All Chapters of All Roads Lead Back to You: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Noelle had promised she'd stay by Stephen's side forever. Yet when he came home the next day, everything she'd kept in her room was gone.He'd only meant to bring her a change of clothes after hearing she was in the hospital. He'd found a suitcase already packed in her room and taken it to her.At first, he'd assumed she'd just gone home to visit Julia, who was getting older. But day after day, he came home to find the house dark.He only found out Noelle had a boyfriend when Miranda brought it up in one of her texts urging him to get married. Miranda also told him Noelle wasn't coming back.Stephen's chest tightened until he could barely breathe.He wanted to take his anger out on something. He raised his hand toward a small wooden model house nearby, only to stop himself.Noelle had made it for his 20th birthday. He could still picture her smiling as she held it out to him."I saw the house plans on your desk, so I asked a woodworker to teach me how to make this. Doesn't it lo

The call ended before Stephen could get an answer. He called back several times, but Noelle didn't pick up.Stephen stormed out of the airport. He'd never been to this little town before, and already he was convinced Noelle was getting married.Why should a murderer's daughter get to be happy?He hailed a cab and headed straight for the bridal boutiques, determined to track her down. He checked one shop, then another. At the third, he finally spotted her through the window.Noelle stood inside wearing a simple wedding gown. Her makeup was light, giving her a fresh, natural look. For a moment, Stephen could only stare.A sales associate gave her a thumbs-up, telling her she'd make the most beautiful bride.Noelle was moving on with her life. She really had left him.Something about that realization unsettled him. He snapped out of his daze, pushed open the door, and strode straight up to her."Noelle, are you really that desperate to get married?"Noelle froze at the sight of h

Still furious after his argument with Noelle, Stephen went straight home and agreed to marry Rachel.Rachel couldn't have been happier.Miranda had always supported the match, and Rachel had never hesitated to call herself Stephen's fiancée. But he'd never actually agreed to marry her, so she'd never felt entirely secure.Now that he'd finally said yes, she picked out invitations that very night and posted them on social media to show off.When she saw Stephen, she linked her arm through his."Stephen, Noelle's loved you for years. I'm worried she might do something rash. I thought I'd go check on her. Will you come with me?"Stephen didn't notice the smug look in her eyes. For some reason, he felt like he hadn't seen Noelle stand up to him in ages. In the end, he agreed.To make sure Noelle showed up, Stephen had Rachel contact their former class president and arrange a class reunion.Noelle was having dinner with Daniel when the message came through.He noticed her frown and

Stephen had been in a foul mood ever since the reunion. He'd tried to get a rise out of Noelle, but she hadn't given him the reaction he wanted.He couldn't have cared less about the engagement. With nothing better to do, he wandered into Oscar's old study and scanned the shelves for something to read.A copy of "A Brief History of Time" caught his eye. Something about the printing looked off.He pulled the book from the shelf and opened it. Hidden inside was a small black camera. He followed the wire and discovered that the camera had been recording.Stephen had no idea why Oscar had installed it, but he'd never set it to erase old footage automatically. The memory card was completely full.His hands trembled as he searched through the recordings until he found the footage from the day his father died.In the video, Oscar sent Julia out of the study, saying he had confidential business matters to attend to. Once she was gone, he took a document from his desk drawer and began rea

Rachel had become a laughingstock after the engagement party, and Miranda wouldn't stop calling Stephen."You little brat! Do you have any idea what kind of mess you've made? You've humiliated our entire family! Come home right now and go apologize to the Thayers in person. Rachel still likes you. We can still work things out."Stephen had expected this. He'd once thought he'd just drift through life, so he'd resigned himself to marrying Rachel.But this time, he wanted to choose for himself.He stood in line at the hospital billing counter, unfazed by his mother's anger."Mom, stop pressuring me. I told you I wasn't getting engaged. You were the ones who refused to cancel the party. I'll apologize to the Thayers once I'm done here."Miranda gritted her teeth. "Nothing I say ever gets through to you, does it?""Mom, that's what I should be asking you. You used to want Noelle as your daughter-in-law so badly. Why are you suddenly so set on Rachel?""I wasn't thinking straight ba