Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Sylvia hadn’t expected her to be so calm.
Was she faking it?‘ She thought.
* IT
There was no way the same Stella who’d once loved Ernest so desperately– so self–destructively–could be this unaffected.’
‘She must just be putting on a front, Sylvia decided. She doesn’t want to show weakness in front of me
Satisfied with her own conclusion, Sylvia’s smile turned even more mocking. “Well then… I’ll let you wait and see.”
With that, she straightened up and walked over to where Ernest and Irene were waiting. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” she said, her voice sweet and light.
“Sylvia!” Irene reached out eagerly, and Sylvia swept her into her arms. “What took you so long? I miss you so much!”
“My bad, sweetie,” Sylvia said, pinching Irene’s cheek playfully. “I was just thanking your mom for keeping you company.”
“Ugh!” Irene scowled. “She didn’t have to stay! I told her to leave. It’s her own fault.”
“And also, earlier she-”
Irene launched into a one–sided rant about everything Stella had done “wrong,” carefully leaving out the part where she’d thrown a rock. In her version, Stella was the villain–always.
Sylvia played along perfectly, gasping in all the right places. “Oh, she shouldn’t have treated you like that, my precious.”
Within minutes, Irene’s already sky–high admiration for Sylvia shot through the roof.
“Sylvia, I love you the most!” she declared, hugging her tightly. “I’ve decided to take back all the love I gave to Mommy.”
“Oh? And what will you do with it?” Sylvia asked, her voice warm.
“I’ll give it all to you!” Irene announced proudly.
“Really? Then I must be the luckiest person in the world.”
“And I’m the luckiest kid!”
They leaned their heads together, chatting happily while Ernest stood nearby, watching them with a soft, approving smile. They looked like the perfect little family.
Still sitting in her car, Stella watched it all. She told herself it was fine–that she was over it, that she’d moved on–but her chest still ached dully, like a blunt knife twisting slowly. Her breath caught.
Sylvia, of course, noticed.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Stella’s pale, strained expression. A satisfied smirk touched her lips before she kissed Irene’s cheek. Then, arm in arm with Ernest, she walked toward the amusement park.
Irene’s excited voice carried back: “I love being with you, Sylvia! Even more than with Mommy!”
Stella let out a long, shaky breath. She was just about to start the car and leave when her phone rang. It was her aunt.
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Chapter 23
“Aunt,” she answered, forcing calm into her voice. “Is everything okay at home?”
“ What?” came the sharp reply. “I can’t call my own niece if there’s no ‘emergency?”
265 Vouchers
Her aunt’s tone softened from teasing to gentle scolding. “Honestly, how long has it been since you last visited? If I didn’t call, would you ever remember to check in on us?”
Stella felt a sharp pang of guilt. She really hadn’t contacted her uncle’s family in far too long. She didn’t even know how her grandfather was doing–was he still as strong and healthy as he used to be?
The more she thought about it, the worse she felt. All these years, she’d been so focused on winning back Ernest and taking care of Irene that she’d unintentionally neglected the family that mattered most.
“Stella? Are you still there?”
When she didn’t answer right away, her aunt’s voice turned worried. “What’s going on? Just tell me where you are–I’ll come find you.”
A deeper voice chimed in from the background–her uncle, who’d clearly been listening the whole time: “Whatever it is, kiddo, you’re not alone. Your uncle’s got your back.”
“Uncle, Aunt, I’m okay,” Stella said, swallowing hard to keep her voice steady. “I was just driving and got distracted for a second.”
As if to prove it, the sound of the car engine turning over came through the phone. She began pulling slowly into the street.
“You’re driving?” Her aunt sounded instantly concerned. “Oh, my fault–I should’ve asked. I’ll let you go. Focus on the road.”
“Okay,” Stella replied softly.
She didn’t argue, mostly because their sudden warmth and care felt like a dam breaking inside her. Emotions she’d held back for years came flooding out.
She needed a moment to collect herself so they wouldn’t worry.
“Mom’s driven by herself before. Why should I be worried about her?”
Irene pouted into her smartwatch, annoyed by the warm, teasing voice on the other end. “Uncle Harvey, I’m at the amusement park right now. Can you stop bugging me?”
“Alright, alright, my bad,” her uncle chuckled. “Just don’t forget–come with your mom tomorrow.”
“I know-” Irene dragged out the word, already tuning out.
Sylvia finally agreed to bring her to the amusement park, and first Mom ruined the mood, and now Uncle Harvey was calling.
So Annoying.
“Daddy,” Irene said, looking up at Ernest after hanging up. “Uncle’s back from abroad. He wants me and Mom to go to the Spencer family tomorrow, but…”
She paused, glancing reluctantly at Sylvia. They’d already made plans for tomorrow–Daddy had even promised to help her skip school!
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If she went to the Spencer house, how could she spend time with Aunt Sylvia?
But if she didn’t go… Uncle Harvey and Great–Grandpa had always been so good to her. She couldn’t just say no.
Irene was seriously frustrated.
‘Why did Uncle have to come back now of all times?‘ She thought.
‘Couldn’t he have waited a couple more days? Then she could’ve gone out with Aunt Sylvia tomorrow!
“Enough,” Ernest said, reading her conflicted expression. He ruffled her hair. “You’ll go with your mom to the Spencer family tomorrow. Be good.”
“But Sylvia promised to take me out tomorrow,” Irene whined, her little face scrunching up.
Sylvia smiled and gently smoothed her brow. “It’s just one day, sweetie. We can go play another time. I promise.”
“Really?” Irene’s eyes lit up. Sylvia nodded warmly. “Of course. I could never disappoint my precious Irene.” “Sylvia, you’re the best!” Irene threw herself into Sylvia’s arms, nuzzling against her. “I wish you were my mommy.” “Irene, you mustn’t say that,” Sylvia said gently, though her eyes gleamed. “Ms. Spencer would be very sad if she heard.” “Who cares about her?” Irene pouted. “And Sylvia, when we’re together, can we not talk about her? It’s such a buzzkill.” “Alright, we won’t mention her,” Sylvia agreed smoothly. “Now, let’s go have fun.”
“Yay! I want to ride the carousel! You have to come with me, Sylvia!”
“So… you’re saying Irene has to come with me tomorrow too?” Stella frowned, her expression uneasy.
AD
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