Left Them Loved Myself (Stella Spencer) novel Chapter 143

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mon fixed his eyes on Erica.

Stella did the same, eyeing Erica.

Even Daisy lifted her little chin and joined in, staring at Erica with them.

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Erica, stuck under the stares from two grown–ups and one kid, couldn’t help but feel super awkward.

She had picked the place, after all.

Back when she first heard about this spot, no one ever mentioned anything about those hidden tunnels.

“Alright now, it’s getting late. Hurry up and get yourselves down the mountain,” Albert said.

If Simon hadn’t slipped him some cash, he would’ve chased them off with a stick long ago.

He wondered, ‘Look at them, just hanging around with nothing better to do. If anything really went wrong, it’d be a real mess for me.‘

“We’ll head out now,” Simon said.

“That stuff over there, that’s yours, right?” Albert asked.

“Yeah, that’s ours,” Simon replied.

“No worries, I’ve already had someone pack it up for you. You can just take it when you leave, so you don’t have to go back for it,” Albert added.

“Alright. Thanks again,” said Simon gratefully.

By the time they made it down the mountain, it was almost nine o’clock.

Albert was itching to get back home and catch some sleep. Once he’d gotten someone to help Stella and her crew load up their things into the car, he didn’t even bother with a goodbye–just turned around and headed

off.

“Hold on!” Someone among the villagers exclaimed, “Mr. Dawson, did you forget to warn them that the mushroom soup isn’t safe to eat?”

Albert paused for a moment but kept walking. “No worries. It looks fine, and sure, it’ll mess with their heads a little–might leave them dizzy for a bit, but it’s nothing serious. Just let it be a lesson for them so they

remember next time.”

“Fair enough,” the villager agreed.

Right by the car, Simon spread out the tables and chairs again, getting things set just like before.

After running around all day with barely a drop of water, everyone was so hungry their stomachs were

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Chapter 143

groaning.

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Lucky for them, when Albert had their stuff packed up, he didn’t throw away any of the food they’d already

cooked.

Sticking to their no–food–wasted motto, they agreed to chow down first before hitting the road.

“The soup might be kind of cold, but it smells seriously good,” Erica said, her fingers itching to dig in. She couldn’t hold back anymore–snatched a bowl, filled it to the brim, and started wolfing it down.

Simon was starving, too. He just dove in and tore through a bowl of mushroom soup and a pile of beef skewers like it was nothing.

Only Stella slowed down, busy looking after little Daisy as she quietly took her time eating.

Halfway through their meal, the sudden sound of a slap made Stella jump.

She turned to look.

Erica had Simon by the hair, smacking him across the face. “Jerk, you think you can mess with Stella? You totally deserve this!”

Instead of fighting back, Simon looked downright thrilled. “Harder! Don’t go easy on me just ‘cause I’m fragile. Come on, crush me!”

Then, to Stella’s shock, Simon actually started pulling off his shirt, like he was at some weird party.

Stella just watched, blinking like she’d been smacked in the face by the sheer absurdity–her brain literally short–circuited with every new twist.

‘What the heck is happening? Did everyone just lose it all of a sudden?‘ Stella grumbled inwardly, still trying to make sense of it. ‘Wait a second… They’ve gone mad!‘

Stella whipped her head around to stare at the pot of mushroom soup. She’d already gone down a rabbit hole of googling earlier, but still, what if a poisonous mushroom had sneaked in there while no one was looking?

‘No way am I risking it, Stella resolved. She grabbed Simon and Erica by the arms, scooped up Daisy, shoved everyone into the car, and tore off toward the hospital like a woman possessed.

*****

Tires screeched across the pavement, setting everyone running for cover. Before the crowd even had a chance to complain, the car doors burst open and a pack of people–looking totally wasted–wobbled their way inside the hospital, barely keeping upright.

‘It’s happening,’ Stella thought, feeling her stomach drop.

She knew it–the nightmare she’d been trying to avoid was right there, and there was no stopping it now.

