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2024-10-29 19:42:56One month had passed since Lex's disastrous accident, and Stella had been his backbone. She took him home after he was discharged from the hospital.
Her decision to remain married to Lex had sparked a discomfort in her family, and she had a fallout with her Mom.
Mariana threatened to leave if Lex should remain in the family, and in the heat of the moment, Stella ordered her to leave her house. Mariana was shocked. She wanted to take back her words, but it was too late.
She left the house and began to squat with her friend, Helena.
One morning, it snowed heavily, and Stella had to call in sick for work. However, she wanted to make time for Lex and herself without work coming between them.
Inside the Jacuzzi, Lex sat for a hot bath. His gaze fixated on the water without a blink of an eye. Following his brain condition, he had lost his sense of identification.
The door opened, and Stella walked in on him with a smile.
“Hey," she called swiftly and walked over to him. She caressed his chest slowly, but there was no reaction from him. She giggled, assuming he was enjoying it even though he couldn't show it.
As she picked up a soap to wash him up, the doorbell rang outside, and Stella sighed. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
“Hold on, babe, I'll be right back,” she said to Lex and kissed his hair.
***
Outside the house, Mariana was standing by the door with Maron and another lady by her side. The lady was Amelia, Stella's best friend. Amelia had just returned from her two-year trip to Africa, and she couldn't wait to see Stella.
Even though Mariana had filled her in on what was happening, she couldn't wait to see for herself. The door suddenly went open, and Stella saw her mother standing by the door.
“Seriously?” she asked with a disappointing gaze until she saw Amelia by the corner.
Her eyes widened in shock, and a beautiful smile etched across her features.
“Amy?" She called with teary eyes and jumped on her. Her scream of joy was everywhere.
“Hey baby, I've missed you so much, sweetheart," Amelia said amidst laughter. After a heartwarming reunion, Stella led the way into the house.
When they settled down, Amelia cleared her throat after exchanging her gaze with Mariana.
She turned to Stella and held her both hands keenly.
“Babes, can you tell me what happened between you and Paul? I heard that you turned down his proposal last night. What happened?” Amelia asked, and Stella chuckled.
She shifted her gaze to Mariana, her mother, and scoffed.
"Seriously? My bestie just returned to the country and this is the kind of news you welcome her with huh? You know what Mom, you're so shameless. Yes, I didn't take Paul's ring, but I didn't say no.”
“I only told him to give me time to think it through. For your information, I don't think I want to leave Lex. I can't leave him, not in this condition.”
“I have to stay by his side till he gets back to normal. That's what couples do, right?” She asked, turning to Amelia, and Amelia swallowed hard.
"What if Lex doesn't come back to normal? I mean you heard the Doctor, Stella. What if Lex is going to be like this forever?" Mariana asked.
"Hey,” Amelia cut in, and Stella faced her direction.
“Your Mom is right, babes. You cannot put all your hope on something that doesn't seem likely. I mean you're young. Don't waste your time anymore. You've done enough for him.”
“If you surely care so much about him then why don't you send him to a nursing home and take care of his treatment? You can create a new family with Paul, I heard that he is crazy about you. Don't miss your chance, honey. We don't always get a second chance,” Amelia advised.
Stella went quiet as she gave it a second thought. Amelia was right, she feared. There was no assurance that Lex would get back to normal.
She darted her eyes around, all eyes were on her. Everybody was curious to hear her decision. She swallowed, thinking of the best decision to make before nightfall, because she had a dinner date with Paul to give her answer to his proposal.
***
In Ashton Villa Hotel that night, there was a chorus of jubilation and well-wishes as Paul celebrated with his friends and colleagues. Stella had just accepted his proposal.
Just as instructed, Mariana drove Lex to a nursing home. Stella had decided to heed Amelia's advice. Even though she felt bad, she tried as much as she could to be happy.
At exactly 10 p.m. that night, Stella lay on the bed with her gaze on the ceiling. Paul had just dropped her off a few minutes ago after promising to come for her first thing in the morning.
The thought of Lex's fate was in her mind, and she kept thinking if what she had done was right or wrong. Soon, she fell asleep with her clothes and shoes on.
***
A loud chattering woke her up, and she grunted tiredly. She rolled over the bed and checked her clock, it was 8 a.m.
“Holy Mary!" She screamed and jumped off the bed. She had slept till daybreak without even realizing it. She undressed herself for a quick morning bath, and suddenly a knock came on her door.
Before she could respond, the door opened, revealing Paul in black shorts and a white singlet.
He displayed a perfect smile and walked towards her.
“Oh! How did you get here this morning dressed like this?” Stella inquired, and he pulled her to his chest with a smile on his lips.
"It's time, baby. Remember I told you I got a gift for you? Well here it is, and it's all yours," he said as he handed a picture to her.
A picture of a luxurious mansion. The building was sitting in a very comfortable Greenland valley. Its beauty was conveyed through mere pictures.
Stella gasped in surprise. She widened her eyes and her jaw dropped in disbelief.
“This is for me?" She asked, with butterflies in her belly. Her joy was priceless as Paul watched her in admiration.
“Get dressed, darling. It's time to go. You can skip work for today, surely it wouldn't hurt. After all, you're your own boss” Paul said, and she rolled her eyes.
