Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Are We Still Mother and Daughter?
At Stella’s words, Cousin Milo’s pupils constricted, and a flash of panic crossed his face.
He averted his gaze, avoiding eye contact with Stella and looking down at his phone instead.
Her uncle looked at Stella and frowned. "What bracelet?"
"So, you didn’t come to return the bracelet," Stella murmured under her breath.
"What are you even talking about? None of this makes any sense." Annoyance crept onto their grandmother’s face as she turned to her own daughter. "Ruby, has your daughter lost her mind?"
Quinn Sterling walked over to Stella and put an arm around her shoulder, whispering, "Don’t say such things."
She turned to her mother with a smile. "Stella wasn’t talking about you."
Stella stared at her, calling out softly, "Mom?"
Quinn Sterling shook her head, her voice laced with resignation. "Can’t you be a little more considerate? Don’t make things so difficult for me."
A flicker of disbelief crossed Stella’s eyes.
She opened her mouth to speak, but then just lowered her gaze with a pained smile and walked back into her room.
Pippi quickly followed her inside.
Seeing this, her aunt remarked with displeasure, "Ruby, why has Stella become so rude? She doesn’t even greet her elders. I can let it slide with us, but how can she not even greet her own grandmother?"
Quinn Sterling forced an awkward smile. "She’s probably just in a bad mood today, Sister-in-law."
Their grandmother snorted. "She’s getting bold before her wings have even grown in. Having this kind of attitude just because she’s in a bad mood? What will she be like when she’s older? Ruby, you only have one daughter. You’d better teach her some discipline!"
"I know, Mom," Quinn Sterling answered softly.
They weren’t speaking quietly, and Stella could hear every word from her room.
She clenched her fists and slowly closed her eyes, a sudden wave of anguish washing over her.
Sensing her despair, Pippi lifted its front paws to paw at her, whimpering softly. "Stella, don’t be sad. Pippi is here with you!"
Stella opened her eyes and looked down at Pippi, stroking its fluffy head. "Thank goodness I have you."
She crouched down to play with Pippi for a moment before getting up and walking to her desk. She noticed a thin layer of dust had already settled on its surface.
Stella tilted her head back. She felt her eyes grow hot, her cheeks burn, and her heart turn to ice.
A short while later, there was a knock on her door.
Stella remained at her desk, her expression blank.
Her grandmother’s resonant voice came from outside the door. "Stella, it’s almost time for dinner! Get out here and help your mother cook."
Stella pulled the door open and glanced at her uncle’s family, who were all lounging on the sofa with their legs crossed, munching on snacks.
She frowned. "If Mom and I cook, are you guys going to do the dishes after we eat?"
"What kind of way is that to talk?" Her grandmother’s face darkened. "We’re your elders," she said, displeased. "Since when is it right to make your elders do the dishes?"
Rage simmered in Stella’s chest. She kept telling herself not to get angry, but looking at her grandmother’s smug, entitled expression, she just couldn’t hold it in.
Hearing the commotion, Quinn Sterling rushed out of the kitchen, an apron tied around her waist.
She gave her mother a placating smile. "Mom, just sit down and watch some TV. Don’t you worry about the cooking and cleaning."
She helped the old woman to her seat, then turned back to her daughter. The smile was gone, replaced by a frown, a hint of veiled reproach in her eyes.
Quinn Sterling let out a breath and said flatly, "Stella, come with me to the kitchen."
After a moment’s hesitation, Stella stepped out and pulled the door shut behind her.
Clear water gushed from the faucet, cascading over the crisp, green vegetable leaves.
Stella tilted her head to watch her mother’s busy form, then pursed her lips and asked softly, "Why not just ask Cousin Milo directly?"
Quinn Sterling stopped chopping the meat. "Ask him directly?" she said with a frown. "And what? Ruin our relationship with them?"
"Then what about me?" Stella murmured. "When you accused me, did you ever stop to think about whether *we* could still be mother and daughter?"
Quinn Sterling whipped her head around to glare at her, her eyes sharp. "What did you just say? I just asked if you took the gold bracelet. What’s the big deal?"
Stella’s voice choked with emotion. "It’s because you already decided I was the one who took it! Why is it okay to question me, but not Cousin Milo? Every time they visit, you cook a huge feast. They eat, and then they just get up and leave without a second thought, while the two of us are stuck cleaning up until midnight. What’s the point of any of it?"
By the end, crystalline tears were streaming down her face, tracing paths down her cheeks.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Quinn Sterling raised her hand high.
Stella gritted her teeth and lifted her tear-streaked face. "Go on, hit me. Just do it. It’s not like you care whether I get hurt or not."
"You..." Quinn Sterling’s face flushed with anger. In a hushed, furious voice, she said, "Do you have to make a scene right now? If I’d known this would happen, I never would have asked you to come home!"
"So my being here is an eyesore to you?" Stella asked, a hysterical laugh bubbling up through her tears. "Fine, then I’ll leave! How about that?"
She wiped away her tears and brushed past her mother’s shoulder, walking out of the kitchen.
The living room was filled with laughter and cheerful chatter. To Stella, it was all utterly absurd.
She went back to her room and began stuffing her belongings into her backpack indiscriminately.
Her eyes fell on a photo frame on her desk, and she paused. She picked it up and stared at it for several seconds.
It was a photo taken at a studio when she was fourteen, one she had pestered her mother into taking with her.
Back then, her uncle’s family hadn’t moved to Zenvia yet...
Stella bit her lip, then hardened her heart and tossed the frame into the trash can.
With her backpack slung over her shoulder, she walked out of her room, her pace slowing as she passed the kitchen.
Her mother stood with her back to the doorway, stir-frying something with a spatula.
’All she cares about is her brother’s family.’
Stella suddenly felt as if a piece of her heart had been gouged out, leaving a raw, bloody wound. Even breathing hurt.
She fought to hold back her tears, pulled open the front door, and left without a backward glance.
Pippi paced anxiously, glancing first at the kitchen, then at Stella’s retreating back. Without a moment’s hesitation, it darted after her.
Night descended, and darkness fell over the city like a vast net.
A girl and her dog wandered aimlessly, weaving through the bustling crowds of pedestrians.
Pippi didn’t have a leash, so Stella, worried it might scare someone, carried it the entire way.
Feeling exhausted, she finally stopped in front of a convenience store.
Stella rubbed Pippi’s head. "You silly thing," she said softly. "Are you hungry? You shouldn’t have come with me."
She took out her phone, searched for a nearby pet store, and bought a can of food and a leash.
The two of them sat down on the edge of a planter outside the pet store.
Pippi was halfway through its meal when it suddenly seemed to realize something. It looked up at Stella and whimpered sadly, "Stella, didn’t you get any food for yourself?"
Stella, who had been staring blankly into space, snapped back to reality and smiled at it. "Why’d you stop eating? Is it not good?"
Pippi shook its head and nudged the half-empty can toward her. "It’s yummy! For Stella to eat!"
Understanding what it meant, Stella felt her eyes well up, and she fought the urge to cry again.
She tilted her head back slightly, forcing the tears back, and rubbed the silly dog’s head. "You’re so good to me, Pippi. But I’m not hungry. You eat it."
Pippi barked, "Then I’ll save it for you for when you get hungry."
A red BMW pulled over to the curb. Renee Jennings got out, carrying a red plastic bag. Bella sat inside the bag, its little cola-colored head peeking out and looking around curiously.