Before she could even get to a doctor, everything in front of her eyes started to blur and warp, like reality had gone full–on surreal.

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Simon’s face twisted and warped again and again, until his features melted right into that face she despised

most.

All those years of pent–up feelings finally broke free. The second her mind went fuzzy, it all just exploded out.

Stella’s hand shot up, about to slap Simon across the face. “So full of yourself, huh? Think I deserve to be ignored? Pretending I don’t exist? Sneaking around, cheating on me? Drop dead!”

But before her slap could land, Simon’s eyes filled with pure terror and he froze in place.

What is happening?‘ Simon thought, suddenly shaken. ‘Why is Erica–that totally oblivious, sharp–tongued third wheel–coming at me with a knife?‘

With no time to think, Simon turned and ran for his life, while Stella took off right after him.

Erica was about to dash after them when a nurse stepped in to block her. Realizing Erica was acting totally out of it, the nurse immediately called for backup.

“How dare you! Let me go! I’m the ultimate unbeatable magical girl warrior–there are monsters out there waiting for me, and only I can save the planet!” Erica yelled, full–on comic book energy bursting out of her.

She thrashed around like a pig at a holiday slaughter–no matter how many people showed up, they could barely keep her pinned down.

“Hey, kiddo, can you tell me what happened with those folks? Did they get drunk or something?” The nurse crouched down in front of Daisy, speaking in a gentle voice.

Luckily, with her kid–sized stomach, Daisy was full before the soup ever made it to her bowl.

Therefore, she wound up as the sole survivor out of the whole bunch.

Daisy really had no idea what was going on with Stella and the others, so she just told the nurse lady everything she knew from her point of view.

The nurse froze for a split second, then shouted urgently, “They’re not just drunk or messing around–they’ve eaten poisonous mushrooms! Bring them back now and get their stomachs pumped before their brains get fried for real!”

Some of those poisonous mushrooms could cause permanent, irreversible nerve damage.

After hearing the nurse, two people stayed back to hold onto Erica, while the others rushed off to track down Stella and Simon, who were already long gone.

Meanwhile, Simon was desperately trying to make a break for it, but with Stella chasing right after him, there was literally nowhere for him to run. No escape, no matter how hard he tried–they’d already made it to the inpatient wing.

Everywhere they ran past, people stopped to stare, grinning from ear to ear as if they were their favorite drama unfolding.

“Ah, youth…” someone sighed.

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“It’s so nice to be young, someone else chimed in.

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Watching them laugh and mess around like that totally reminds me of those days when I used to run with her under the setting sun. That was my youth–gone for good,” an old man added, his voice filled with nostalgia.

All around, folks stopped and smiled, nostalgia filling their faces.

Lucky for Simon, he was still out of his mind. If he’d been even a little bit lucid, he’d have flipped completely. Seriously? You call getting smacked in the face “laugh and mess around“? That’s youth to you?‘ he would’ve grumbled.

The rapid footsteps kept ringing through the hallway as Simon and Stella’s playful cat–and–mouse chase- pure youthful mayhem–was still going strong and showing no sign of slowing down.

“What’s going on out there? Why is it so lively?” Sylvia asked feebly.

In her hospital room, Sylvia lay in bed and, almost without thinking, tried to sit up to check out the noise. But just as she managed to lift herself halfway, the strength in her arm gave out, and she collapsed back onto the bed.

Ernest held her steady, catching her right before she could slip. “You’re hurt–so lie down and rest. If you’re that curious, I’ll go check it out for you,” he said.

His sculpted hand came to rest on her waist, and even through the thin hospital gown, she could feel the heat radiating from his fingers, sending a rush of warmth straight to her skin.

Sylvia snuggled closer, letting her head rest against his firm chest. A rosy blush spread across her cheeks as she mumbled, shy and a little flustered, “Alright… I’ll be here, waiting for you.”

“Okay.” With that, Ernest gently set her down, tucked the blanket in around her, and turned to head out.

