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publish date:
2026-05-15 22:50:43
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No Longer A Substitute 106
Stella POV“Please don’t start talking my ear off,” I snapped at Devon.The words came out harsher than I intended, but I didn’t care.For a brief second, hurt flashed across his face.Actual hurt.His jaw tightened immediately afterward, his expression hardening into that cold unreadable mask he wore whenever emotions slipped through. But I still saw it.And under normal circumstances, maybe I would have cared.Maybe I would have apologized.But my children were missing.Nothing else mattered.Not Devon’s feelings.Not Alex showing up unexpectedly.Not the tension crackling in the room thick enough to suffocate everyone.Just my children.I stepped aside and let Alex into the house like I owned the place.Rainwater dripped from the hem of his black coat onto the marble floor as he walked in, quickly taking in the tense atmosphere around him. His eyes swept across the shattered remains of the vase near the fireplace, Mrs. Kent crying on the floor with her son, Devon standing rigid nea
No Longer A Substitute 105
Stella POV“Understand that you didn’t care about my children’s lives!”The words sliced through the room like broken glass.Before I could stop myself, rage took over completely. I stormed toward Mrs. Kent, my boots thudding hard against the polished wooden floor, and slapped her across the face.The sound echoed sharply through the living room.Mrs. Kent gasped, stumbling sideways as her glasses nearly slipped off her nose. Her little boy clung tighter to her cardigan, crying softly into her shoulder. A red handprint slowly appeared on her pale cheek.“You were supposed to protect them!” I screamed, my chest rising violently with each breath. “You were planning to leave them there without help? Without even calling anyone immediately? You’re despicable!”Rain battered the windows outside, the storm growing louder by the second. Wind rattled the old Victorian-style house, making the hanging chandelier above us sway faintly. The entire atmosphere felt suffocating—heavy with fear, guil
No Longer A Substitute 104
Stella POV“I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry,” Mrs. Kent cried, her trembling hands covering her face as tears streamed down her cheeks.“Sorry about what?” I yelled hysterically. “Don’t tell me you’re sorry! I don’t care about your apology. Just tell me where my children are!”“Your children were—”She tried to speak, but my breathing had already become uneven. My chest tightened painfully, and I struggled to stay calm.Devon stepped closer and rubbed my back gently, trying to steady me, but I shrugged him off immediately. Even though he had helped me into the principal’s office and forced the school staff to cooperate, I still could not completely trust him.A part of me still feared this was somehow connected to him.Maybe this was another twisted way to force me back into his life.I should never have brought my children here. I should never have let my guard down.And if this truly was not Devon, then there was only one other person cruel enough to do something like this.Estelle.“You
No Longer A Substitute 103
Devon POV “How could you ever accuse me of that?” I asked, my voice slicing through the tension between us.“How could I not, Devon?” Stella threw her hands into the air in frustration. “Why wouldn’t I suspect you? What have you not done to me?”Her voice rose with every word until it echoed through the school entrance. Parents nearby turned to stare, but Stella didn’t care. Right now, nothing mattered to her except our children.Her lips trembled violently, and the hand she pointed at me shook so badly it looked like she could barely control it. The sight twisted something painfully inside my chest because every accusation she threw at me was built on things I had actually done.“You kidnapped me before,” she continued, her breathing uneven. “And before that, you wanted my babies gone. So tell me, Devon, why are you here? To finish what you couldn’t six years ago?”I felt my throat tighten.“I can tell you’re only saying those things to hurt me—”She let out a bitter laugh that imme
No Longer A Substitute 102
DEVON POV When I first heard Stella was staying in a hotel with two children, my heart sank. It felt like someone had poured ice water directly into my chest. My mind immediately jumped to the worst possible conclusion—that she had children with another man while we were separated. For a moment, I nearly lost my mind over it, but eventually I forced myself to calm down and think rationally. Stella had arrived in America with another young woman, so I convinced myself the children probably belonged to her instead. That explanation was the only thing keeping me sane. Later, I confronted Stella about it, and she confirmed exactly what I wanted to hear. She told me the children belonged to the other woman and that they were simply her niece and nephew. I should have let it go there. I really should have. But something about the entire situation kept bothering me. Stella’s eyes shifted too much when she answered me, and her voice carried that familiar tension she always had whenever she
No Longer A Substitute 101
STELLA POV“Alex, what did you just say?” I asked, my heart thumping violently against my chest. “If you’re joking, this isn’t funny and—”He immediately cut me off.“Why the fuck would I joke about something like that?” he yelled.My stomach dropped.The air around me suddenly felt too thin to breathe properly. My heartbeat became so loud and frantic I was certain everyone in the office could hear it.“Where are you?” I asked quickly, already shoving papers aside on my desk.“I’m at home,” Alex replied.“Then what happened? Why are you saying the twins are missing?”“Because I went to pick them up from school, and the teacher said you already came for them.” His voice sounded strained, impatient. “She was acting weird, Stella. I came home hoping maybe you decided to bring them back here yourself, but they aren’t here.”I froze.“I know you,” he continued. “You wouldn’t be out publicly hanging around with them because you’re terrified Devon might find out.”My throat tightened painful
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