Chapter 53: Stella’s outburst

Some time before…

A young woman sat in the backseat of an expensive black car, its polished exterior reflecting the morning sunlight, giving it a cool look.

Inside, it was quiet. A bit too quiet.

She wore equally expensive clothes, tailored perfectly to her figure, accentuating her slender legs and her curves. The fabric clung in all the right places, a beige trench coat that covered them, making her appear reserved and composed, hiding what should not be seen, concealing the softness beneath.

Her posture was straight, her chin slightly lifted, with her hands resting neatly on her lap.

Anyone looking at her would see the perfect daughter of a wealthy family.

But the atmosphere inside felt heavy.

Suffocating.

Stella’s long golden hair fell neatly down her back, shining faintly with the reflection of the sunlight that filtered through the glass.

Her face was calm, composed on the surface, with each movement refined by years of etiquette lessons and strict upbringing.

But her eyes betrayed her.

They were distant. Unfocused, as her thoughts were somewhere else entirely.

Across from her sat a woman in her early thirties, with short brown hair tucked neatly behind her ears and dark, observant eyes.

She wore a simple yet professional suit—nothing extravagant, but carefully chosen.

It was Julia.

She had been watching Stella for several minutes now.

Watching the subtle tremble in her fingers, noting how her fingers were curled slightly around the edge of her coat, as if she needed something to hold onto.

Julia knew Stella well—maybe a little too well.

After a while, she sighed.

“Young Miss,” Julia finally said at last with hesitation, her voice gentle but firm, breaking the silence that had been stretched for so long.

Stella blinked as she came out of her reverie.

Her eyes regained their clarity as she turned her head slightly.

She looked at Julia, her eyes calm, but Julia could see it—the storm brewing behind those emerald green eyes.

Julia swallowed lightly before continuing.

“Are you not going to call him?”

The question hung in the air, making the atmosphere inside the car even heavier.

Stella’s lips parted.

“I…” she began

Then she stopped.

Her throat tightened suddenly, as if someone had squeezed it.

“I don’t want to,” she said quietly, her voice came out almost as a whisper.

She turned her head toward the window again.𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The city passed by in blurred shapes. Cars honked faintly in the distance. Life continued as if nothing in the world was wrong.

But for her, everything felt like it was collapsing.

If she called him now… everything would fall apart.

She knew that.

Julia sighed softly.

“He must be worried about you,” she said gently.

“He can’t even call since you broke your phone.”

Stella’s fingers tightened unconsciously in her lap, as her nails dug into the fabric of her coat.

Her shoulders dropped slightly, as if an invisible weight had been added to them.

“What… what should I do then?” she asked, slightly gritting her teeth as she spoke.

Her voice was steady, but only barely.

She could barely maintain her composure, barely stop her body from trembling.

Julia studied her for a moment before answering.

“You should tell him everything.”

Stella’s jaw clenched harder as her teeth ground together.

‘Tell him?’

The words echoed in her mind.

Tell him.

Tell him.

Tell him.

She couldn’t.

She simply couldn’t.

“Tell him what?” She muttered softly, her voice so quiet that even Julia couldn’t hear it clearly.

Stella tried to breathe. She tried to stay calm, like she had been taught during those etiquette classes and composure lessons.

But she failed to do so.

Her chest tightened painfully.

Her vision started to blur at the edges.

Finally—

She snapped.

Like the thin thread of composure within her had finally broken.

“What should I tell him?!” Stella suddenly shouted.

The driver in the front frowned instinctively, his hands tightening on the steering wheel.

But he didn’t speak, didn’t turn around.

Didn’t stop driving.

It wasn’t his job to interfere in their matters.

“How can I tell him that I love him?!” Stella’s voice cracked, turning sharp and raw with pain—not physical pain, but emotional agony that had been buried for too long.

Her vision blurred completely.

Tears welled up instantly and spilled down her cheeks before she could stop them.

“How… how can I tell him that I loved him all this time?!” she continued, her breathing becoming uneven, almost gasping.

She leaned forward suddenly and grabbed Julia by her collar desperately, startling her just slightly.

The movement was abrupt.

Desperate.

Her usually elegant fingers were now trembling violently as she clutched her collar.

Stella had held everything in for too long.

Days.

Weeks.

Every day, trying to keep an image, trying to show that everything was fine, when she herself wasn’t, when she was crumbling inside.

She had smiled perfectly. Laughed perfectly. Spoken perfectly.