When he opened the door, for once, his usually cool eyes couldn’t hide a wave of emotion. His hand at his side fidgeted absently, like he was trying hard to keep something buried inside.

Right outside, Stella was laughing–completely genuine, all sunshine. Simon jogged ahead, kept glancing back at her with a kind of soft, hopeless adoration one could spot from a mile away.

Whenever Stella caught up, Simon would pull ahead just a bit–clearly teasing her, playing the game like it was their own little secret. The hallway felt lively, but there was this sweet, unspoken tension between them, a sort of playful flirting nobody had to say out loud.

The most eye–catching part for Ernest was watching Stella reach up, her hand brushing gently over Simon’s face, wiping away the sweat from his brow like it was the most natural thing in the world.

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Simon was still smarting from her earlier jab about being ‘a lawnmower engine,‘ so he was quick to clap back. “If you’ve got so much to prove, why don’t you go push a tractor up a hill?”

“No problem, Erica fired back instantly. “Just point me to your family’s field. I’ll get it done.”

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A soft breeze drifted through the forest, setting all the leaves whispering while sunlight streamed down in speckled bands. It was the kind of view that just made one want to sit back and soak in how perfect everything felt.

After what felt like forever, Erica finally straightened up and let out a long sigh. “Finally done! If I’d known, I would’ve brought a couple of stools. One more round and my poor back would’ve snapped clean in two.”

Her lower back prickled and ached, like she’d just volunteered to be the human pincushion at a carnival.

Stella was right there with her. “Ugh, tell me about it. Let’s drag everything back and actually chill for once.”

“Alright.” Erica gave a quick nod, then spun around and shouted, “Daisy, time to head back!”

There was no reply at all.

The woods fell into a hush.

“Wait, what?” Erica arched a brow. “Don’t tell me our little mischief–maker wandered off again. I literally just told her not to go running–if I catch her now, she’s in for a butt–kicking.”

With that, she tossed Stella a quick word and headed out to track Daisy down.

After searching for over half an hour, Erica still hadn’t been able to bring Daisy back. Stella and Simon had already finished making dinner, but there was still no sign of Daisy.

Simon was getting anxious. “Should we go help look for her too?”

Stella nodded. “Sure. You start from that side, I’ll go from here.”

They split up and vanished into the forest. The only thing left was the sound of their voices shouting Daisy’s name again and again.

Stella kept shouting, “Daisy! Erica! Where are you?”

By now, the sun was slipping behind the mountain, painting the sky gold with just a hint of darkness creeping in around the edges.

The forest was getting dim, and it was so quiet it was almost creepy. Every shout bounced off the trees, making the place feel even colder.

Stella felt goosebumps crawling up her arms as she picked her way through the woods.

But with Erica and Daisy missing, she bit back the fear and kept searching, calling out as she moved deeper. “Erica, Daisy, where are you?”

Suddenly, she heard a tapping sound.

Stella’s ears perked up at the faint sound, but she couldn’t tell where it came from.

She paused, holding her breath to listen, but the noise vanished before she could make out what it was.

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“Erica, is that you?” Stella called, trying to keep her voice steady.

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But only the chirping of insects and the croaking of frogs echoed back to her–no answer, nobody in sight.

Just as Stella was about to brush it off as her imagination and walk away, the sound came again, just like a pebble dropping to the forest floor.

Stella’s heart soared. “Erica, keep it up! I’m coming your way!”

Another tapping sound rang out.

“I heard that!” Stella called out, her voice full of hope.

The sound kept going on.

“It’s getting louder–I’m coming your way!” Stella shouted, her steps quickening. “Hang in there, I’m almost there!”

Following the sound, Stella ended up standing in front of what looked kinda like a cellar.

Basically, there was this huge hole in the ground–easily bigger than any bathtub.

“Erica, are you down there?” Stella called, peering down into the hole.

A small, trembling voice rose up from below. “It’s me…”

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18:15 Mon, Oct 20

Chapter 142

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