Chapter 89
As Max followed the others to leave, he turned back and told Stella, “Since you’ve officially separated from the Hayes family, you’re no longer one of us. From now on, wed you were never part of this family.
With that, the Hayes family left together.
Stella thought, ‘Ridiculous. Did they ever tro
Even though Stella had scolded them, th
Jordan whispered to her, “Let me take you to go
“Thank you,” Stella said.
“Don’t be silly,” Jordan replied.
e like family?‘
move just made her feel miserable.
some rest. I’ll take care of things here for you.”
Stella indeed needed some rest, so Jordan led her to the lounge.
“Do you need someone to keep you company?” Jordan asked.
“No. You can go do your own business. Don’t leave the guests waiting outside. Once I’m feeling a bit better, I’ll go help entertain them,” Stella replied.
“Okay. I’ll have someone bring you some water and snacks,” Jordan said.
Stella said okay.
As soon as Jordan left, Stella couldn’t help but replay everything Andrew and Fiona had done to her in her mind.
She didn’t shed a single tear. There was nothing left to cry about. But inside, she felt a pain that was hard to put into words.
When Stella was a kid, she gave in, but the Hayes family never tried to understand her. Now that she was grown and had finally stood up for herself, they still acted like they had done nothing wrong.
Stella thought, ‘Why is it that parents always realize they’re to blame at the end of TV dramas? Fine. They are just TV dramas. Real life is a whole different story.
‘If I hadn’t married Jordan and they didn’t need a favor from him, they wouldn’t have bothered to show up today.’
At some point, Stella, who was completely exhausted, just lay there and fell asleep without even realizing it.
As Stella was half–asleep and groggy, she heard some strange noises. She opened her eyes and suddenly felt someone’s heavy body pressing down on her.
Stella felt something was wrong with her body, so she mustered all her strength to shove the person off her. “Who are you? Ge. me,” she shouted.
“Get off? To where?” the person replied./
Hearing that voice, Stella froze. “Troy?” she asked.
Troy said, “Seems like you just can’t forget about me. Last time, my brother ruined our fun, but this time, I came here just for you, Look at you. Your body is already craving me.”
Stella shook her head hard, forcing herself to snap out of it. “How did you get in here? Who did you pay off, and when did you dre me?” she demanded.
“Drug you? If you want me, just admit it. No need for lame excuses. I know you’re scared that people will find out. Relax. As long as you play along, I won’t let anyone know,” Troy said.
He added, “And I can promise you that I won’t let Jordan know every time we meet from now on. What do you think?”
When Stella realized she couldn’t push Troy off, she bit down hard on his hand, which made Troy slap her hard across the face in pain.
Blood appeared at the corner of Stella’s mouth. However, when she looked up at Troy again, her lifeless eyes looked truly terrifying.
“Troy, everyone out there knows I’m married to Jordan. If I let them see us like this, you’re done for,” Stella said.
Troy wasn’t even scared. He retorted, “Really? Do you think that’s possible? If they see us together, they’ll just think we’re having an affair behind Jordan’s back.
“Think about it. Do you really think Jordan would let this go? What do you think he’ll do to you then?
“I’m giving you a way out here, but you just have to go against me, huh? Well, I’m just a man. If I claim that you deliberately lured me here, who do you think everyone will believe, you or me?”
Stella glared at him.
Troy patted her cheek and said, “I told you to be good. If you behave and do as I say, I’ll show you how good I can make you feel.
“But honestly, if what the cops said is true, I’m starting to wonder if your body even works anymore. Well, let me test it out for you.”
With that, Troy reached out, trying to rip Stella’s dress off her.
Stella’s whole body was burning up. She still struggled to push him away, but she was completely overpowered there. There was no way she could win against him.
Suddenly, Stella spotted a fruit knife nearby and tried to reach for it. As soon as her fingers closed around the handle, she drove the blade straight into Troy’s gut.
Troy stared at Stella in shock and then touched his stomach. His hand came away bloody. When he spotted the knife in Stella’s hand, he immediately tried to grab it from her.
Stella knew all too well that if Troy managed to take that knife away, she would be dead meat.
Troy quickly managed to grab the knife, and Stella fought back with every ounce of strength she had.
Troy snarled, “Stella, you really dared to stab me. I’m going to kill you for this today.”
“Troy, if I die, Jordan will never let you get away with this,” Stella said.
“Hey, I am acting in self–defense,” Troy retorted.
“Self–defense? Are you kidding me? You were the one who tried to rape me. I am defending myself here,” Stella shot back.
“I don’t believe a self–made guy like Jordan could ever be a match for the Carver family,” Troy sneered.
The tip of the knife was either threatening Stella’s eye or her jaw. It was dangerously close the entire time.
Stella was completely drained. With Troy being a man on top of everything else, she didn’t stand a chance of escaping in her
current state.
She was at a loss, not knowing what else to do. All she could do was hope Jordan would hurry up and save her.
As the knife hovered at her neck, Stella had no strength left at all.
Troy stared at her and pressed the blade down even harder. He said, “Stella, if I can’t have you, then no one else will. You’ll just die for me right here.”
Just then, the door burst open with a loud sound. Kevin dashed in from the doorway and, without hesitation, kicked Troy away from Stella.
“Stella.” Kevin helped Stella up and was about to take her away when he noticed she was covered in blood. He asked, “Are you hurt?”
“No, it’s Troy’s blood,” Stella replied.
“I’ll take you out of here,” Kevin said.
Stella refused and said, “No. Go find Jordan. I need to see Jordan.”
Kevin could feel the unnatural heat radiating off her body. Judging from her flushed cheeks, Kevin could tell that she had been drugged with philter.
Kevin wished he could be the antidote Stella needed, but he couldn’t cross the line because she was married. He could only go to find Jordan.
Stella had no strength left at all. She slumped against the wall, and the cold pressed into her burning skin. It felt good and helped her cling to the last bit of consciousness she had left.
Unexpectedly, Troy staggered out from inside, with the fruit knife tightly in his hand.
Every time Troy thought about Stella stabbing him, he was consumed with rage and unwillingness to let it go. He was hell–bent on making her pay today. He shouted, “Stella, go to hell.”
There was no time left for Stella to run away. She wondered, ‘Is this
my
fate?‘
She had thought that things would finally get better for her after she married Jordan. However, Troy’s appearance made her realize that she might be finished. She was going to die.
