Chapter 8

Holly skipped dinner and locked herself in her room, packing up the final bits of her stuff.

Assuming she was sulking, Frank and Mary kept complaining about her outside.

"Your temper's really getting worse these days. It's just a few pieces of artwork. Was it necessary to snap at Stella like that?"

"Yeah, you're getting bold, huh?"

As they continued scolding, Oscar quietly knocked on her bedroom door.

"Holly, don't be mad. Why don't you come out to grab something to eat?"

Holly turned to look at the door. Her heart was heavy, yet her eyes were dry.

She realized she had already cried too much. Now, she couldn't even cry even if she wanted to.

Outside, Colin pulled Oscar away in displeasure. "Ignore her, Mr. Moss. She just likes to put on a show. Let's see how long she can go hungry."

Holly smiled.

Not for long, because she was leaving tomorrow.

…

The next day, Holly made a point of getting up early, only to find that the Websters had left.

It wasn't until she opened her phone to check that she realized they had taken Stella to a church on Heward Mountain to pray late last night.

The church there was said to be miraculous, but people had to walk up to it themselves and light up a candle before sunrise.

No wonder they left so early. They wanted to pray for Stella.

They each posted on their social media, with every photo and prayer featuring Stella.

Frank wrote, "May Stella always be safe and truly happy!"

Mary said, "My little sweetheart, may all your wishes come true and all you dream of be yours!"

Meanwhile, Colin's caption read, "Wishing Stella a life of peace and carefree happiness!"

Oscar didn't post any photos of Stella, but he did post a Bible verse on a prayer plaque. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13."

In her past life, Oscar lit many candles in this church. He wasn't religious, but he'd head to this particular church every year to pray.

Because the Bible verse he posted always included the word "Holy", Holly had always believed that he loved her. It wasn't until the final moments that she realized all the plaques bearing the Bible verse bore Stella's name.

All this time, the feelings she thought were reciprocated had been one-sided. The hope she clung to for years was nothing more than a cruel joke.

Thankfully, fate gave her a second chance, and this time, she was fully awake and determined not to repeat the same mistakes.

Her phone dinged with a new message. "Ms. Webster, welcome to the island. Please head to the airport immediately, where our staff will pick you up. We hope you enjoy your stay on the island!"

She smiled as she pocketed her phone, then placed the termination agreement severing familial ties on the table.

Just before leaving, something occurred to her. She halted and unclasped the necklace from around her neck.

It was the family heirloom Oscar had given her when he accepted her confession back then. He had said that whoever wore the necklace would be his wife and the lady of the Moss family in the future.

But now, she no longer cared to be his wife or the lady of the Moss family.

Holly placed the family heirloom on the agreement and left with her suitcase.

At that moment, her phone began vibrating wildly. She paused but eventually pulled out her phone.

There were dozens of missed calls from Frank, Mary, Colin, and even Oscar. She clicked into the group chat, where she had been mentioned multiple times.

"Holly, Stella slipped off the mountain accidentally and is bleeding heavily! You need to come to the hospital immediately to draw blood!"

"You have half an hour to come to the hospital."

"You'll be held accountable if anything happens to Stella!"

After reading the texts, Holly left the group chat and blocked them all, her face devoid of expression.

From now on, she was no longer Stella's blood bank, no longer Frank and Mary's daughter, no longer Colin's sister, and certainly not Oscar's fiancee.

She was Holly Webster, and nothing more.

She turned her head one last time to glance at the place she had called home for over 20 years, then stepped into the car that came to pick her up with the suitcase.

The car sped away, leaving a broken SIM card on the ground.