but that phone call from Ms. Jennings just now soured it.’

"If you’re not upset, then why are you frowning?"

As he spoke, Owen reached out. His long fingers gently touched the space between her eyebrows, tracing a soft circle as if trying to smooth her frown away.

’Owen could be so observant sometimes, always noticing the emotions she tried to hide.’

Stella wasn’t one to readily show her emotions; most of the time, she chose silence. But in front of Owen, it felt as if all her defenses were transparent.

And his voice was so gentle, it made her unconsciously let down her guard.

She said, deflated, "Owen, do I seem like a bad person? Why does it feel like everything I do, every word I say, is seen as having some ulterior motive by certain people?"

Her gaze fell, a sense of powerlessness washing over her. "Owen, I’m a little tired."

In that moment, Stella was like a porcelain doll with a fine crack running through it. The slightest external pressure would be enough to shatter her completely.

’Owen wanted to hold her, but he worried his embrace might become that very pressure.’

He watched her in silence, his large hand coming to rest gently on the crown of her head.

"Stella, not everything that goes wrong in the world is your fault. Differences in how people think, how they handle situations, and how they express themselves—all these things can cause problems in relationships. That’s why conflicts happen. Don’t take all the blame on yourself, or you’ll burn out." He paused, his voice growing even softer. "But that’s also why empathy is so precious."

There was no wind in the car, yet Stella felt a gentle breeze brush past her ear.

It was cool and soothing, both relaxing and reassuring.

A long-forgotten feeling surfaced in Stella.

It was as if she were curled up on the stair landing of that magnificent villa, reading a letter from across the ocean by a sliver of sunlight filtering through the window.

The elegant, firm handwriting had always guided her so gently.

Telling her that she was wonderful, that she was kind. Telling her not to put too much pressure on herself, to try and give herself a break.

Without realizing it, Stella had once again drawn her knees to her chest.

She rested her head on her wrists, which were crossed over her knees, and turned to look at Owen.

Her vision blurred without her noticing, as if she were looking through him at a phantom from another time.

’She couldn’t see it clearly.’

"Owen, let’s go home."

"Okay. Let’s go home."

’It was strange. She had only been at Lanthos Bay for a few days, but she was already starting to feel a sense of belonging.’

’It felt as if returning there meant returning to a safe cocoon.’

Stella seemed to be in low spirits. She remained silent the entire way back to Lanthos Bay, her knees drawn to her chest.

There were a few new changes at home today.

In the master bathroom, all the toiletries had been replaced with matching sets for a couple.

There were matching black-and-white rinsing cups and electric toothbrushes, as well as a towel set in dark gray and light pink. The corners of the towels were even embroidered with a "Q" and a "Y."

A small woven basket had appeared on the counter, filled with Stella’s hair ties and scrunchies of all shapes and sizes.

Two new bath poufs had been added in the shower; one look at the dark blue one and you knew it was his.

’Owen didn’t think he’d ever felt such a tangible warmth spread through his chest.’

’Stella was a woman who knew how to live well.’

’She could take the ordinary stuff of life and make it beautiful.’

’Owen thought that if she hadn’t been so repressed by the Sterling Family, Stella would be an incredibly bright and cheerful woman.’

’Passionate like the sun, yet serene as the moon.’

’And he would be the one standing on the ground, looking up in admiration.’

’But now, the sun was tired. So he could give the sun a hug.’

When Owen came out from the bathroom, Stella was organizing her gifts.

She had cleared out a cabinet in the master bedroom specifically to store them.

Seeing Owen, she beckoned him over, inviting him to look at her treasured collection.

Stella savored the momentary joy of unwrapping a gift, which was why she had kept nearly every present she had ever received, all perfectly preserved.

Even the wrapping paper was kept intact.

She would have unwrapped them when she first received them, of course; she could never contain her curiosity about what was inside.

But she was always so careful that she could rewrap them perfectly after seeing what they were.

She loved the process of unwrapping and rewrapping them.

So now, she could share that joy with Owen, unwrapping them all over again.

"This is a perfume Ariana Grant custom-blended for me when she was in Westerfall. That was the first time I learned that Sperm Whale vomit could be used to make fragrances."

"Ariana made this paintbrush for me by hand. The handle is actually Agarwood. I don’t think she ever really wanted me to use it."

"Ariana had this necklace custom-made for me, but she drew the design herself. Isn’t she incredible?"

On and on it went, and every gift was from Ariana Grant.

Only Ariana.

Owen suddenly said, "Stella, would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow evening?"

Stella froze for a second. Owen continued, "With my best friends. I’d like to formally introduce you to them. Since we haven’t had a wedding, how about we just have a simple meal?"

Stella didn’t answer right away, and Owen assumed she didn’t want to go.

"Of course, it’s fine if you don’t want to," he added.

Stella shook her head, her eyes fixed on the wrapping paper in her hands. "I’ll go. I’m free."

Owen’s hand came to rest on her head. "Is there something on your mind?"

Stella looked up in shock. ’How did he know again?!’

"Just ask. I’ll tell you anything you want to know."

She hesitated for a moment, then asked in a small voice, "Earlier... when we were outside... did you... call me Stella?"

Her cheeks were a little flushed, a tender pink that was utterly adorable.

The corners of Owen’s lips lifted unconsciously. "Do you like it when I call you that?"

Stella looked away. "It’s not that, exactly..."

"I understand."

’Hm? What did he understand?’

’Okay, fine. He understood exactly what I meant.’

「The next day, at Caelum Restaurant.」

Hearing that Owen was bringing Stella to dinner that evening, Silas Jacobs and Julian Chandler arrived early. Even Wyatt Keating, the star attorney, had managed to carve out time from his busy schedule to get there ahead of them.

When Owen arrived with Stella, Julian Chandler was confirming the menu with the head chef.

Julian called out the moment he saw them, "Owen, does your wife have any dietary restrictions? There’s a dish with cilantro tonight—is she a fan?"

Before Stella could say a word, Owen answered, "Serve it. She loves cilantro."

Stella froze.

’How did he know that?’

’She’d never told anyone about that, except for mentioning it in a letter to Ethan Rhodes a long, long time ago.’

’Even Ethan himself had forgotten about it.’