She dressed up, suspending every other thing. As they left the room, 3 men came in to move her things out.
Outside the house, Mariana stood all alone by the corner watching the workers pack their valuable properties into a van.
Stella, on seeing her, rushed to her, leaving Paul with the men.
“Mom? Don't you think this is too sudden? He got me a house a few hours after I accepted his proposal, and he is already packing our things for the new house. How do you feel so comfortable with it?” She asked.
“I see nothing wrong in that, honey. He is a man who is crazily in love. He just wants you closer to him. Besides, this house is not yours, it's rented. But now you have your own house, darling. Isn't that a good thing?” Mariana asked, but Paul's presence cut short their conversation.
"Is everything ok?” he asked, and Stella let out a low laugh in pretense.
"Yeah, sure. When they're done we can go. I can't wait to get home," she said, and Paul chuckled.
As they drove out of the premises, Stella stared at the house in silence. She exhaled deeply and wiped a drop of tears that had fallen over her eyes.
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“Hello," the lady greeted and entered the house. Stella retreated till she collided with the wall. Her breathing quickened, shallow gasps of air escaping her trembling lips.The intruder was Adriana Lucas, a Cartel gangster in Chicago, and the two men with guns were her guards.After staring at the house design in admiration, she nodded her head and walked over to Stella who was glued to the wall.Her cold, unblinking eyes bore into Stella's, turning her blood to ice. Their faces were so close that she could feel Stella's hard breath all over her face. “Such a beauty," she said and caressed Stella's upper chest seductively, making her moan silently. All of a sudden, she pulled back, and her seductive gaze suddenly went cold, her eyes switched mode and she glared at Stella. “Where is he? Where is Paul Asher?" She asked.Just in time, Paul came running out of the kitchen. He had been making Coffee for himself the whole time. On hearing his name, he rushed out with a cup of coffee. H
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Chapter Six
~Two months later~Stella's marriage to Paul was done and dusted. She was happily married, yet her divorce from Lex was still incomplete. She lay on the bed wearing a long red gown that exposed her curves.A few minutes ago, she had visited the nursing home for the first time since she married Paul. She had returned a necklace, her very first gift from Lex. It was handed over to Lex by his father, and it was all he had of his mother. Thinking about Lex's situation, Stella sighed deeply. A part of her felt happy for listening to Amelia. Paul has been a good husband to her ever since, and Lex on the other hand has not improved in his recovery. Her gaze fixated on the ceiling as she counted every little spot or object she could see in the air or ceiling.“Goodbye Lex," she mumbled, her voice like a heartfelt apology. Her eyes were filled with tears but she held them back. It was time to let go of her love for Lex and focus on building a new family with Paul.She sighed and stood
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One month had passed since Lex's disastrous accident, and Stella had been his backbone. She took him home after he was discharged from the hospital. Her decision to remain married to Lex had sparked a discomfort in her family, and she had a fallout with her Mom. Mariana threatened to leave if Lex should remain in the family, and in the heat of the moment, Stella ordered her to leave her house. Mariana was shocked. She wanted to take back her words, but it was too late. She left the house and began to squat with her friend, Helena. One morning, it snowed heavily, and Stella had to call in sick for work. However, she wanted to make time for Lex and herself without work coming between them.Inside the Jacuzzi, Lex sat for a hot bath. His gaze fixated on the water without a blink of an eye. Following his brain condition, he had lost his sense of identification. The door opened, and Stella walked in on him with a smile. “Hey," she called swiftly and walked over to him. She caressed
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Inside a skyscraper, a beautiful lady walked out of a small hall with her hands on her forehead. She appeared stressed. She entered an office about a few walks away and settled on the chair.It was Stella. She had just concluded a meeting with the company Chairman and the Chief Operating Officer. She was feeling dizzy, following the stress she had to go through to compile her message as the manager of the company. However, most of her worries were what had happened the previous day. She couldn't forget about it. The thought of going back home to face Lex was unbearable. She acted like she didn't care, but in reality, she felt ashamed of what she had done. Her phone rang, and she darted her eyes around in search of it. It was in her drawer, so she picked it up. It was a strange caller ID. After a few glances, she picked up the call and placed the phone on her ear. “Hello?" Her melodic voice called out, and after a short silence, she jumped on her feet.“What?!" She exclaimed.“Lex
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Chapter Three
At 7 a.m. the following morning, Lex had prepared for work quicker than usual. The event of the previous day had left a hole in his heart, a hole that couldn't be filled.The thought of divorce was ringing in his ears, but he had grown too attached to Stella. For that reason, he chose to ignore it for the time being.Before he could prepare for work, Stella had left the house. They had not spoken to each other since the event of yesterday, and one could tell their marriage was on the brink of collapse. Lex stepped out of the room with his white T-shirt and black trousers that gave him an angelic appearance. He was a hot guy as ladies would describe. As he got to the sitting room, he made for the door and found Mariana standing up ahead with a brown file in her hands. Her gaze fell on him as he approached, and she rolled her eyes in disdain.“Good morning, Mom," he greeted as he tried to walk past her but she held his shirt and pulled him backward.“Where do you think you're going? A
