Chapter 32
Every time Stella had that nightmare, a faceless child would be standing in front of her, trembling. She
would try to get a better look at the child, but the thick, white fog would surround them. The moment
she reached out her hand to touch the child, the entire scene would disappear in a puff of smoke.
When the fog cleared, what she would see next would be the last thing she wished to see. It was that
dreadful scene that would shatter her heart into a million pieces.
“You have one choice between the two. Who do you choose?”
“I choose Gwen… She’s afraid of heights.”
Each word pierced into her heart like a real knife, tormenting her with excruciating pain, even though
she was actually dreaming. The scene changed. Suddenly, she was lying on the street. Her lower body
was covered in blood. Her child was slowly flowing out of her body. Meanwhile, not so far away, two
shadowy figures were in a sweet embrace, mockingly trampling her and her baby’s misery and
tragedy…
Stella sat up abruptly on her bed. She was sweating profusely, so much that the nightshirt clung to her
back, soaking wet.
Roger still stood outside her door, simply refusing to leave. The last thing she wanted was for her
brother to see her in this state.
“I really am fine, Roger,” she assured him as she groggily ran her fingers through her hair.” Go back to
bed! I need to be up early for work!” she croaked. Her voice was frail and a little hoarse.
Roger gripped the door handle tightly. He hesitated for quite a while but eventually gave up and let out
a helpless sigh.
“Fine…” he muttered. “Get a good rest, okay, sis?”
“Okay.” Stella sighed in relief when she heard Roger’s receding footsteps. She let her body collapse
onto the bed, her head falling once again onto the pillow.
The next day… Roger had a class early, so he was out by seven o’clock. A college student, he was
initially admitted to the prestigious Ahn City University, a school considered the country’s top university.
Thanks to his medical condition, however, he had no choice but to take a semester off.
Fern City was nowhere nearly as affluent as Ahn City, but it was still considered among the country’s
major cities. In fact, it had a long and illustrious history and a rich cultural heritage. Likewise, Fern City
University was seen as an elite university. Weston had managed to make the necessary arrangements,
getting Roger transferred to Fern City when he created new identities for the two siblings.
Since both their parents were dead and they had no relatives, assuming new identities was all but a
simple matter of changing names.
Hence, Stella Sealy was now called Ella Steele, and Roger Sealey was now Robb Steele. Fortunately,
Roger’s health had improved significantly, and though he still had regular check ups every now and
then, he could now consistently attend classes, which was huge progress. Stella, on the other hand,
found a new job as a dance teacher at a training institution. Although they could both live comfortably
off Weston’s money, Stella still thought it best to get a job. At the very least, having a career to focus on
would distract her from her harrowing, heart-wrenching past.
Every once in a while, she would come across a mother-and-baby store or bump into a mother holding
her child’s hand on the street, stopping her dead in her tracks.
She really did like children a lot… Yet because of her congenital medical condition, she could probably
only ever have one child her whole life… The dispenser water overflowed from Stella’s cup onto the
floor.
“Look out!” shouted a concerned voice.
“That’s hot water! You’ll scald your hand!” It was Yvonne, her voice snapping Stella back to the present.
Only then did she sense a sharp pain on the back of her hand.
“Sorry…” she mumbled as she quickly recoiled her hand. Yvonne hastily pulled out a tissue paper and
wiped Stella’s hand.
“You’re lucky it’s not boiling!” she gasped, “or you’ll have a serious burn on your hand!” Initially from
Fern City, Yvonne’s father was a renowned doctor there. In fact, her entire family has always lived in
Fern City, and she had only started a training institution in Ahn City because her husband worked
there.
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