Chapter 6
Someone bashed Stella's head, leaving a nasty gash that needed a bunch of stitches.
Arthur stayed by her side all day, taking care of her. He skipped all those usual dinners he used to go to.
His buddies kept calling him, one after another, but he hung up, getting fed up with it.
Stella knew Arthur was keeping an eye on her, worried she'd poke around about Margaret's family.
Stella scoffed, "I don't need you hanging around. Leave."
Arthur furrowed his brows and gently offered her the spoon, holding it up to her lips. "You're hurt so bad. How could I walk away and pretend nothing happened?"
Stella didn't say a word. She fixed Arthur with an unblinking stare. 'He should know better than anyone who did this to me,' she thought.
While Arthur was out getting some water, an uninvited guest slipped into the hospital room. Margaret walked in with a bright smile and set a gift down next to the bed.
When she saw the bandage on Stella's head, she let out a resigned sigh. "Stella, isn't it wild how fate works? If you'd come and apologized to my cousin back then, maybe you wouldn't be lying here hurt now."
Seeing Stella stay silent, Margaret kept smiling and went on. "Stella, I still remember how you used to strut around in front of me and my mom, acting all high and mighty.
"And who was it who said as long as you were in Gortian, my mom and I would never be allowed to set foot here? But look at you now."
Stella knew Margaret was here to rub it in and throw shade.
Stella coldly picked up the gift and dropped it at Margaret's feet as if it were garbage. "Take your trash and get out."
Margaret gritted her teeth so hard that it sounded like they might crack. "Who are you trying to fool, Stella? Can't you see it? Your boyfriend likes me.
"You and your lunatic mother will always be the ones nobody cares about, the ones nobody loves. My mom and I? We're nothing like you two.
"Even if you think you're better than us, your mom was so ashamed that she ended up taking sleeping pills and killing herself. So, when are you planning to follow her, huh?"
A sharp slap echoed through the room. Right then, someone pushed open the hospital room door.
Margaret's fierce glare disappeared, replaced by a look of panic.
She squeezed out a couple of tears, trying to look pitiful. "Stella, I know you don't like me, but I swear I meant no harm. I came to see how you were doing. Please, don't make things difficult for my mom."
Arthur stood motionless, his gaze cold and cutting, like a blade.
His fists clenched tighter and tighter, as if he might rush forward and grab Stella by the throat at any moment.
Stella turned her pale face toward him. "What? Are you planning to fight back again?"
Arthur lowered his gaze, setting the kettle down on the table with steady movements.
He didn't pay any attention to what Stella was really saying. "Sorry, Margaret. She's really upset right now. Let me take you home."
Moments ago, Arthur had promised he'd stay by Stella's side no matter what. But as soon as Margaret walked in, everything changed in an instant.
Margaret wiped her tears, still sniffling, and followed Arthur out of the room.
When the door shut behind her, her eyes were filled with scorn and ridicule.
*****
By night, Arthur still hadn't returned to the hospital room.
Stella was resting, eyes shut, when her phone on the side suddenly buzzed loudly. It was a call from one of her friends. "Stella, something's up. Check your phone, quick."
Stella's heart skipped a beat, and her right eyelid started twitching on its own.
She unlocked her phone, and the screen was flooded with news about her and her mother.
[Shocking News! Gortian's top socialite, Stella, caught her mom hooking up with a homeless guy as a kid!]
[The Reed heiress lost everything! After her husband cheated on her with his first love, she went off the rails, turned into a party girl chasing fame and fortune, and ended up dying right in front of her own daughter!]
Stella felt like her brain had been blown to pieces.
Suddenly, tons of photos surfaced online, showing her mom dressed provocatively, lying beside all sorts of men.
The comment section exploded, swarming Stella like a pack of wild beasts, drowning her in hate and ridicule.
[Wow, look at her. She actually looks like she's having the time of her life.]
[She hooked up with a homeless guy? All to get revenge on her cheating husband? Was it really worth it? What a crazy woman.]
[You only now figured out she's nuts? There were rumors that whenever her husband didn't come home, she'd go to the bathroom and start hurting herself right in front of her kid, to make him come back.]
[With a mom like that, how can Stella still call herself Gortian's number one socialite?]
[So many people worship her, but honestly, she's probably as low as her mom. I wouldn't be surprised if she's hooked up with a bunch of guys already.]