Filed to story: I Got Married Without You
But since then, Karen would have the nanny prepare delicious. meals and put them in lunchboxes for Stella to take to school for Erin. She would also call her in to bring towels to Erin when he was bathing, even if Erin never asked for a towel. And when Erin was sleeping, she would call her to bring him a glass of milk…
At that time, Erin didn’t like her and treated her rudely despite her attempts to please and get close to him. He would throw the lunchbox directly into the trash, slap the towel onto Stella’s face, and pour the milk on her. Stella, who was deeply hurt, didn’t want to continue doing this, but Karen advised her to endure it, saying that Erin would eventually be moved.
Stella didn’t understand, so she asked Karen why she had to do this. Karen playfully tapped her nose and teased her, saying, “Isn’t it all for you? Since you like him, of course your aunt has to help you…”
Karen seemed unconcerned about whether Stella’s actions were unethical. Although Stella and Erin were not blood-related, they had grown up under the same roof and were as familiar as can be. Was it really okay to push her to get close to Erin like this?
When Stella was young, she never reflected on this question. She just thought that her aunt was helping her pursue the boy she liked, so she needed to be braver and more obedient. She listened to Karen and always cared for Erin, always following behind him. She even pretended to be bad at school so that Erin could teach her, even though their relationship was strained. She believed that Erin would be moved by her and fall in love with her, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
Erin hated Karen, and as a result, he also hated Stella. Whenever she approached him, he would insult her and tell her to stay away because she was Karen’s niece and only knew how to seduce men. But strangely, even though he despised her, he would sneak into her room at night. Sometimes when she woke up, she would see him standing there, looking at her with a complicated expression. Once she noticed him, he would glare at her and leave.
After Karen caught Erin leaving her room a few times, she suddenly changed her attitude and advised Stella to stop liking Erin and start liking Mason instead. Mason was Stella’s classmate. One day, on her way home from school, she encountered a group of bullies, and Mason saved her. He kindly escorted her home, but unfortunately, Karen saw them.
Karen checked Mason’s background and thought he was decent.
However, she didn’t openly ask Stella to pursue him. She just told Stella that Mason seemed polite and well-mannered, much more than Erin, and encouraged Stella to become friends with him.
Stella didn’t have many friends, and Mason was indeed well-mannered. He always came to talk to her, and they became closer. Karen noticed this and welcomed Mason into their home. After a few times, Karen would actively seek out Mason and invite him to their house.
Mason probably had some feelings for Stella, and she could tell at that time. But he never verbally expressed it, and she didn’t want to reject him because she liked Erin. She always failed to receive his affection, so she treated Mason with kindness.
Later, Karen encouraged Mason to confess his feelings to Stella. Stella told Karen that she didn’t like him, but Karen said. that she shouldn’t reject him at this crucial time when they were applying for college. If she rejected him, it could ruin his chances of getting into his desired university. Stella thought Karen had a point, so she didn’t reject Mason and told him that they could consider a relationship after they both got into good universities. Mason agreed eagerly.
Finally, they both got accepted into good schools, and that’s when Stella truly rejected Mason. She mustered up the courage to confess her feelings to the person she liked. But unfortunately, when she was ready to open up to him, he arranged for someone to gang-rape her.
Her life took a drastic turn at that moment, and when Karen found out what happened to her, she cried and demanded justice for Stella. But when she discovered that Erin was the mastermind, Karen went crazy and tried to attack him. Stella vividly remembers Karen’s desperate attempt to tear Erin apart, the way she fought for her.
She always believed that her aunt loved her. After finding out about the rape, Karen not only dealt with the thugs herself but also fought to send Erin to jail. However, Erin was protected by his grandfather and didn’t face legal consequences. He only received a severe beating.
At the time, Erin didn’t say a word. It seemed like he realized how terrible his actions were and endured the punishment silently.
Not long after, Karen discovered that Stella was pregnant. She caused a scene with the Simpson family, insisting that Erin be sent away. Erin didn’t know what was happening, but after checking Stella’s pulse, he didn’t say a word. He just grabbed her and left the Simpson family.
He took her to a private hospital and personally performed an abortion on her. As he terminated her pregnancy, he inexplicably berated her. Their conflict only grew deeper.
What Stella resents the most is that after the operation, Erin had someone dump her in the wilderness, barely alive. He didn’t even show his face, as if he wanted to kill her.
At that time, Stella wanted to go back and ask Erin why he treated her that way. She desperately crawled through the thorny bushes, using all her strength, but she couldn’t escape.
She suffered so much, and it was natural for her to hate Erin. But why didn’t Karen hold Erin accountable? Instead, she seemed to be victorious, like she had won a war without gunshots, as she smiled upon seeing the enemy’s dead bodies.
Stella couldn’t understand. Stiffly, she walked up to Karen, asking her, “Aunt, what are you laughing about?”
Karen didn’t hide her smile at all. Instead, she raised her hand and gently touched Stella’s hair, saying, “I’m laughing because my little Stella has finally escaped this demon.”
She seemed to pity Stella very much. With gentle movements, she stroked Stella’s cheek and said, “You’ve been through hell because of Erin all these years, and I really feel sorry for you. So when he died, even though it pained me too, I still felt happy for you. After all, your escape from nightmares matters more….”
Karen was very kind to Stella, giving her money and love without reservation. Right after Stella joined the Simpson family, Karen transferred all the money that Thomas had given her to Stella’s account and even gave her several houses.