She had worn her mask flawlessly.

But now—

It shattered.

Now everything came rushing out all at once.

Julia didn’t push her away.

She could only endure it, with guilt flickering across her face as she looked at Stella’s raw expression—her red eyes, trembling lips that she had been biting in frustration for days, and wet cheeks.

“And how do I tell him…” Stella continued, her eyes turning bloodshot and her voice breaking completely now.

“HOW DO I TELL HIM THAT I’M ABOUT TO GET MARRIED?!!!”

Silence swallowed the car.

Even the engine’s hum felt distant.

Even the driver flinched at the shout this time, and he couldn’t help but wonder what was going on.

To Stella, the word marriage felt unreal even as she screamed it.

It was something she hadn’t even thought about seriously till now.

But someone else had.

Her father.

He had already decided.

The agreement had already been signed.

She was to marry into another wealthy family—an alliance that would strengthen both sides.

An arranged marriage. A deal already made in the name of tradition, status, and business.

She didn’t even know the man’s name—neither did she want to.

When she tried talking to her father, she tried to reason with him—

He didn’t even let her finish.

He just outright dismissed her.

When she told him that she loved someone, his face turned into a cold scowl she had never seen before.

“Get out of your foolish dreams, Stella,” he said flatly.

“I’ve already promised them. My decision is final.”

There had been no room for discussion.

No space for her words.

“Forget that boy.”

He hadn’t even asked who Lucian was.

Not once.

Didn’t even try to find out about him.

To him, Lucian was just a nobody, someone irrelevant and disposable.

That night, she cried until she couldn’t anymore, until her eyes burned and her throat felt raw from screaming into her pillow.

In anger, she destroyed whatever was near her—clothes thrown across the room, glass shattered against the walls, picture frames cracked beneath her trembling hands.

Her entire room had turned upside down that night, only to be cleaned by the maids by the next day.

Her phone had also shattered against the floor along with the other things.

She hadn’t even bought a new one.

She couldn’t.

She didn’t have the strength to face Lucian.

She knew he liked her.

He didn’t love her yet—but that didn’t matter.

Stella would’ve made sure to make him fall for her.

She had been certain of it.

When she saw him again after all those years, she was overjoyed.

She didn’t even know when it started, or why she loved him.

She couldn’t put it into words, but she did.

Deeply.

Painfully.

Hopelessly.

Julia lowered her head slightly.

Seeing Stella like this hurt her more than she wanted to admit.

She had always seen her as bright, confident, smiling—a girl who didn’t hesitate from anything she wanted.

She had seen her cry before, but not like this.

She wasn’t just crying.

She was breaking.

This version of her felt fragile, almost unfamiliar.

‘Being born into wealth had become her cage.’ Julia thought bitterly.

People outside always assumed that being born into a rich family was the greatest blessing.

Live a luxurious life, eat what you want, and do what you want.

But many didn’t know the struggles of it, or perhaps, they just refused to see it.

The expectations.

The pressure of always being better than others.

The deals made behind closed doors.

The way children became bargaining chips in corporate negotiations.

Julia slowly reached out and pulled Stella into a quiet embrace.

Stella clutched Julia’s sleeve tightly, as if she were afraid of being abandoned.

Her breathing grew ragged, uneven.

Tears streamed down her cheeks endlessly, soaking into Julia’s shoulder.

Julia said nothing.

What could she possibly say?

That Stella should forget about Lucian?

Or that she should just run away with him?

Both choices were cruel and had their downsides.

First—

Julia knew that Stella would never be able to forget him.

Never.

That was impossible.

She hadn’t forgotten about him since her childhood, despite not seeing him for years. What was the guarantee that she would be able to forget him now?

None.

Such a possibility didn’t exist.

Julia had seen the girl’s craziness for him.

Stella even had an album—hidden carefully—filled entirely with Lucian’s pictures.

Photos she had taken secretly, or asked her to take them.

It wasn’t just love.

It bordered on obsession.

And telling her to run away with him?

That was even worse.

Her father watched everything.

Even now, he probably knew where she was.

Running away would not be romantic.

It will only destroy both of their lives.

Lucian’s especially.

And Stella knew that.

She understood that painfully well.

That was why she never contacted Lucian.

Even when he called Julia’s number, Stella told her to end the call immediately.

She didn’t want to hear his voice.

Because she knew—

If she did…

If she heard him say her name gently like he always did…

Then she wouldn’t be able to let go.

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