Jennifer wanted to take Stella back to her place.

But Stella insisted on going to Azure Heights on Starlake Avenue. It was an apartment she had bought herself three months ago.

This made one thing painfully clear. She’d been preparing to leave Evan for a long time.

“I tell you to come stay with me and you refuse,” Jennifer said. “You need someone to look after you right now. When did you even buy this place?”

As she spoke, she pulled out a blanket and draped it over Stella. Then she went into the kitchen to make some food.

Stella adjusted the blanket around her shoulders. “The second month after Steven died.”

The second month?

That was early.

“You were already planning to divorce Evan back then?” Jennifer asked.

Stella gave a tired hum in response and lay down on the couch.

The month Steven died, Evan had practically moved into the family estate. He was rarely home.

And even when he was, one call from the estate about Summer would send him rushing out again.

Who could endure a marriage twisted like that?

The phone started vibrating.

It was the landline from the villa.

Stella didn’t even think twice. She hung up and blocked the number.

A moment later, Jennifer’s phone rang.

It was Evan.

She answered, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “What, your sister-in-law doesn’t need you anymore?”

“Let Stella answer the phone.”

Evan’s voice was low and tight.

He’d just arrived at the hospital when Marianne called to say Stella had left.

He rushed back to the villa. The moment he reached the gate, he saw the stone slates outside scorched black in a wide circle.

Marianne told him Stella had done it.

Her clothes were gone from the closet. Everything she’d bought for him was gone too.

Burned.

What was she trying to do? Was she really going to keep escalating this?

Jennifer let out a mocking laugh. “Your sister-in-law just gave birth and she’s weak. You should be worrying about her. Why are you looking for Stella? What is Stella to you, exactly?”

“Jennifer Tanner!”

Evan’s patience snapped.

Jennifer glanced back at Stella. She was staring at something on her phone, her expression dark.

Seeing that Stella wasn’t paying attention to who she was talking to, Jennifer walked into the kitchen and shut the door.

“Evan Wright, are you out of your mind?” she snapped.

“Does Summer see you as Steven, or does she want you, with that identical face, to be her stand-in husband? Don’t tell me you’re too stupid to know the difference.

“And you don’t even bother keeping your distance. Do you have any idea what people in Harbor City are saying about you two right now? Or are you just deaf and blind?”

She was furious.

Summer had no shame, the entire Wright family indulged her, and Evan went right along with it.

Evan gritted his teeth. “I said, let Stella talk to me.”

He was out of patience. Stella was clearly spiraling, and he had no intention of arguing with Jennifer.

“She just miscarried,” Jennifer shot back. “With your attitude, you shouldn’t be talking to her at all.”

“If you can’t be a proper husband, then stop ruining her life. Your sister-in-law needs you so badly, go stay with her for the rest of your life.”

If Evan wouldn’t care for Stella, then Jennifer would.

Thinking of what Stella had said earlier — that Summer shoved her today — Jennifer didn’t give Evan another chance to speak.

She hung up.

Back in the living room, she saw Stella gripping her phone so tightly her knuckles had turned white.

“What are you looking at?” Jennifer asked. “If it’s upsetting, don’t look at it.”

She reached out to take the phone, but Stella avoided her hand.

“Redcrest Valley,” Stella said. “You remember it?”

“Of course,” Jennifer replied. “You worked on the tourism design project there three years ago. Your proposal got rejected.”

Redcrest Valley.

A place Stella loved.

Especially in October, when the hills turned red and gold.

They’d been there together.

When the area was being developed for tourism, Stella had entered the design competition.

She’d stayed up night after night for three months, traveled there more than five times for site inspections.

And still, her design wasn’t chosen.

“Why are you asking about it?” Jennifer asked.

Stella handed her the phone.

It was an article praising Redcrest Valley’s successful tourism launch, recommending it as a new destination.

Influencers were already flocking there. The reviews were glowing.

Jennifer frowned. “Wait…”

She stared at the photos.

“These spots… this is your design.”

Every section matched what Stella had created back then. Jennifer remembered it clearly. Stella had designed everything from a visitor’s point of view.

Jennifer’s expression darkened. She quickly searched for more articles, then tapped on the project details.

When the words “Lead Designer: Summer Bailey” appeared on the screen, Jennifer nearly smashed the phone.

She shoved it back at Stella.

Stella let out a quiet laugh when she saw the name. “So that’s how I got eliminated.”