Karen treated Erin well too, in Stella’s eyes. She always cared for him and protected him, even when Erin treated her with harsh words and violence. Karen had no complaints and even showed love for Erin. But when Stella wasn’t there, Erin would often angrily accuse Karen of being two-faced. Without waiting for Karen to explain, Thomas would slap Erin, and then Erin would say nothing, just kick the chair and leave the Simpson family…
Many times, when the three of them had conflicts, Stella would be upstairs, and if she accidentally saw them, Karen would use Stella felt like she was just a guest, and it was better not to get involved in their family affairs. So she would obediently keep her distance.
As their conflicts intensified, Stella developed a habit of not getting close or cavesdropping, and she never knew the reasons behind their fights.
But in Stella’s impression, Karen was indeed a very gentle and kind stepmother. At least, she never said anything bad about Erin in front of her. She always praised the child for being smart. Even with the servants around her, she never said. anything horrible about him.
Stella thought that maybe this good person was genuinely happy for her, just like Andrey. After all, Karen and Andrey were her relatives, they had blood ties, and naturally, they loved her more. than Erin, who had hurt them….
Stella thought about it and didn’t ask any more questions. She just looked away and glanced at the urn that had been placed in the black car. Erin had turned to ashes, and even with all the grievances, it was now over.
However, strange feelings surged within her heart as Stella touched her chest.
She felt suffocated, as if all the hatred she held toward Erin was gone. Moreover, it felt like she had lost the purpose of being.
As Stella couldn’t hold back these strange feelings, she could only let them consume her and drag herself into the abyss, into hell… put away her smile. The taste of victory was reflected in her eyes…
Erin was finally dead. There would be no one to belittle her, no one to point fingers at her as a homewrecker, and no one to oppose her. And her son would be able to inherit the Simpson family without any competition.
From now on, as an uneducated, uncultured, and immoral woman who came from a small county town, she could sit firmly in Mrs. Simpson’s position. No one would expose her past, and no one would look down on her arrogantly.
Thinking of Erin, Karen stared coldly at the small black urn. She sneered to herself that no matter how stubborn or capable he was, he still turned into ashes.
After a mocking laugh, Karen greeted Stella and got into the car. As the black window rolled up, Karen and Mike exchanged a glance, and then both of them grinned.
Erin was dead, and no one would know what Karen had done behind the scenes, including Erin himself. In this world, only she knew the schemes she had set up back then, and she would never be foolish enough to reveal her secrets to the public.
Karen thought about this while touching Erin’s urn, and laughed heartily, feeling a joy she had never experienced before.
She had been hoping for his death to come for many years, and now that he was finally dead, she was overjoyed.
Erin’s ashes were brought back to the country by the Thomas family. According to news from Imperial Capital, Karen treated this stepson with genuine affection. Thomas angrily criticized Erin for bringing shame to the family and refused to hold a grand funeral. Karen argued with Thomas, saying that even. if Erin had a bad reputation, he was still part of the Simpson family and deserved a grand funeral.
In the end, Thomas was unable to resist Karen’s insistence and handed over the funeral arrangements to her. People who came to pay their respects from the Simpson family said that Karen knelt in front of Erin’s portrait and cried hysterically, almost fainting. People in the Imperial Capital circle spread rumors that Karen was the best stepmother and Erin was an ungrateful stepson.
When Stella heard these rumors, she was injecting medication and continued her actions without pause, showing no significant change in expression. It seemed that she had no emotional attachment to the deceased person and simply brushed it off as background noise.
After returning from Panama and arranging for Henry to be hospitalized for recovery, Stella took care of him while still working her regular job without missing a beat, just as she did before. Initially, Rosalyn and Eva were worried that Stella would be excessively saddened by Erin’s death. However, to their surprise, as soon as she returned, she put on her white coat and started working. Whether Erin was mentioned or not, she had a cheerful demeanor. It seemed that Erin’s absence was a relief to Rosalyn and Eva saw her like this and didn’t ask much further. They only instructed her to reach out to them if she needed anything. They promised to help her whenever she needed it. Stella nodded and let them go about their own business.
Rosalyn had to rush to work on her design plans, and Eva had to manage the night club. They were both busy, and Stella had already caused them enough trouble during this time. Naturally, she wouldn’t have them worry further.
After flicking the syringe, Stella bent down, smiling and comforting a child while secretly giving the child an injection when they weren’t paying attention.
The child initially smiled at her, but when she removed the syringe, the child burst into tears. The parents nearby comforted the child, and Stella smiled as she patted the child’s head. She even performed a magic trick, pulling out a lollipop from her pocket and handing it to the child.
The child took the lollipop and not only stopped crying but also. behaved obediently, saying thank you. Stella once again patted the child’s head before leaving the ward with a smile.
Once she left the ward, her smile suddenly froze, and the world spun around her. She quickly reached out and grabbed the wall, trembling fingers feeling for her white coat, searching for her medication bottle…
In her mind, she flashed images of shooting Erin and Erin slumped against the floor-to-ceiling window, blood flowing from his body. These gruesome images caused her to feel on the verge of a breakdown, and she had to rely on medication to forget After finding the medication bottle, she poured out a pill, trembling as she placed it in her mouth and swallowed it.
After taking the pill, she leaned against the wall, waiting for her emotions to calm down. A doctor approached her. “Director, are you okay?”
During this period, she had been working tirelessly, helping out in neurosurgery, internal medicine, and anything else that needed assistance. Now she even personally came to the children’s department.
“I’m fine.”
Stella waved her hand, telling the doctor to focus on their own tasks, and then she mustered up her tired body and returned to Henry’s room.
