Chapter 5 She's Gone Crazy

Stella steadied her weak body and finally made it to the room.

This was where she used to live. After their marriage, Richard never allowed her to set foot in the master bedroom.

So she had chosen a room closest to his.

Standing at the door, she took a deep breath, suppressing the complicated emotions churning in her heart, and turned the doorknob.

The door opened.

But the sight before her made her freeze instantly.

Her room was crammed full of junk, with no space even to step.

"When did you get back?"

Stella turned around to see Dora standing behind her.

Dora was an old servant in the house. When Stella first married in, Dora wasn't exactly warm to her, but at least she was respectful.

But now, she could see a hint of contempt on her face.

However, thinking that she was about to divorce Richard, she instantly stopped caring.

"Dora, what happened to my room?"

Dora curled her lip. "Miss Garcia's stuff had nowhere to go. Since your room was sitting empty anyway, we just stored things here for now."

Before she finished speaking, Stella stepped over the packaging boxes on the floor and went in. With each step, she threw something out.

"Mrs. Howard, what are you doing? These are all Miss Garcia's things. Don't break them."

Dora grabbed Stella's hand.

This completely set Stella off.

She whirled around and slapped Dora across the face. "You don't know your place, daring to lay hands on me!"

Dora's face stung with burning pain from the slap. She looked at Stella, her eyes full of fear.

She couldn't understand how that once meek woman had suddenly become a different person.

Stella continued searching and finally found a delicate box at the very back of the cabinet.

Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, seeing that the original lock on the box was gone, her heart sank.

She hurriedly opened it. Sure enough, everything inside was gone.

At the same time, Lillian came upstairs. Seeing the mess, she frowned and asked, "What happened here?"

"Miss Garcia, she's gone crazy!" Dora covered her face, warning repeatedly, "Don't get near her."

Lillian shook her head and slowly walked toward Stella. "Stella, I didn't know you'd suddenly wake up, so I forgot to have the servants clean out the room. Why don't you stay in another room for tonight?"

"Where's the necklace that was inside?" Stella ignored Lillian's words, only pressing about what was in the box.

This was the only keepsake her mother had left her before she died.

Lillian paused. "I didn't see any necklace. Dora, did you?"

Dora shook her head. "Mrs. Howard, it's been five years. Who remembers an old chain? Maybe it was thrown out long ago..."

"What kind of necklace was it? How about I buy you another one?"

Stella didn't believe Lillian at all. This box had clearly been pried open.

"Lillian, I'm asking you one last time. Where is the necklace?"

"I really... Ah!"

Before Lillian could finish, Stella raised her hand and slapped her hard!

The crisp sound of the slap echoed especially loud in the quiet hallway.

Caught off guard, Lillian's head snapped to the side, and clear fingerprints quickly appeared on her delicate cheek.

"Ah! Miss Garcia!" Dora cried out, rushing forward to support Lillian while glaring at Stella. "Mrs. Howard! How could you hit someone!"

The commotion upstairs quickly drew Richard and Zane from downstairs.

Zane ran up fast. Seeing Lillian's red and swollen face, he charged over like a little cannonball, pushing and shoving Stella. "Bad woman! You're bullying Lillian again!"

"Get out! Get out of our house! I don't want you here!"

"What's all this noise?" Richard's icy voice rang out.

He looked at Lillian's swollen cheek, his pupils contracting slightly, then swept his gaze to Stella. "Stella, what are you going crazy about now?"

"Mr. Howard, Mrs. Howard's necklace is missing. She suspects Miss Garcia took it, so she slapped her." Dora quickly spoke up for Lillian.

Stella was about to speak when Richard's extremely cold voice cut in first: "It's just a necklace. Whatever kind you want, I'll have my secretary buy ten or a hundred to compensate you tomorrow. Hitting someone over such a small matter—Stella, where are your manners?"

"Apologize to Lillian." Richard's tone left no room for argument.

Stella clutched the box tightly, her cold eyes fixed on Richard as she said word by word: "I did nothing wrong."

"Stella, regardless of anything, hitting someone is wrong. Zane is right here. Is this how you set an example as his mother?"

The same old moral blackmail.

Stella let out a cold laugh. "What did I do wrong? Richard, don't forget—you and I aren't divorced yet. So right now I'm still the lady of this house. Lillian is just a nanny here to help me take care of the child. Why should she take over my room and make me apologize to her? Does she deserve it?"

"Unreasonable. Someone, take Mrs. Howard to the basement. Without my permission, she's not allowed out!"

Richard looked at Stella again, his gaze like two ice picks. "Until you realize your mistake, you're not going anywhere!"

The basement—dark, narrow, never seeing sunlight all year round. Even the servants didn't live there.

He was locking her up there. What difference was that from solitary confinement?

Stella never imagined Richard would go this far for Lillian.

Tears welled up in her eyes. She looked at Richard and asked one final question: "If I apologize, will you..."