Jennifer’s lips pressed into a hard line, fury burning in her eyes.

“I was planning to start with her mother,” Stella said calmly. "But now, looks like I should turn the gun on her first.”

Jennifer’s heart jolted. “Stella… what are you saying?”

Was she talking about Summer? And Ruby?

No, wait…

Jennifer was angry too, but seeing the cold clarity in Stella’s eyes, she forced herself to calm down.

“Listen, babe. Forget how the entire Wright family, including Evan, has always sided with Summer. Just her mother alone… that woman isn’t someone you can take on,” she said carefully. “Don’t do anything reckless, okay?”

Stella’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “Not someone I can take on?”

Of course she hadn’t forgotten how untouchable Ruby Bailey was.

But what if that woman lost the very thing that made her untouchable?

At the thought of how Summer had spent years in the Wright family, teaming up with Dora to corner and humiliate her, the last trace of warmth in Stella’s eyes vanished.

All that remained was anger and hatred!

Evan finally lost his temper completely.

He grabbed his phone and made a call. It was answered almost immediately. “Sir.”

“Find out where Jennifer Tanner and my wife are. Right now.”

Patrick hesitated for a split second. “Understood.”

“Now,” Evan barked.

It was pouring rain this late at night. What did she think she was doing?

She’d burned everything connected to their marriage. She’d made scenes before, but never like this.

For the first time, a flicker of unease rose in Evan’s chest.

Patrick moved fast. Ten minutes later, he called back. “Mrs. Wright is at Azure Heights on Starlake Avenue.”

Evan narrowed his eyes. “What is she doing there?”

Starlake Avenue.

He didn’t remember them having any friends in that area.

“Miss Tanner is with her,” Patrick added.

At the mention of Jennifer, Evan’s expression darkened.

In his view, women shouldn’t have close girlfriends. Once they did, it was like they suddenly grew ten extra brains.

Every time Stella got together with Jennifer, nothing good ever came of it.

By the time Evan arrived at Azure Heights, Stella—exhausted from the day—had already fallen asleep.

Jennifer had left. Stella hadn’t wanted to go with her, so she decided to arrange for someone to come take care of Stella.

Stella had just drifted off when the doorbell rang insistently, jolting her awake.

She thought Jennifer might have forgotten something.

Half-asleep, she got up and opened the door. “What did you forget to—”

The word died on her lips when she saw Evan.

Her expression immediately turned cold.

“How did you find this place?”

Evan’s face was hard. Raindrops still clung to his black suit jacket. “What do you think?”

Seeing Stella in her pajamas only made his anger spike.

He leaned forward and glanced inside. When he saw no one else there, his presence softened slightly.

“Jennifer said you miscarried,” he said. “Wouldn’t it look bad if I didn’t come check on you?”

As he spoke, he reached instinctively, grabbing her arm and pulling her toward him, familiar and practiced.

But this time, Stella didn’t let herself be dragged into his arms.

She stayed where she was, her gaze sharp and guarded.

Meeting the cold in her eyes made something tighten briefly in Evan’s chest.

But the next second, he smiled. “All right, all right. You miscarried. I’ll take care of you, okay?”

That indifferent tone dripped with sarcasm.

It was just short of saying she was faking it.

The anger Jennifer had just managed to calm flared right back up.

Stella lifted her leg and kicked him hard.

Evan wasn’t prepared. The blow landed squarely in his stomach. He sucked in a sharp breath of pain and instinctively let go of her arm.

Seeing her bristling like a cornered hedgehog gave him a headache.

“You’ve made your scene. You burned half the house. Are you still not over it?”

Stella said nothing.

But the chill in her eyes deepened.

Over it?

This anger wasn’t going anywhere. Not unless someone paid for it.

She let out a soft, humorless laugh.

She didn’t say a word, but the mockery in that laugh made Evan feel inexplicably irritated.

A dull headache throbbed behind his temples.

“Enough,” Evan said, clearly exhausted. “This is on me. All of it. Okay? Come home with me.”

As he spoke, he reached out again, trying to grab Stella’s arm.

She stepped back, dodging him easily.

Her distance, that icy rejection, finally wiped the patience from Evan’s face. His expression darkened completely, the air around them turning heavy and tight.

“Is that really my home?” Stella let out a mocking laugh. “A house where the deed isn’t even in my name?”

“The name on the title belongs to Fiona Wright.”

Fiona was Evan’s younger sister. She was especially close to Summer.

