Chapter 132

Stella

Silas and I remained in the car after we left the hospital. The rumbling engine vibrates the car, my fingers fiddling with themselves as my mind replaces what Clara said, in her hospital room. My body has gone still, unable to move, a looming sense of fear and dread overtaking my body.

My gut instinct tells me that something is wrong. My mind is screaming at me to run away from this mess, to put as much distance between me and my step sister as possible. My heart simply is not in it anymore, unable to take any more pain and suffering just because Clara did not get what she wants.

I turned my tension towards the hospital doors. Adrian walks out, his face completely dissociated and unfocused. Without thinking, I open up the car door and step out, my feet beginning to carry me towards my ex-husband.

“Stella!” Silas calls out after me. He gets out of the car, rounding the hood, and I pause to look at him.

I hold out a hand, shaking my head. A silent plea for him to stop, to give me this moment alone with Adrian, despite his negative feelings towards the man. I watch as Silas works through the emotions in his mind, the flicker of his never ending expressions flashing across his face before he settles back into his normal state of neutrality. Stiff and cold.

“Thank you,” I breathe the words out like a lifeline, willing my body to turn around and rush towards Adrian before he is out of my life. As soon as I am close enough, I yell, “Adrian!”

The man turns around. His face immediately softens at the side of me and he opens his arms, my body colliding with his as he pulls me into a hug. He holds me there for a moment, his hand attaching itself to the back of my head as I force the shakiness out of my body.

A flush of awkwardness takes over my body. I slowly pull away from him, putting distance between us, and look up at him with reddened cheeks. I took her behind my ear and clear my throat.

“What did she say to you?” I asked, my voice just above that of a whisper.

“Clara is now determined to marry me,” Adrian's voice is neutral yet there is a sense of resignation in his words, as if he has given up and is ready to indulge in Clara's sick fantasies.

I take a step back, my heart falling in my chest. I can feel my eyes stinging from tears, my emotions getting the best of me. Shaking my head, I turn away, not wanting to look up at the man who will inevitably give in to Clara's outrageous demands.

“No,” I close my eyes, hands clasping over my heart, “this can’t be. She can’t make you do that, Adrian! What did you say?”

I turn back around, our eyes meeting once again. His eyes are as red as mine, tears ready to fall at any moment. The two of us refuse to let them fall, though, not wanting her to win in this regard.

Adrian looks so defeated. His shoulders are slumped and his hands tremble at his sides. He looks down at me with guilt and remorse, written all over his face, and apology. He is giving to me now in the tent silence, an apology for what will happen in our shared future.

Suppose, though, that our future is no longer shared, but is separated. He knows that a life with Clara is one that I do not wish to live. Is he really willing to sacrifice everything that we have worked towards just because he feels bad that she tried to enter her own life?

“It’s not your fault that she did this to herself,” I step forward, reaching out for his hands. I take them in my own, and look down at our connected limbs, lacing my fingers with his, allowing my emotions to take over my actions and words. “it is not your fault that she wished to put an end to the misery in her life that she created.”

“Stella,” Adrian, close his eyes, slightly shaking his head. “she threatened to actually kill herself if I don't say yes… I don't want her blood on my hands—”

“It won’t be!” I try to reason with him, hoping that he sees the light. “you can't possibly believe that she would do something as reckless and stupid like this! You know that she has always been so emotional, so tunnel vision when it comes to something like this. When the time comes, she won't be able to go through with it.”

A laugh escapes from my lips. I shake my head at the ridiculousness of the situation, unable to fully comprehend why Adrian is choosing to believe in Clara's lies as well as her sadistic and twisted antics in order to trap him into a loveless marriage with her. I wish that he could see that I'm trying to stop him from making a mistake that will ruin the rest of his life, mistake that will haunt him for the rest of his days, one that will keep him up at night.

I hold so much love for him and I know that this is a choice that he must make on his own, but I feel this urge to warn him of Claire's true nature. To show him that she simply wants to marry him so that she can win in this one-sided battle against me that we have been waging ever since we were children.

“You don't know that,” his size, pinching the bridge of his nose, dropping my hands. “nobody knows what she is capable of…not even I know what she is planning. It's a risk that I can't take!”

“Don’t marry her,” I speak with a serious tone, killing all of the laughter that may have spread for my voice. “please, Adrian, don't marry her. Think this through, be smart about this!”

“I am being smart about this!” Adrian raises his voice at me. I’m taken aback, not sure what to do in this moment or how to respond. “It’s easier said than done! You are not the one who is stuck in this predicament. You are not the one who is being forced to reconcile with the fact that if you say no, somebody will die!”

“But it's Clara!” a cry flies from my mouth, voice cracking. “she is only doing this because she hates me. She can only find comfort in misery, and that is a life that I don't want you to have—”

“It is my choice to make! It has nothing to do with you,” Adrian looks down at me, anger now prominent in his eyes. His face softens ever so slightly before it hardens again. “You are free. You were able to get away from this mess… So why don't you run? You're free, so just go.”

I open my mouth to respond, but it's too late. Adrian turns away from me and gets inside of his car, the engine roaring to life. He doesn't even spare me a glance as he drives away, disappearing down the road, leaving me behind in the dust.