Now They Want My Forgiveness - Chapter 243: Chapter 243

Stella tried to comfort her. "Mary, this isn't your fault. Eleanor meant to avoid you; none of this has anything to do with you, so please don't blame yourself."
"How could I not blame myself? If I hadn't gone to take a nap, maybe none of this would've happened," Mary sobbed, tears streaming down her face.
Mary had served the Hayes family when she was young, back when Eleanor was running the household. She was young, diligent, and sharp, quickly catching Eleanor's eye and getting promoted from an ordinary servant.
Mary was never the ambitious type; she simply wanted to look after Eleanor. With Mary by her side, Eleanor felt truly at ease, so she kept her close.
Eleanor paid her the same as the housekeeper, and after all these years, with people coming and going, Mary was the only one who stayed by Eleanor's side.
Mary was slightly younger than Eleanor, and over the years, Eleanor had come to see her as a younger sister. Likewise, Mary regarded Eleanor as her older sister. Now, seeing Eleanor pass away so suddenly and without any answers, Mary was torn up inside.
"Mary, listen to me." Stella's voice was a little hoarse as she spoke.
Stella said, "I don't have the time to look after you right now. I can't just count on the police to find her. I have to search for her myself too. You need to be strong, pull yourself together.
"I don't blame you for what happened to Eleanor, and I'm sure if she were still here, she wouldn't blame you either. I'm not asking you to do anything for me, but I hope you know what you should do now."
Mary froze, stunned. It took her a while to process what Stella had said. "You're right. I've just been so wrapped up in myself. Stella, I was planning to leave, but after hearing what you said, I don't want to leave anymore.
"The person Mrs. Hayes worried about most was always you. I want to stay by your side. I don't want any money from you; I just want to stay and take care of you."
Stella said, "No, Mary, it's better for me if you stay and look after me. You know I've got no family left in this world, but I still want to pay you what you deserve."
"I..." Mary didn't know what to say and Stella patted her.
At the police station, Stella asked officers if they'd seen Eleanor's phone, but they hadn't. Now she couldn't stop wondering if the culprit had it; she had to find that phone, no matter what.
Jordan watched her sitting alone in the room. She wasn't sad; instead, she hunched over her computer, doing something he couldn't make out. He sat next to her to keep her company. The more Stella acted like nothing was wrong, the more worried he got.
When he saw Stella using a bit of simple code to track Eleanor's phone, he wasn't surprised at all. Stella had always been good at this sort of thing. "Did you find the phone?" Jordan asked.
"Yes, I've tracked it down. The phone's right here. I need to go there right now," Stella replied.
"I'll go with you," Jordan said. Jordan went to get the car ready. Stella had started learning to drive, but her license hadn't come through yet.
When they got there, they realized it was actually a dump. Stella was certain the phone was somewhere in there; someone had clearly tossed it there on purpose.
"You're going to look for it?" Jordan asked, watching her get ready to dig through the trash.
"Yes, I have to find that phone. Maybe there are secrets on Eleanor's phone," Stella replied.
Jordan didn't mind the trash and started digging through it with Stella. Stella tried everything she could think of to locate the phone, but nothing worked.