The villa Stella and Evan had lived in after their marriage had long since been transferred into Fiona’s name.

The Wright family had never approved of Stella, an orphan raised without family backing.

They’d agreed to the marriage under one condition. A secret marriage.

Any time Evan tried to give Stella something substantial, his mother would quietly take it back and register it under the names of his two sisters instead.

Even their marital home.

They’d been terrified Stella might benefit from the Wright family in any way.

“The house is in Fiona’s name,” Stella said calmly. “And you still call it my home. Don’t you think that’s ridiculous?”

Evan paused. “Then I’ll transfer it back to you tomorrow. Is that enough?”

The strain in his voice was obvious. His patience was gone.

Stella didn’t want to hear another word from him. She reached for the door, ready to shut it.

Evan caught the edge of the door with his hand.

“Stella,” he said, his tone no longer coaxing. “There’s a limit to how far you can take this.”

“What limit?” Stella raised an eyebrow.

Her emotions should have been spiraling. Instead, she was eerily calm. Even when she spoke about Summer, her voice was steady.

“You and Summer are crossing lines, and you still expect me to stay within limits?”

Evan’s chest tightened.

“Stop lumping me together with her,” he snapped. “There’s nothing between us.”

Stella looked at him coolly. “Steven is dead. Everyone in Harbor City thinks you’ve stepped in to take his place.

“No one knows you’re married. No one even knows your wife’s name is Stella Rowan.

“And you’re telling me that has nothing to do with you?”

Six months.

In those six months after Steven’s death, Evan and Summer had been seen together constantly.

At events. In public. In private.

There were even rumors that the twins were Evan’s.

Some people whispered that Steven’s death itself had something to do with Evan.

Hearing her mention those rumors, Evan stiffened. “You believe that nonsense?”

Rumors?

Stella didn’t answer. She looked at him in silence.

He felt the door pushing harder against his hand. His voice dropped, restrained. “She’s sick. Depression. You know that.”

The word depression iced over Stella’s gaze completely.

“Right. Depression,” she said flatly. “So your face is her medicine. Her personal sedative.”

What a convenient excuse.

Every time Summer lost control, the first thing the family did was send Evan over to calm her down.

Stella closed her eyes briefly. “Sign the divorce papers I’ll have delivered tomorrow.

“Then take care of her for the rest of your life.”

He could stay with her as long as he wanted.

This twisted attachment made Stella sick to her core.

Her indifference finally snapped the last thread of Evan’s restraint. “Stella Rowan!”

She opened her eyes, cold and resolute. “And tell Summer to prepare herself.

“She’ll be receiving a court summons soon.”

Thinking of the months she’d poured into the Redcrest Valley project, Stella looked at Evan with a colder, sharper mockery in her eyes.

The air fell silent.

Nearly half a minute passed before Evan spoke again, his voice tightly controlled. “What are you trying to say?”

“What exactly are you planning to sue her for?”

The words court summons had made his chest jolt hard. When he looked at Stella now, there was no warmth left in his gaze.

“What do you think?” Stella met his eyes with open scorn. “Evan Wright, you were the one who told me my design for the Redcrest Valley tourism project got rejected, weren’t you?

“So tell me. Was it my design that got cut, or was it me?”

The silence deepened.

Outside, rain and wind battered the windows, unable to cool the thick, stifling air between them.

Stella glanced at the hand Evan still had braced against the door. “Can you let go now?”

His expression stiffened.

When he spoke again, the words came out strained, almost suffocating. “This isn’t what you think.”

“Save it,” Stella said calmly. “You can explain everything to the judge.”

“Stella Rowan!”

“Let go.”

“Do you really have to tear the family apart like this?”

Stella fell silent.

What did true, bone-deep coldness feel like?

Family?

She let out a soft, bitter laugh. “Family… how disgusting.”

He didn’t try to give her a real explanation. Maybe because he couldn’t.

And using the word family at a moment like this only made it worse.

Stella pushed harder against the door. Evan instinctively tightened his grip.

“You can’t sue her,” he said urgently. “She just gave birth.”

Stella said nothing.

What a line.

She had lost two children because of Summer. He hadn’t believed she was pregnant, accusing her of making a scene.

Now that she wanted to take Summer to court, he panicked.

Stella closed her eyes. Then she lifted her leg and kicked out again.

This time, Evan was ready. His instincts made him release the door.

Before he could react, the door slammed shut in his face with a heavy bang.

