My Amnesic Ex Married My Sister, So I Married His Uncle-Chapter 6: Yesterday Has Passed

Stella Sterling hesitated, but the thought of Owen Rhodes’s injury made her push down her worries and help him toward the hospital.

But just her luck, of all the people she could run into, it had to be him.

She had just helped Owen through the hospital entrance when she came face-to-face with an old acquaintance.

The man wore black-rimmed glasses and had a gentle, scholarly air about him. But beneath his suit, his body was taut with muscle. He was a trained fighter.

It was one of Chase Sterling’s assistants, Joel Joyce.

But to call him Chase’s assistant was an understatement; he was the man Chase hired specifically to handle her.

Realization dawned on Stella in an instant. She turned to run, but the men Joel had brought with him had already surrounded them.

"Miss Sterling, what perfect timing. I was just about to look for you. The doctor is ready. Please don’t make this difficult for me. Come with me."

’Perfect timing, my ass!’

Stella’s eyes burned with anger, and her fingers, resting on Owen’s waist, tightened unconsciously.

"Only an idiot would go with you!"

Having dealt with this young lady for so many years, Joel Joyce knew that words were useless. With a soft sigh, he stepped forward to grab her.

This time, however, his hand was intercepted the moment he reached out.

Owen Rhodes grabbed the wrist he had extended toward Stella. "Didn’t you hear her? She doesn’t want to go."

Only then did Joel give Owen a proper look.

He covertly applied pressure but was shocked to find he couldn’t break free from the man’s grip.

At first glance, the man looked familiar. After a closer look, a hint of surprise appeared on Joel’s face.

He opened his mouth to say something, but before any sound could escape, a foot slammed into his abdomen, sending him flying.

Seeing this, the surrounding bodyguards immediately swarmed forward to attack.

But even so, the entire group was no match for Owen.

In the midst of the chaos, Owen even managed to grab Stella’s hand and pull her into a run.

As they burst out of the hospital, Stella thought she saw Ethan Rhodes chasing after them.

Owen seemed to know the area well.

All Stella knew was that she was running so hard she could barely breathe, blindly letting him pull her along. She even forgot that he was injured.

When they finally stopped, she found they were standing in front of a detached villa by the sea.

She panted softly, trying to catch her breath, her fingertips burning hot.

Turning her head, she saw that Owen’s face was pale.

"Miss Sterling, it looks like I’ll have to trouble you to bandage me up today."

At this point, Stella couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

Despite her lingering doubts, what she felt most in that moment was gratitude for him helping her escape from Joel Joyce.

Owen took off his T-shirt and sat down in front of Stella.

No matter how many times she saw it, Stella still found his physique to be perfect.

The villa’s first-aid kit was fully stocked with everything they needed.

Just as she was disinfecting Owen’s wound with iodine, a call came in from Ariana Grant.

Her hands were busy, so she used her pinky to put the call on speaker.

"Stella Sterling, are you okay? I heard Ethan Rhodes and Kiana Sterling went to Lumina today. They didn’t cause any trouble for you, did they?"

Stella’s tone was flat. "They did. But I didn’t let them off easy. Kiana’s probably still passed out in the hospital."

"What?! Why can’t you take it easy for once! With her passed out, who knows how those vampires in your family will torture you now!" Ariana sounded anxious. "That bastard Joel Joyce didn’t drag you off to give blood again, did he? You just wait, I’m buying a plane ticket right now! If I can’t beat him up myself, I’ll find someone who can!"

"No need. Someone already beat him up."

"Huh? Who? What hero was it?"

Stella looked up and met Owen’s deep eyes.

"...A friend."

’But could they even be considered friends?’

Ariana didn’t suspect a thing. One moment she was thanking the hero for stepping in, the next she was cursing Joel Joyce’s ancestors, and then she started railing against Ethan Rhodes and everyone in the Sterling Family except for Stella.

Her one-woman phone call had the energy of ten people.

Stella listened as she focused on treating Owen’s wound.

After a while, Ariana tired herself out from all the cursing. Not hearing anything from Stella for a bit, she asked, "Stella Sterling, what are you thinking about? Why are you so quiet? Don’t scare me."

Fortunately, the wound wasn’t deep. Stella placed a sterile dressing over it.

"I’m thinking... about how to ruin Ethan Rhodes and Kiana Sterling’s engagement party."

Her tone was casual, making it hard to tell if she was serious.

Just as she finished speaking, the deep chimes of a clock striking midnight echoed through the living room.

Owen, who had been silent all this time, turned his head to glance at the time. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

He turned his gaze back to Stella, his expression serious.

"Stella Sterling, yesterday is over. So today, will you marry me?"

The long chimes continued to reverberate through the living room.

Stella looked up in astonishment, her gaze once again crashing into the man’s profound eyes.

His stare was heavy, but the slight curve at the corners of his eyes softened its edge.

It was only then that Stella remembered. On the day of the bonfire party, she had been upset by those two evening calls from Madeline Jennings and Chase Sterling, so she had given him a flippant reply.

Back then, she had said, "At least wait until after tomorrow." The real reason was that regardless of whether Ethan Rhodes came looking for her within those 100 days, she had already planned to leave Lumina on the 101st day.

That way, their paths would naturally never cross again.

As for taking the ring, she had told Owen before she left that she would return it to him when he came by the next day.

She just never expected so many things to happen afterward.

And now, the moment the clock struck twelve, he was bringing it up again without a second’s delay.

On the other end of the line, Ariana couldn’t help but lower her voice. "Oh my god. Stella, is that yesterday’s mo—"

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

The call ended.

Stella clutched her phone, her delicate brows furrowing as she looked down.

The living room was so quiet you could even hear the ticking of the clock.

Owen’s voice was gentle as he confessed, "Don’t be afraid. I’m not a bad person."

Stella looked up, surprised to see a trace of panic and nervousness in the man’s deep-set eyes, as if he were afraid she wouldn’t believe him.

Her heart stirred. She suddenly braced her hands on the edge of the sofa and leaned in close to him—so close she could see the subtle tremor in his eyes.

Ironically, it was Owen—the one who kept asking her to marry him—who stiffened at Stella’s sudden proximity. He leaned his upper body back, frowning as he tried to create some distance between them.

"Does it have to be me?"

Owen answered without hesitation. "Yes."

Hearing this, Stella’s lips curved into a smile, and Owen felt his own heart skip a beat.

"The last man who said it had to be me proposed to another woman on The Sunward Coast today. He forgot his promise to me, forgot our past. For that woman, he came to hate me, blame me, and hurt me. So, Mr. Rhodes, what exactly does your ’it has to be me’ entail?"

Her tone was so calm, it was as if she were telling a story about someone else entirely.

She was so close that she could even see her own pale reflection in Owen’s dark eyes.

His gaze was like a pool of spring water, silently and ubiquitously enveloping her.

Owen propped himself up slightly, closing the small distance he had just created between them.

"Stella Sterling, you can cry."