CHAPTER 0004

CHAPTER 4

Stella

“Stella," my dad said, looking at me with a serious face. I was the only one I could read in the room since that's what I've been seeing.

The father-daughter relationship only existed when the cameras were in our faces just like my marriage. Everything was a game to them.

I was still at the party looking around as Scario had left to join the elite circle. Each man was with his wife, but not Scario. Greeting those women like the most romantic man in the room.

"Wait, isn't that your wife?” someone from the circle asked when everyone of them turned to look in my direction.

"That's her. She actually loves space,” Scario replied with a gentle smile on his lips.

For a moment it looked like it was genuine. The way he looked at me in that moment was just everything I wanted to see in his eyes but a sudden coldness came in them.

I knew what that meant. He only smiled because he was imagining I was her. He only did all that wishing I was her but when reality hit, he realized it wasn't. I was just the one he considered wicked without truly knowing my truth.

“Tsk! tsk! See the little girl. This circle doesn't accept people like you. We can't just bear your presence around here. I'm sorry Scario had to make it this obvious,” my mother-in-law, Selma Ford, said with a wicked smile playing on her lips.

I could feel my tears forming, but looking weak in front of her wasn't something I wanted to show, so I looked up and laughed at what she said before asking if she was seeing me, eager to join their circle.

“Of course you are Stella. Now the truth is, if you were Ella, I would have personally taken you to Scario, but then you're not. You're just the wicked—"

“That's enough Selma. I can't have you ruin my night please excuse me," I cut her off and then walked away.

Listening to her would just end up giving me a headache. The room was filled with a lot of people. Most of which had painted me as a villain.

“Follow me," my Dad said and I walked behind him as if I didn't have a choice.

We entered one of the guest rooms, and he placed his glass down, looking at me fiercely.

“What the hell do you think you're doing standing there by yourself?" he asked as if I was supposed to run behind Scario like some tail.

“What do you expect me to do?" I lifted my brows.

“Stay close to your husband damnit. You should have seen how embarrassed I was when I noticed you didn't join the circle," he answered.

“You know I never wanted any of this right? I'm growing tired and—"

"Do you want to have my wife killed? You've done enough to your sister Stella. The least you can do is behave and listen to everything your husband tells you,” Dad said.

"You know I didn't do anything to Ella. You know I wasn't the one yet you—”

"Shhhh! You are and did that to your sister Stella. You're not about to play innocent here. Don't make me have you locked up so behave,” he said, taking his glass and then walking out of the guestroom.

My tears were so close to falling. I even wished I hadn't been born into such a selfish family. I've always been a tail despite everything.

I was about to make my way out of the room when I ran into Scario at the door. He roughly held my hand and pushed me back inside. If it wasn't for the bed I would have fallen to the floor with my back.

“Stella," he whispered my name.

“What are you doing?" I responded wondering what he was up to.

“Shut up. Don't you know that I own you?" he asked but I was tired of that.

“Do I look like an item to you?" I asked him.

“You're nobody to me Stella. I only want to crush you to pieces. Until you take your last breath," he whispered.

That was painful hearing from someone I'm supposed to consider a husband. The pain of what I never even did gets to haunt me like nothing.

I wished I could just walk away but it felt impossible. If I dared my Mom would be dead. But what I couldn't understand was why he'd keep me this long if I disgusted him.

He leaned close to my face and spat on the floor before walking out. I followed behind him, and just as I reached the staircase, Scario was extending his hand to me.

I knew what that meant, so I took it, and we made our way to everyone. Some admired us while others whispered about how wicked what I had done to my sister was.

“You're going to pay with everything in you," Scario whispered with a smile on his face.

I just swallowed hard and prayed for the party to be over. We made our way home after a few minutes and I headed inside, placing my bag on the table before I heard Scario breaking a glass close to where my feet were.

I luckily lifted them away fast so no glass hit them.

“What the hell?" I commented before he threatened to remove my tongue.

“You're just bad news," he answered before ordering me to check my phone.

I knew that he would only react like that when something about Ella popped up, so I wondered what the media was talking about, only to find a photo of me and the car Ella crashed into.

‘THE WICKED SISTER’

The headline said. The way everyone was roasting me in those comments was just so unbearable.

I shifted to the side with no broken glasses and then rushed to get out of the living room but Scario blocked my way.

“Do you know how much I hate you?" he asked looking at me.

Before I could answer, his phone suddenly rang.

Scario glanced at the screen and his expression immediately darkened.

“What?” he answered coldly.

Silence filled the room for a few seconds before he slowly looked at me.

“Detective Daniel Hayes reopened the investigation,” he said.

My heartbeat stopped.

“What investigation?” I whispered.

But Scario didn’t answer.

He only stared at me as my existence had suddenly become a threat all over again.