“Stella, open the door. Let’s talk this through.”

Evan pounded on the door like he’d lost his mind.

Stella stood there, her face frozen, her back pressed against the door. She answered only once.

“Talk to my lawyer.”

Hearing the word lawyer made Evan’s chest seize.

Stella turned and walked into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Then she crawled under the covers, blocking out the world completely.

She didn’t know how long the doorbell and pounding continued before it finally stopped.

Half-asleep, exhausted and weak, Stella drifted in and out of dreams.

Sometime in the middle of the night, she was shaken awake.

“Stella. Stella.”

Her body felt like it was being thrown from a freezer into flames.

She forced her eyes open. It was Jennifer.

“Jennifer.”

“You have a fever,” Jennifer said anxiously. “I’m taking you to the hospital.”

Jennifer hadn’t been able to rest easy. She’d brought her housekeeper over in the middle of the night to help look after Stella.

Thank God she came.

If Stella had burned through the night like this, who knew what would’ve happened by morning?

Jennifer’s phone kept buzzing nonstop. Evan was calling.

She was already fed up. She didn’t answer until she’d helped Stella into the car.

“What do you want?” she snapped.

“Pass this on to Stella,” Evan said. “No matter how angry she is at Summer, it can wait until Summer finishes her postpartum recovery.”

“Evan Wright, go to hell,” Jennifer shot back.

Stella, half-conscious, heard his words through the speaker. Her chest went even colder.

Jennifer glanced at Stella’s pale face, rage boiling over. “You’re so damn worried about Summer’s recovery, but your own wife just—”

She didn’t get to finish.

The phone was suddenly gone from her hand.

Jennifer turned to see Stella grab it and hang up without hesitation.

“What are you doing?” Jennifer burst out. “Let me tear him apart.”

She was furious beyond words.

She was just an outsider, and even she was furious beyond control. How had Stella endured this for so long?

Jennifer looked at her with aching sympathy.

“He doesn’t believe it,” Stella said quietly. “Talking to him is a waste of breath.”

Jennifer fell silent.

She knew it was true. Hadn’t Stella gotten angry over Summer countless times these past six months?

Not only had Evan never cared, he’d only crossed more lines. This time, he’d even accompanied her to give birth.

It was sickening.

Stella narrowed her eyes. “Don’t mention my miscarriage to him again.”

“Why?” Jennifer asked.

Why?

Because to him, the pregnancy had always been fake. Just another tantrum.

After years of marriage, there wasn’t even basic trust left. What was the point of asking for more?

“We’re getting divorced anyway,” Stella said calmly. “I want it clean. No loose ends.”

And she didn’t want his guilt.

Guilt lingered. It clung. It dragged things out.

Jennifer understood immediately, and it only made her heart ache more. “That bastard.”

She was furious.

“Alright,” she said, swallowing it down. “Let’s get you to the hospital.”

Seeing how drained Stella was, Jennifer didn’t say anything else.

They had once been so good together. Now they’d reached a point where neither love nor hate was worth holding onto.

Jennifer helped Stella into the hospital.

And of course, they ran straight into Evan and Summer.

Evan was holding a baby in his arms, several people trailing behind him.

Summer sat in a wheelchair, being pushed along, wiping tears from her face. “Evan, nothing can happen to the baby.”

“Don’t worry,” he said gently. “Everything will be fine.”

That softness in his voice.

Stella realized it was the first time in six months she’d heard him speak with that kind of sincere tenderness.

It was nothing like the half-hearted way he’d always soothed her.

She heard it clearly. He meant it.

As they passed each other, Evan saw Stella. He stopped, lips parting as if to say something.

Before he could, Summer broke down crying. “Evan, if something happens to the baby, I won’t live either.”

In the end, Evan pulled his gaze away from Stella’s deathly pale face and strode forward.

The group behind him rushed to keep up, pushing Summer along.

Whether Stella was angry or not was beside the point. Jennifer was shaking with rage.

“Evan Wright, you stop right there, you piece of—”

“Hey—Stella, Stella!”

The weight against her arm suddenly gave way.

Stella’s body slid downward, and Jennifer panicked, grabbing her just in time.

At the elevator entrance, Evan heard Jennifer shout and instinctively turned around.

He saw Jennifer holding Stella, yelling, “Doctor! Someone help—now!”

Evan’s heart lurched.

Without thinking, he shoved the baby into someone else’s arms and broke into a run toward them.