Chapter 4
After the chaotic, mud–slinging fight, a crowd quickly gathered, eager to see how it would all play out.
Kevin struggled to drag Stephanie away from the scene.
Olivia’s face contorted in pain, her eyes brimming with tears as she glanced at Chris. “Chris, I…”
Chris’s face twisted into a mask of rage.
He barked at Kevin, still holding on to Stephanie. “Get her out of here–now!”
Stephanie yanked at Kevin’s grip, but he wasn’t about to let go.
It was the first time he’d realized just how strong she was–he could barely hold her back.
“Come on, Miss Giovanni, let’s go,” Kevin urged.
That’s when Stephanie suddenly remembered something.
“My bag! My bag,” she rushed to say.
The bag she’d used to hit Chris was lying next to him. In a fit of fury, Chris grabbed it and hurled it at her.
Kevin snatched it out of the air just in time, shoving it into Stephanie’s arms. “Got it, let’s go.”
Finally, the chaos started to settle.
Kevin managed to drag Stephanie to the car, planning to take her home, but she wouldn’t have it.
She didn’t want to be anywhere near Chris–or anything related to him–so she drove off by herself.
Chris, still dazed from the blow to his head, stood frozen for a moment.
When his mind finally clicked back into place, his eyes landed on Olivia–her hair a mess and her leg swollen. His anger toward Stephanie flared up even more.
Without hesitation, he scooped Olivia up into his arms. “I’m taking you to the hospital.”
Tears welled up in Olivia’s eyes as she nodded weakly. She looked utterly broken.
Seeing her like that, Kevin rushed to bring the car around.
But when he reached the spot where they’d parked, the car was gone.
“Miss Giovanni took the car,” Kevin said, his voice full of frustration as he stood behind Chris.
Kevin had planned to drive Stephanie, but she’d been quick–and now she was gone in the car.
Chris’s face darkened even more.
Noticing Chris’s growing frustration, Kevin quickly added, “I’ll grab another car from the garage.”
Without waiting for a response, Kevin dashed off–he had to get the keys from the office first.
As Stephanie waited for the light to change, her phone buzzed.
1/3
+5
Chapter 4
She picked it up and saw it was a call from her mother, Catlin Hart.
Without wasting any time. Catlin snapped. ‘Come home tonight. We need to talk.”
Stephanie took a sip of water, her voice flat. “Can’t. I’m busy.”
In reality, she wasn’t busy at all, but she knew exactly what Catlin wanted to talk about–and she didn’t want to hear it.
Catlin’s voice, now tinged with annoyance, cut through. “Busy? With what? You haven’t even been trying with Chris”
Stephanie felt a jolt of bitterness rise in her chest. She was Catlin’s daughter, but there was no love in the relationship- Catlin didn’t hate her, but affection was never there.
“So you sent Olivia to take care of him instead?” Stephanie shot back.
A brief silence hung on the line.
Stephanie knew exactly what Catlin was after.
Her fallout with Olivia two years ago was still fresh
If Olivia hadn’t left back then, she’d probably be sitting in a jail cell right now.
Now that Olivia was back, Chris and the Hart family were clearly worried Stephanie would stir things up again
Catlin must’ve realized she couldn’t pretend anymore. Her voice softened slightly. “That’s all in the past, Stephanie. You need to let it go.”
It was getting cold.
The half–open window let in a sharp gust of wind, and Stephanie felt the chill sweep across her neck, biting into her skin.
For a moment, she almost forgot the cold.
She let out a bitter laugh, then spoke again, her voice laced with irony. “Catlin, I almost died in that car crash. It’s only been three years. Remember what I looked like when they brought me back?”
She’d spent two whole months in a hospital bed after they pulled her out.
Olivia had been the mastermind behind the crash. She feared that if Stephanie returned to the Hart family, she’d take everything that was rightfully hers.
The crash had been meant to end Stephanie’s life, to make sure she never came back.
Now, Carlin, Stephanie’s own mother, was blaming her–the victim
Carlin’s voice came through, cool and dismissive. “That wasn’t her fault, Stephanie. Stop holding so much malice toward
her
Stephanie tossed her empty water bottle into a nearby trash can, landing it perfectly.
She took a deep breath, her voice snapping out, fast and sharp. She says I’m malicious toward her, and you believe her? If you trust her so much, why do you still need me, your own daughter?
Just pretend I’m not your daughter, okay? Or better yet, I’ll block your number right now.”
Catlin was furing now, “Stephanie! Can’t you just calm down? You always lose it when we talk about this”
Every time Olivia came up, this was how it went, and Catlin was beyond fed up.
2/3
12:42 Sun, 2 Mar
Chapter 4
After more scolding, Catlin finally got to the real point, her tone changing as if she had a trump card ready.
90%
She said, pitifully, “You’ve always had issues with Olivia, but that’s in the past now. You need to change your attitude. She’s sick, Stephanie. Really sick.”
Stephanie snorted. “She’s sick, so I’m supposed to delay my wedding to Chris, and Chris has to keep taking care of her, right?”
Stephanie didn’t care about Chris, but the humiliation she felt was undeniable.
Now Catlin’s argument sounded even more absurd, and Stephanie couldn’t help but throw in a cutting remark.
Catlin’s anger flared. “She and Chris grew up together. She’s can’t hang on much longer without him.”
Then, as if she could read Stephanie’s mind, she softened. “Don’t worry, Stephanie. In the end, Chris will marry you. For now, let’s focus on Olivia’s illness, okay?”
Stephanie nearly rolled her eyes. They were treating Olivia like a queen, and now they wanted her to step aside too.
She was so close to losing it.
Catlin noticed her silence. “Did you hear me?”
Stephanie just felt nauseous. The more Catlin spoke, the worse she felt. Too tired to argue, she hung up.
And, just like that, she blocked Catlin’s number.
Truth be told, she’d blocked Catlin countless times before. But somehow, every time, Catlin’s number mysteriously unblocked itself without explanation.
