Chapter 16
Eleanor frowned, “Stella’s not like that. Something might’ve happened that we don’t know. Don’t blame her.”
Fiona insisted, “Eleanor, you always take her side. I get it, but I saw it with my own eyes today. I have to step in now.”
“No way! I won’t believe it,” Eleanor said firmly. She knew Stella; Stella had a good heart. Even after all that had happened, Stella would never do this.
But Fiona went wild, like a crazy woman. Her fake kindness toward Stella was gone. “Stella, we know what you’ve been through. But you can’t treat Anna like this. Seriously, today you make her kneel, tomorrow you’ll make us kneel, right?
“We’re your parents, your family, not your enemies. If we kneel to you, can you take it? I hardly ever scolded you growing up. But since you came back, you’ve been out of control. Stay if you want; if not, leave- ”
Before Fiona could finish, Eleanor slapped her. “Enough!” Eleanor was shaking with anger.
Stella held back her pain and calmed Eleanor. “Grandma, don’t get mad. Getting angry is bad for your health.”
Fiona stared at Eleanor, shocked, hand on her cheek. “Eleanor, y-you actually hit me!”
Eleanor said, “Since you married into this family, we’ve gotten along fine all these years. We hardly ever fought. You handle the kids, and I stay out of it.
“But what you said today was too much. This is Stella’s home. As long as I’m here, no one can kick her out, not even you!”
Fiona was furious, biting her lip hard. Eleanor was older, so Fiona couldn’t do anything.
Anna cried, “Mom, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. Let’s get up and go. We won’t upset Grandma.”
Fiona’s heart ached. She gently touched Anna’s cheek, seeing how sad she looked. “Okay, let’s go.”
As soon as Fiona and Anna left, the room went silent.
Eleanor saw Stella staying quiet, and it hurt her. “Stella, you’ve been treated unfairly since you were a kid. Every time you visit me, you stay quiet. Why don’t you speak up now?”
Stella mumbled, “Grandma, I messed up your relationship.”
“I should’ve done this a long time ago,” Eleanor sighed. “Every time you came, I asked you, but you stayed silent. I knew you did it for the family. You’re so mature; it hurts. I always thought about the peace at home and I never stood up for you.
“That’s what caused all this. When I found out your parents didn’t get you out, I was so mad. I told them, even if we have to
borrow money, we must rescue you.
“Money doesn’t matter. We can start over. So what if we lose this comfortable life? Nothing’s more important than you. They said they’d find you, but…” At that, Eleanor burst into tears.
Stella reached out and wiped Eleanor’s tears away.
Eleanor held Stella’s hand, stared at her arms and legs, and sobbed louder. “Look at you. You look older than me. I can’t imagine how you made it through all those harsh winters and rainy days.”
Stella fought back tears, but seeing Eleanor cry made her own spill. “Grandma, it’s done. I’m here now, right?”
“I know that if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have come back to this. So, wherever you go, I’m going too.”
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Chapter 16
Stella said fast, “No, we’re staying put.”
“Don’t worry about my health. I’ve got money. I saved up for you over the years. We can go anywhere. If your dad doesn’t pay up. I’ll sue him. Anywhere is better than here.”
“Grandma, let’s stay. I need to get better fast.”
Eleanor sighed. She knew that Stella did all this for her. If they left and Stella didn’t notice Eleanor’s health issues in time, something terrible could happen. Stella would regret it forever.
Stella was back now. Eleanor wanted to spend more time with Stella. Plus, with Eleanor’s support, no one in the family dared to bully Stella.
In another room, Fiona started crying the second she saw Andrew. “Why would Eleanor hit me for Stella? Everything I said was true. You saw it earlier. I know it’s hard for you to blame your mom; but she’s confused. Why’d she trust Stella?” Fiona said.
Andrew had seen Fiona get hit; it hurt and angered him. But if he argued with Eleanor and she fell, it wouldn’t be worth it.
He comforted her. “Honey, I saw how you were treated. I can’t go over now; I’ll wait for Mom to come out and talk to her.”
“Think how awful Stella acted. She made Anna kneel where we couldn’t see. Anna’s not healthy. How could she do that?”
Max was nearby, frowning, and glanced at Anna. “What really happened?”
Anna froze.
Fiona heard the tone in Max’s voice. She stepped in front of Anna. “Max, what’s that supposed to mean? You don’t believe
Anna?”
Max was helpless. “Mom, did she say anything?”
Fiona froze. She glanced at Anna first. Anna looked innocent, but her anxious eyes gave her away. Fiona insisted that Anna was the victim. “Does she need to say anything? You saw her kneeling there.”
Max said, “Yeah, but did Stella make her kneel or did she do it herself? Mom, we need to figure this out.”
Fiona pressed, “Why would Anna kneel? What did she do wrong?”
Max frowned a little. Anna hadn’t done anything wrong, but something felt off.
Andrew waved a hand. “Stop. Anna is not at fault. I’ll talk to Stella soon.” He then looked at Fiona and said, “I’ll also talk to
Mom. We can’t let Stella’s visits wreck the house.”
Anna caught Max staring at her. She looked away, too nervous to meet his gaze.
As soon as Eleanor left, Stella wanted to rest. But the door opened again. Lionel came in.
