[Back to Ella's place]
"You didn't tell what happened you there?" Stefan questioned putting the food in the refrigerator while Ella continued to sip from her water glass.
The glass ca to a halt on her lips as she stared at Stefan, who had completed his duty and stepped towards the counter, leaning his hand over the surface to look directly into her eyes.
Ella discreetly gazed at him and put the glass down. She then wiped the residue from her lips and gulped.
"I told you, I just happened to lose my way," she answered, disregarding his gaze.
Stefan cocked his brow, plainly noticing the deception written on her face. He would agree with her, but was the store large enough for her to get lost, and why was she afraid when she spotted him?
"Okay I believe you lost your way, but what about the fear I saw in your eyes when you saw " was his query.
Ella bit her lips. She was just too terrified to speak up, despite having the confidence to do so last night.
Jack's comnts tortured her, bringing back mories she was supposed to have buried deep within her heart. Why was fate so unfair to her that she had to beg for happiness?
Stefan sighed as he noticed her continued skepticism. He straightened himself and walked around the counter to stand in front of her. He reached out his hand and gripped her face, forcing her to look at him.
Ella was doing her best not to show her anxieties on her face, but with Stefan's deep eyes piercing into her soul, she couldn't keep pretending for long.
"I t soone that I shouldn't and it brought all the bad mories to life" she stated at length.
Her heart was pounding furiously inside her chest, and tears continued to flow down her cheeks.
Ella had struggled her entire life to live with dignity, leaving the dark days behind and moving on. However, no matter how hard you try to forget the past, it cannot be completely erased.
Stefan's heart clenched as he watched her cry. There was so much about this woman that he didn't know. She was a powerful, unbeatable woman professionally, but in real life she was a frail flower with scars.
He recalls Mischelle telling him how much Ella went through growing up and how she isn't used to sharing her difficulties with others. Perhaps she had always been her own assistant, which is why she had kept to herself despite their presence.
But, seeing her vulnerable state, he couldn't help but soothe her and assure her that no matter what was bothering her, he was there for her to rely on. She could rely on him to reveal every tiny secret she kept inside her heart. But he was also aware that it would take so ti for her to adjust to having soone at her side.
Wiping away the tears, he leaned in and kissed her, a muffled sob escaping her lips as she finally broke down and cried.
"Tell , sweetheart, what's holding you back. Your tears are cutting through ." Stefan couldn't take it anymore and nearly begged her.
"Is it the sa thing you wanted to tell last night?" he questioned, sowhat withdrawing.
His thumb caressed her jawline before rising and wiped away the fresh tear from her eyes.
Ella nodded, giving no room for hesitation.
"Stefan, you will abandon if you discover about my background. Will everyone judge for being a bastard child?"
Her remarks caught him off guard, and his eyes narrowed as she drew his hand away.
"What do you an?" he inquired, his tone icy and distant.
Ella didn't dare to stare into his eyes. She feared he would mock her.
"Growing up, I was often bullied. They would address by nas, and even folks in our neighborhood would give a judgntal look. They would gossip behind my back and call cursed child, till one day I heard soone call bastard child," she faltered, the words spoken back then replaying in her head.
"They told I wasn't my father's daughter and my mother slept with soone and I was product of her night affairs"
Stefan remained stunned as she began to unload her heart.
"I don't know whether it's true or not because mom never opened up; however, those words spread like wildfire in my school, where student would pick up and bullied until it broke ntally," she sobbed.
Ella was like a punching bag to every other pupil she encountered. So would berate her with hurtful words, while others would physically torture her. It was horrific, and Jack and Priscilla were the ones who led the bullies in harassing her.
She didn't understand why Priscilla would fall so low that she urged Jack to threaten her, and one day, when he tried to get closer to her, pressing a kiss on her inside an empty classroom, she took their photos in such a manner that they appeared to be making out.
Priscilla threatened to expose those pictures if she did not leave the school, and in fear of losing her face, she requested her mother to shift schools. She never told Mischelle what was wrong with her prior school, but after finding that her daughter was mistreated, she chose to go to a different location in the hopes of beginning again.
Everything was going properly until she arrived in Aspen and t Max. After wooing her for a month, they began dating, but her joy was short-lived when a new student joined in the sa class as them, and it was none other than Priscilla.
She was constantly fixated on Max, and watching Ella live a calm existence didn't sit well with her. However, this ti she did not attempt to cause any problems. It was unexpected that she never brought up her background during her graduation, but she did try to get Max's attention, but he only accepted her companionship.
Ella believed Max's love for her was pure, which is why he never looked at anyone else. Despite her timidity, he continued to be understanding to her, only to discover that it was an act as he fucked her behind her back.
She learnt about their secret relationship in college after catching them cheating at her place several years later; Priscilla shalessly disclosed it . It happened once before they broke up, only to rekindle their feelings at the reunion party, when he blatantly welcod her impulse without hesitation.
Max had always been disloyal to her, but she was so blinded by her own fears that she mistook it for love.
The mories of her past were taking their toll on her mind, and before she knew it, everything began to swirl before her eyes, eventually turning dark.
"Dove!"
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