Chapter 02

The next morning, when Stella opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Nathan's face. Her mind went blank, and she quickly moved back to create some distance from him.

“So, it wasn’t a dream. What happened yesterday was really true!”

Stella thought. Nathan had returned and had slept in the same room and the same bed with her.

Because of her violent reaction, Nathan woke up too. When he opened his eyes, he looked at her expressionlessly. Unlike before, his eyes now carried a hint of disdain toward her. He pulled the blanket aside, got up, and went straight to the bathroom.

He was only wearing a pair of pants. His chest was fully exposed, showing how well he took care of himself.

When she saw him heading to the bathroom, Stella hurriedly got up, changed her clothes, and ran downstairs.

Anna and Carla were already at the table having breakfast.

"Mother-in-law? Grandma? Good morning!" Stella greeted them, and shortly after, the maid placed a plate in front of her.

Carla, who had never accepted Stella as her daughter-in-law, didn’t respond. On the other hand, Anna always treated her kindly.

“Did you sleep well last night?” Anna asked warmly.

Stella knew what she meant; her question wasn’t simple.

She just wanted to know what happened during the night, as she had forced Stella and Nathan to share the same room and needed to see if her plan was working.

“I slept well!” Stella replied, but she didn’t have the courage to meet Anna’s eyes. Instead, she stared at her plate, which contained some fruit.

“Good morning, Mr. Nathan!” the maid greeted as she went to the kitchen to fetch another plate.

Then a tall, broad figure pulled out a chair and sat at the table.

“Grandma, mother, good morning,” Nathan greeted.

Looking at Nathan, Carla noticed a red mark on her son’s face.

“Nathan, what happened to your face?”

“Why don’t you ask Stella?” Nathan replied coldly, glaring at Stella, who sat across from him at the table.

“Stella? Did you hit my son?” Carla questioned angrily. “How dare you lay a hand on my son? Are you out of your mind?”

“Mother-in-law, I…” Stella hadn’t expected the red mark to last until the next day. She pressed her lips together and tried to explain.

Before Stella could say more, or Carla either, Anna Collins slammed the table firmly.

“That’s enough!” she exclaimed, glaring at both of them. “Carla, I’m sure Stella didn’t do it on purpose, so stop it!”

Carla fell silent in front of her mother-in-law. Although dissatisfied, she didn’t say another word, knowing full well that all the family’s power lay in Anna’s hands.

Stella quickly finished her breakfast and grabbed some fruit to take to Liam.

“Madam Collins, I’m done with breakfast, so please enjoy it leisurely. I’m heading to the hospital now.”

“Stella, wait a moment,” Anna stopped her. “Nathan will go with you!”

“What?” Stella asked, surprised.

“Why? You’ve already hit my son, and now you don’t want him near your son? Is he only good enough to father a child?”

“It’s not that, mother-in-law. I was just surprised, that’s all!”

At that moment, Nathan got up, and Stella followed him outside. Together, they left for the hospital without exchanging a single word along the way.

Stella’s original plan was to spend the night with Liam. But when Nathan’s grandmother called and asked her to return, she hadn’t expected it to be because of Nathan’s return.

When the car stopped, Stella opened the door and got out without caring if Nathan wanted to follow her or not. She headed straight for Liam’s room, where he had just woken up.

“Mommy, you’re here!” Liam exclaimed joyfully upon seeing her.

“Why are you so happy and energetic this morning? Did something happen?” Stella asked, sitting beside him on the bed.

“The doctor just came by and said I’ll be discharged today. Is it true?”

“Yes, we’ll continue your treatment at home. What do you think?” Stella smiled, stroking her son’s face. “But before we do anything else, let’s have breakfast, okay? Mommy brought you some fruit!”

“Mommy…” Liam tugged on her arm and looked toward the door, where his gaze met someone else’s.

Liam had always been an intelligent boy. Previously, Anna had mentioned to him that his father would come to visit him. Now, a stranger stood in the doorway, and Liam could guess that this man was his father.

Nathan walked into the room and stood in front of his son. Liam studied him for a moment.

“Are you my dad?”

“Yes, I am your dad,” Nathan nodded. This was the first time they had met in person.

“Why did you only show up now? Didn’t you miss me and Mommy these past four years?”

Stella hadn’t expected Liam to say such a thing. She immediately embraced him to stop him.

“Liam, that’s an issue for adults. You’re still too young to think about such things. It’s not what you think.”

Hearing Stella’s words, Nathan glanced at her beautiful face and gave her a cold look, thinking she was trying to put on a good show in front of him.

Stella noticed the corner of his mouth curling into a mocking smile. She was used to it. In the past, he had always detested her, so she wasn’t affected by it.

Nathan had always believed that what had happened in the past was part of a scheme by her and her father to trap him into marriage. He didn’t know that she, too, was a victim.

But what was the point of telling him? He wouldn’t listen, nor would he believe her.