Chapter 133

1 stepped into my apartment, the familiar scent of home and solitude wrapping around me like a comforting shroud. The day had been emotionally taxing, with the turmoil of my recent encounters with Scarlett still fresh in my mind. All I wanted was a moment of peace, a chance to collect my thoughts and find some solace in the quiet of my own space.

But as I closed the door behind me and took a deep breath, I sensed that something was amiss.

The air in the apartment felt heavy, charged with an unsettling energy. My instincts tingled with unease.

I turned to find Aria standing nearby. She looked shell–shocked, her face pale and stiff.

“Evie,” she began, her voice hesitant, “there’s someone here to see you.”

I furrowed my brow, puzzled by the hesitancy in her tone. “Who is it?”

Before Aria could respond, the source of the unease made herself known. Stella Fitzgerald, with an air of entitlement, stepped out from the shadows of my living room.

“Hello, Evie,” Stella said, her voice dripping with faux politeness as she made her way toward me.

I could hardly believe my eyes. Stella was the last person I expected to find waiting for me in my own apartment. Aria looked helpless as she stood by.

“I tried to keep her out,” Aria muttered under her breath, shooting me an apologetic glance.

Stella didn’t wait for an invitation as she made herself at home in my apartment, casting a critical eye over our belongings. “Nice place you’ve got here,” she remarked casually, her fingers trailing over a bookshelf filled with my cherished.

novels.

My patience was wearing thin, but I forced a polite smile, though it was strained. “Stella, what are you doing here?” I asked carefully.

Stella turned to face me, her green eyes locking onto mine. Her sister’s kinder face. flashed before my eyes, and I shook my head.

14 “We need to have a chat, Evie,” she replied, her tone carrying an air of finality. “There are some things we need to discuss.”

I couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread settling in the pit of my stomach. Stella’s presence alone was enough to send my stress levels skyrocketing. I had distanced myself from her and the painful memories of our past for a reason. Now, here she was, invading my sanctuary.

Aria cleared her throat, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. “I’ll leave you two alone,” she said, giving me a sympathetic look before heading toward her own room..

As the door closed behind Aria, Stella turned her attention back to me, her gaze unwavering. “I hope you don’t mind,” she said, a hint of mockery in her voice. “I just wanted to catch up.”

Stella’s presence in my apartment had already pushed the boundaries of my patience, but as she continued to roam about, making herself comfortable and taking liberties with our belongings, my frustration reached a breaking point. She was like a storm, leaving chaos and destruction in her wake, and I had to put an end to it.

I watched in silence for a moment, my irritation simmering beneath the surface. Stella had a way of getting under my skin like no one else, and she was doing it purposefully. But I couldn’t let her revel in her antics any longer.

What do you want?” I repeated through gritted teeth. “You didn’t break into my apartment just to make yourself at home.”

Stella turned to face me, her expression smug as she lit a cigarette with an exaggerated flourish.

The smell of the smoke filled the room, adding to my growing annoyance. She took a long drag, her eyes locked onto mine as if daring me to challenge her.

I couldn’t help but wince as she let the ashes fall haphazardly onto our couch. She then took another drag from her cigarette, her gaze unwavering. “I want you to stay away from Timothy,” she declared, her voice laced with a possessive edge.

The mention of Timothy caught me off guard. “Timothy?”

Stella’s laughter was like a mocking melody, grating on my nerves. “Oh, Evie,” she taunted, “don’t play coy with me. You know exactly why I’m concerned. Timothy Need Top Metal Stamping? Get a 10% Discount (Start Now)

Chapter tha and I have a future, and I won’t let you ruin it.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Stella, you can forget about me ever coming around Timothy,” I stated flatly. “I have no interest in him.”

Stella’s expression shifted, her eyes narrowing as she stubbed out her cigarette on our coffee table, leaving a searing mark.

“You think this is a game, Evie?” she hissed, her voice a dangerous whisper. “Timothy won’t have any more room for you after a while.”

I felt a surge of anger rise within me. Stella’s veiled threats and possessiveness were infuriating, and I refused to let her intimidate me.

“What are you talking about?” I demanded, my voice steady.

Stella smirked, a wicked gleam in her eyes as she stood in the door frame, blocking my path.

“Because, darling,” she replied, her tone dripping with malice, “Timothy is going to be a father soon.”

The words hit me like a sledgehammer, and for a moment, I couldn’t process what she had just said. Timothy, a father? It was inconceivable. My mind raced with questions, doubts, and fears.

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Stella’s laughter was cold and heartless as she delivered the final blow. “Because, Evie,” she taunted, “you can’t compete with a child. Timothy will have his hands full, and you’ll be nothing but a distant memory.”

With that, she slammed the door behind her, leaving me standing in the wake of her intrusion, a searing mark on my heart to match the one on our coffee table. My mind was in turmoil, and the weight of Stella’s revelation settled in.

I sank onto the couch, my thoughts a whirlwind of confusion and sadness. Timothy, a father? It was a reality I hadn’t prepared for, a future I hadn’t envisioned. The thought of him moving on, starting a family without me, was a painful realization that cut to the core of my being.

As I sat there, lost in my thoughts, I couldn’t help but wonder about the choices I had made and the path I had chosen. The conflicts with the firm, the proposal from Scarlett, and now the revelation about Timothy–it all felt like a series of hurdles and heartaches that I couldn’t escape.

Need Top Metal Stamping? Get a 10% Discount (Start Now)

After a few minutes passed, Aria reentered the room and spotted me sitting frozen on the edge of the couch. She rushed over and pulled me into an embrace, rubbing my shoulders as if to thaw me out of my position. Eventually, I decided to move.

I leaned over and scooped up the cigarette stub that Stella had left behind, a gross symbol of her intrusion. I couldn’t even picture her as a mother, especially given the fact that she was still smoking.

“Next time,” Aria murmured, “I’ll just slam the door in her face. She left a smell. and everything.”

I tried to laugh, but a new emotion swept over me. I stared down at the smeared ashes in my palm and felt a new sense of purpose somehow. I wiped the remnants along my pantleg and reached into my pocket for Scarlett’s number.

Little did Stella know that she’d just ignited a fire.

0