Chapter 70
Chapter 70
In the past, Stella would’ve just turned around and left without saying a word. At worst, she’d at least acknowledge Ernest, but now she didn’t even glance his way and walked straight toward Irene’s room.
Ever since Irene was little, Stella had seen through Ernest’s parenting style-it was all indulgence and no discipline. Put simply, he spoiled her relentlessly, but it was absolutely useless.
She was certain that if she walked away and left things to Ernest, he’d just give Irene a bunch of empty talk that wouldn’t make a bit of difference.
Since that’s the case, she might as well handle it herself. Newest update provided by ⓝovelFind.net
The door was knocked on, and Irene instinctively moved to open it. Through the door, she could hear her parents talking earlier.
When she realized it was her dad who came to “discipline” her, Irene wasn’t worried at all-her dad never gave her a hard time or bored her with long lectures.
He wasn’t like Stella, who constantly nagged-sometimes it drove her crazy.
“Irene, open the door!” Stella’s familiar voice sounded through the door, sharper than usual. Irene’s hand stopped on the knob-she was suddenly nervous.
‘Wait, why is Mom still here?’ Irene wondered. ‘Wasn’t Dad supposed to talk to me instead?’
Right then, Irene couldn’t bring herself to open the door. She was way too scared to face her mom.
Not daring to make a sound, Irene tiptoed back to her bed, pulled the covers up tight, and pretended to be asleep, thinking, ‘Maybe if I act like I’m sleeping, Mom will just leave.’
“Irene, I know you can hear me. If you don’t open the door, I’ll use the spare key.” Stella’s calm but firm voice came through the door. She wasn’t backing down.
Honestly, Stella didn’t want to force Irene like this. She knew it might leave some emotional scars.
But when it came to tough love, sometimes drastic measures were needed. If she kept being gentle, Irene would just think making mistakes wasn’t a big deal-there were no consequences.
The silence in the room stretched, and the atmosphere in the hallway grew heavy, almost suffocating.
Under the lights, Stella’s face, now showing clear signs of frustration, became more alive. It was different from her usual, stoic expression.
Ernest noticed, a glimmer of something interesting flashing in his eyes.
Stella didn’t notice Ernest at all. Seeing Irene still stubbornly playing possum, Stella turned to go find Betty for the spare key.
“No need,” Ernest spoke up. Stella was just about to frown when Ernest added, “I’ve got a spare key.”
He headed back to his room and came out moments later holding the key.
Stella thought this was pretty weird. ‘Wasn’t he usually the last person to help me out? What’s with him stepping in all of a sudden?’ she wondered.
“No need?” Ernest said, raising his eyebrow.
Stella accepted the key, pressed her lips together, and managed a quiet, “Thanks.”
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Chapter 70
In her own house, she had to use a key to get into her daughter’s room, and still had to thank her husband. Thinking about it, it was pretty ridiculous.
Ernest didn’t seem to care about her attitude, nor did he respond to her tone. He just stood there, watching, as if he was waiting for some entertainment.
Stella didn’t keep him waiting long. In just a few seconds, she unlocked the door.
The room was dark, but moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating a small lump on the bed. Irene seemed to be fast asleep.
But Stella knew better-she could tell Irene was pretending. After years of taking care of her, Stella knew exactly how Irene looked when she was truly asleep.
“Irene, running away from this won’t solve anything,” Stella said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Remember, I’ve always told you-if you make a mistake, you have to have the courage to face it.
“Mistakes aren’t the problem, Irene. The real problem is refusing to change, refusing to learn from them. I believe you can make things right and learn from this.”
Stella’s gentle words, paired with the silvery moonlight pouring through the window, made the moment feel like something straight out of a fairytale.
Ernest watched from the doorway, a curious light flickering in his eyes, while Irene remained utterly still under the covers.
If gentle words didn’t work, Stella knew she would have to be tougher. With one swift motion, she yanked the blanket off
Irene.
Irene nearly jumped out of her skin, her eyelids twitching instinctively-she almost blew her cover.
Stella immediately lifted Irene and placed her on her lap, holding her firmly as she spoke more sternly. “Irene, listen carefully. If we don’t settle this today, I’ll come back tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, until you finally face me.”
That finally broke through Irene’s defenses. Her eyes flew open, and she shouted, “Ugh, Mom! You’re driving me crazy! Why can’t you just let it go? You’re my mom-why do you always have to be all over me about everything?
“I didn’t mean to push her. She was the one blocking the way-and it’s only because you keep hugging her all the time.” she wailed, her voice cracking with jealousy and frustration.
‘Ms. Jansen always stands up for me, but Mom just keeps nagging and preaching at me. She never understands what I feel,’ Irene thought, growing even more bitter.
The more Irene stewed about it, the more wronged she felt. Her voice climbed to a shrill pitch. “You’re not really my mom. You’re their mom. Just leave! I don’t want you in my house-just go away.”
Stella was unfazed by Irene’s outburst-she’d heard it all before. She waited until the rant had died down, then said calmly, “Do you have any idea just how terrible your behavior was today?
“Daisy’s fine, but that’s not because your mistake was minor-it’s because she got lucky.”
If those foam balls hadn’t been under her, that height could’ve easily meant broken bones-or worse. If she’d landed on her head, it could’ve been fatal.
Not to mention, Daisy had a mental health condition. The only reason she didn’t have a meltdown was pure luck, not because Irene’s actions were harmless.
“I don’t want to hear it,” Irene cried out, sobbing and flailing wildly in Stella’s arms, doing everything she could to break free. But Stella just hugged her tighter, holding her locked in place and refusing to budge.
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Stella knew if she went easy on Irene now, the kid would never remember this and next time, she’d pull something just as reckless.
“Irene!” Stella’s voice turned steely as she stared right at her daughter. “I’m asking you-do you even realize what you did wrong?”
“I didn’t do anything wrong!” Irene yelled, tilting her head up, eyes tightly shut. “You’re the bad ones. You’re not my real mom-1 want Ms. Jansen here instead.”
Her words stabbed deep into Stella’s already bruised heart.
She didn’t let the pain show and steadied herself. “Irene, do you realize what you did wrong? If you don’t understand today, I’ll be here tomorrow. I won’t leave until you finally get it.”
Irene instantly froze-this time, her mom’s words actually scared her.
If Mom really follows me around every single day, how am I supposed to ever hang out with Ms. Jansen again?’ Irene thought, panic rising in her chest.
“I… I was wrong.” Irene whimpered, barely holding back her sobs. “Mom, I get it now-I know I messed up.”
“What exactly did you do wrong?” Stella pressed.
“I shouldn’t have pushed Daisy,” Irene mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper.
“And will you do it again?” Stella asked, her tone still firm.
“No, I won’t. I promise-I’ve learned my lesson,” Irene said quickly, her voice trembling.
Their back-and-forth was quick and clear. It showed Irene wasn’t as clueless as she acted. There was no way she could’ve responded so smoothly if she hadn’t known exactly what she’d done.
Stella couldn’t tell if Irene was genuinely remorseful or just putting on an act, but she’d done everything that she could. The rest, she decided, was Ernest’s problem now.
Thinking that, Stella glanced over at Ernest. He looked puzzled. “What is it?” he asked.