Bradley and Caspian had been here to visit her once. Bradley tried several times to ask her about Westonâs conditions, but in the end he just decided to keep his mouth shut and never brought up that name in front of her ever again.
It was as if someone had instructed them not to disturb Stellaâs life with any questions about Weston Ford.
Every once in a while, Elias and Emma would ask Stella, Where is that man called Weston Ford? Why donât we see him anymore?â
Stella did not quite know how to explain it to them, so in the end she just said, âFate is a curious thing.
Sometimes you would get along very well with someone for a while, but the next thing you know, they just disappear from your life and you never see them againâ¦â
âWhat does fate mean?â Emma asked her, blinking innocently.
âIt means the chances you have for meeting someone. You donât have many chances, so itâs important that you cherish your time with everyone you meet.â
**
Emma tilted her head sideways with confusion written all over her tiny face.
But Stella said nothing more, she just gently stroked her daughterâs hair.
She had been receiving many visitors in the past few days. They all came and went, where most offered kind words of comfort. Stella was used to hearing them by now, but she did notice that they all shared one curious similarity -they all hemmed and hawed as if they wanted to say something but would later decide against it.
She could tell very easily that they were actually trying to ask her about Weston, perhaps out of curiosity about his current conditions, or perhaps they wanted to see if they could learn about the status of Stella and Westonâs relationship.
But never once did she satisfy any of their curiosities. It did not matter whether their true intentions were to laugh and mock her or if they were genuinely concerned; she remained silent and said nothing about the matter and explained nothing to anyone.
And so the days went by quietly, just as if her life had returned to the peaceful rhythms in those three years when Weston Ford was completely absent in her lifeâthe days might be monotonous and uneventful, but she was content.
On the day that she was discharged from the hospital, Angelina came to give Stella a crutch specially made for her.
In her current condition, Stella had no need for wheelchair since only her eyes were damaged. And besides, she should be able to see again in a few months.
Henry Moore had come along with Angelina too. Stella had no idea when these two had gotten so close, but it was obvious at a glance that Henryâs attitude toward Angelina had made a oneâeighty turn. He kept following her around everywhere, attending to her every need.
At the moment, he had made a complete recovery and no longer needed the wheelchair.
In fact, even when she first saw him again after coming back to Ahn City when he was celebrating Westonâs birthday at the restaurant alongside Daisy and Nicole, she had noticed that he no longer needed a wheelchair even thenâ¦
Stella was suddenly reminded of Weston, which abruptly halted her train of thought.
Thoughts of him kept popping up in her mind these past few days, but they did not linger for long. Stella had the ability to keep her own feelings in check, then discard those thoughts from her mind.
This was just as it should be, she told herself. They should remain as strangers. Being together would only bring more pain and suffering, making life unbearable for them both.
It did not matter to her how he was doing. None of that was any of her business now.
Angelina appeared out of the end of the hallway with Henry following close on her heels. Noticing that she had been ignoring him and not even willing to look at him the whole time, he walked up to her and stopped in front of her, asking her, âHow long are you going to be angry with me?â
âI wouldnât dare to be angry with you, Mr. Moore.â
Angelina paused and added in a meaningful tone, âAfter all, Iâm just someone who means nothing to you, so why would it matter to me that youâve gone to see Guinevere Cohen?â
After all of Guinevereâs deeds had been exposed, she became the number one target of derision of Ahn City. Her crimes had truly been appallingâshe actually killed her own son just so she could frame Stella Sealey.
Once her crimes came to light, even Chris Ford was no longer willing to see her.
Everyone else who had been trying to help her or at least keep her alive had all but abandoned her.
Only Henry would go to see her⦠for one last time.