Three Years After They Abandoned Me - Chapter 34: Chapter 34

Fiona was suddenly left speechless by Stella's blunt words.
The room fell silent as Stella retreated to her room. She grabbed her soiled pants, sealed them in a plastic bag to dispose of later, and headed straight for the shower.
Stella always showered with cold water. She couldn't stand hot water. Even the slightest heat on her skin would send waves of unbearable pain through her.
It wasn't just about accidents. Stella often had to endure the feeling for long stretches with no way to clean herself. As disgusting as it sounded, this was her life in Dusty Pines.
No one ever wanted something like this to happen. Back then, she was so depressed that she honestly thought she would be better off dead.
But there was no room for despair. Even when she pretended to be a fool, men still tried to take advantage of her at night. All she could do was fight them off and battle against fate.
Then, Stella snapped back to reality when she heard the door to her room open. Someone was approaching the bathroom. She tensed instinctively. She had been so focused on her pants that she had forgotten to lock the door. 'Who could it be?' she wondered.
Fiona's voice came from outside the bathroom. "Take your time, Stella. Don't worry about your pants. I had someone throw them out. That was my mistake. When you come out, I want to talk to you."
Stella remained silent, continuing to shower. When she stepped out, she noticed, as expected, that the plastic bag she had left by the door was already gone.
Fiona brought a bowl of soup for her. "Stella, why don't you have some soup? Dr. Dewitt said you shouldn't eat solid food right now, but a little soup would be good for you."
Stella didn't take the soup. As Fiona had expected, she set it down on the table. "It's fine if you don't want it now. When you feel like it, just ask the maid to warm it up. I'll leave it here."
Stella acted as if Fiona weren't even there, pacing around the room and ignoring her completely.
Fiona added, "I've been thinking a lot about your situation. We really didn't understand. We never experienced what you went through. When the police reports came last time, we didn't even read them properly. We failed to see things from your perspective."
She continued, "But it's not your fault. Who could've guessed—"
Stella's expression hardened, and she shot Fiona a glare impatiently. "Are you done?"
Fiona hesitated, realizing her mistake. "Yes, I understand. You don't want to talk about it anymore. I've already told the servants not to mention it again, so you won't feel embarrassed when you go out."
"Embarrassed?" Stella scoffed. "Fiona, I'm not as fragile as you think.
"Back in Dusty Pines, when I had my first accident and couldn't clean myself up, I had to live with that smell for days, with everyone staring at me in disgust. After that, I completely lost any sense of embarrassment."
Fiona's heart ached as tears streamed down her face. "My poor girl, how could you have endured so much hardship?"
Stella said coldly, "If that's all you came to say, then please leave."
"No," Fiona said quickly. "I've thought a lot about this. Since you came back, I haven't had a proper conversation with you. And that time I slapped you. I was wrong. I'm sorry, Stella."
Stella didn't even glance at her, and she saw right through Fiona. "Don't worry. I won't go back on my word. But you'd better not go back on yours, either."
Fiona froze, her face flushing with embarrassment. She stood there, momentarily blank.
After a long silence, Stella turned her head and asked coldly, "Anything else?"
Fiona began to cry, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.
Stella's irritation only deepened as she watched her.
Fiona said, "Stella, I know you've been carrying so much pain since you came back. Forcing you to marry Henry was the last thing I wanted. A thousand times over, I was against it. But I had no other choice.
"I wish the kidnappers had taken me instead. Let me bear all that suffering. You were just a child, with your whole life ahead of you."
Stella said coldly, "I'm exhausted. Just leave."
"Stella..." Fiona was about to say more when Stella shot her a cold glare that silenced her.
Fiona wiped away her tears. "Fine, I'll go. I'll leave right now."
Stella stood there, unmoving and heartbroken. These were her own family, tied to her by blood, yet they did everything they could to hurt her.
She couldn't accept their apologies. After all, the scars from her past would stay with her forever.
There was another knock at the door. Stella turned to see Anna standing there, her eyes red and swollen from crying.
Stella didn't let her in, but Anna rushed over and threw her arms around her.
She said, sobbing, "Stella, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. If I hadn't blurted out about your condition in front of everyone, you wouldn't have been humiliated like this.
"Mom just tore into me. I came to say I'm sorry. Go ahead. Hit me. Punch me. Do whatever you want. I promise I won't get mad, no matter what you do to me."
"Let go," Stella snapped, her face cold.
"I'm not letting go. Stella, hit me!" Anna grabbed Stella's hand, trying to force it onto her own body.
Stella jerked her hand back, stepping away to put distance between them. "Anna, drop the act. This isn't the first time this has happened. People might not realize you're doing it on purpose, but do you really think I don't see through it?"
Anna opened her mouth to speak, but Stella cut her off. "Besides, I wouldn't lay a hand on you. The second I do, Fiona and everyone else will rush in, accusing me of bullying you and saying all sorts of nasty things.
"Haven't you played the victim enough since we were kids?"
Anna's face crumpled with feigned innocence. "Stella, what are you even saying? I would never do anything like that."
Stella was utterly sick of her fake expression. "Anna, get out."
Anna clung to Stella, pleading, "I'm not leaving. If you won't forgive me, I'll stay right here, no matter how long it takes."
Stella bit her lip. "Fine. Stay here then."
Anna's face lit up with relief, but her smile froze when Stella, who was already dressed and ready to go, turned and walked out without a glance.
"Stella!" Anna cried out in disbelief.
Stella ignored Anna. Noticing Fiona looking over, she shot back an icy glare.
Usually, Fiona would've snapped, saying, "Stella, your sister's talking to you. Are you deaf?"
But Stella was too tired of hearing it and sick of the look on her face.
Stella walked out once again. As she made her way, her mind flooded with thoughts.
'Enough,' she thought to herself. 'I'm done with all this. It's exhausting.'
With her laptop in hand, Stella headed straight for the library. She found a quiet spot and started working on some matters for Jordan's company.
She wrapped it up in barely half an hour.
Then a message popped up from Jordan. [You still got it. Even after three years away from laptops, you solved it in record time.]
Stella: [I developed that software myself, so I know it inside out. There are hidden features that no one would find unless I show them.]
After a brief exchange, Stella packed up her laptop and decided to take a walk.
She strolled leisurely. What others would cover in twenty minutes took her more than an hour. But taking her time to observe her surroundings helped her adjust to the world.
While walking, Stella spotted Anna shopping with Emily. She had no idea when Anna had left home.