Chapter 27 Shut the Door on the Past
Wendy was gasping, practically out of breath.
Stella was two seconds away from slamming the door right in her face.
But Shane got there first, wrapping Wendy in his arms, his eyes wide as he looked at Stella in disbelief.
“Star! What are you doing?! Wendy’s not in good health-what if you stress her out and something happens?!”
“If she’s sick, she should be at home resting. If she dies, bury her in a coffin and let her meet the reaper. What’s she doing at my door trying to extort sympathy?”
Stella didn’t back down one inch. Arms crossed, she stared Shane down with ice in her voice.
“And by the way… since I was the one who dragged her out of the mountains years ago, I guess I do owe her something.”
She smiled coldly.
“So if she kicks the bucket, just send me a text. I’ll toss in two hundred bucks for the cremation.”
The words dropped like a stone in still water.
Shane looked stunned.
Those words-so sharp, so merciless-he couldn’t believe they came from Star’s mouth.
Wendy, on the other hand, felt the air sucked out of her lungs. That level of disgust-undisguised, venomous-made her chest tighten with panic.
“Shane…” she whimpered, “I just wanted to talk. I didn’t expect her to curse me like that…”
“Curse you? I’ll pick a better day next time. Now get lost.”
Stella had had enough. Head pounding, she stepped back toward the foyer and grabbed the door.
But before she could shut it-
Shane slammed his hand on the edge, stopping it from closing.
“Wait! Star, I… I just want to talk!”
Stella’s eye twitched.
She really regretted not kicking him in the shin first.
Now the door wouldn’t budge-he was too damn strong.
And just as she saw the door slowly being forced back open, she caught the flash of fury in Wendy’s eyes.
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Wendy clung to Shane’s other arm like a drowning woman to driftwood.
Stella clenched her jaw, threw all her weight forward-
And slammed the door. Hard.
“Ah-!”
Shane didn’t pull back in time.
His fingers got crushed, instantly swelling and turning a deep, ugly purple.
“Shane! Are you okay?! How could Stella be so cruel?!”
Wendy clutched his hand, full of fake concern, ready to spew more self-righteous nonsense-
But Shane pulled away.
He held his throbbing hand and stepped back toward the door, mimicking his old, sweet tone.
“Star… my hand hurts so much…”
A wall of wood separated them.
His voice was soft, trembling-almost exactly the same as back then.
Back in high school, on the basketball court, he’d sprained his wrist the same way. He’d called to her across the chain-link fence, asking her not to go to the library. To stay with him instead.
She’d gone to him without hesitation, bandaged his hand.
The guys had teased, yelling from the court.
And Shane had wrapped an arm around her, laughing, whispering over and over:
“Star, you’re the best…”
That same tone echoed now, years later.
But the woman on the other side of the door had changed.
Stella snapped back to the present, her heart cold as frost.
“If you don’t leave right now, I’m calling security.”
“Star…”
God, even hearing him say my name was unbearable.
Stella pulled out her phone and called the villa’s security team.
Moments later, the noise outside stopped completely.
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Uniformed guards surrounded the two intruders.
Wendy stood behind Shane, feigning terror, clutching his sleeve like a frightened little bird.
“Stella’s being so cruel… She actually called security on us. Shane, what if they hurt us?”
“Ma’am, please don’t make unfounded accusations,” one of the guards said calmly. “We’re simply doing our job.”
He pulled out a photo.
“Sir, your vehicle is illegally parked on villa property. You’re not listed as a guest of any resident. We’ve contacted traffic enforcement to tow the car. Please step away from the premises and pay the fine.”
“If you continue to harass residents, we’ll have to call the police.”
In the photo, Shane’s car sat right outside the gated entrance.
They were clearly being polite.
Shane winced, holding his swollen hand. He bit down on his lip.
“…I’ll leave now.”
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
The guards stayed until the two were completely off the property.
Back in the car, Wendy reached out for Shane’s hand again, her expression pained.
“Maybe we should go back to Cloudtopia. If we stay here, Stella’s only going to get more angry.
Shane’s expression didn’t change.
“I still have business in Capital City. If you don’t want to stay, I can have someone take you home.”
