Left Them Loved Myself (Stella Spencer) novel Chapter 195

“Enough,” Stella shouted, her voice ripping through the lonely silence of the night.

Her anger was so fierce, even just hearing things like “You’re Irene’s mother” and “You’re Mrs. Lloyd” made her stomach

churn.

“So what if I’m her mother?” Stella snapped. “Back then, when I almost died for her, I’d already done more than enough.”

After saying that, Stella suddenly became strangely calm. Her voice dropped, soft yet unwavering. “This isn’t the first time,” she said, almost detached but impossible to ignore.

She’d done more for Irene than anyone realized and stepped between her and danger more times than she cared to count.

“Ernest?” Stella called out quietly, her voice surprisingly calm and steady.

Her tone was almost matter–of–fact, but there was no doubting how serious she was.

“I used to believe that if I kept at it, I’d eventually see some hope, that maybe I could warm up that frozen heart of yours. But–Stella paused, a bittersweet smile playing on her lips.

There was relief in her eyes, along with a bit of hope for the future. “But now I’m just tired. I’ve learned you’ve got to love yourself before you can love anyone else.

“Our marriage was a mistake. It’s time to end it and make things right. Ernest, I don’t love you anymore.”

Stella’s words floated quietly through the night, but every syllable hit Ernest like a cold wave–firm, unyielding, and final.

She didn’t waver at all. “From now on, I won’t be anyone’s wife, anyone’s mother–I’m just me. There’s only one Stella in this whole damn world, and that’s all I’ll ever need.”

Stella let her words linger in the air for a moment, then turned her back on them both and walked away without a single

look back.

Bang.

The slam of the door jolted Ernest, snapping him out of his stupor and dragging his thoughts back to reality.

His gaze was heavy and somber, fixed on the door as if he was desperately hoping Stella would reappear on the other side.

“Daddy?” Irene whispered, snuggling closer in his arms.

Ernest glanced down at her, expressionless as ever, but even without a word, Irene could still sense the storm brewing inside him.

Irene nibbled nervously at her lip, her voice trembling. “Daddy, does Mommy really not want us anymore?”

She might not have understood everything her mom said, but she could feel in her heart that something had changed.

All Irene ever wanted was for her mom to treat her like she was the most precious thing in the world, just like before. That was why she acted up, but she never imagined her mom might truly walk away.

Ernest didn’t give her the comforting words she longed to hear, the ones he always used to whisper to make her feel safe. Instead, he just mussed her hair in silence, offering her nothing but cold quiet.

His eyes, catching the glow of the villa and the laughter drifting from the dining room, showed a mess of emotions that ran

bone–deep, complicated, and impossible to read.

Half an hour later, after celebrating Richard’s big birthday, everyone was sprawled across the living room couches, rubbing their stomachs contentedly and enjoying the after–feast haze.

“Oh, right,” Stella suddenly piped up, cutting through the lazy vibe. “Weren’t some people from the Lynn family supposed to show up? Where are they?”

The moment she said that, the whole room fell silent.

With everything that went down earlier, everyone had completely forgotten about them.

“Should I give Mr. Lynn a call?” Marvin was just about to reach out to Kirk when the doorbell rang.

The butler appeared at just the right moment. “Sir, Mr. Lynn is outside. He says he’s here to celebrate Mr. Spencer’s birthday.”

The living room went dead silent.

Erica’s mouth twitched. ‘Seriously, what a clown. Can he be any more unreliable?‘ she thought.

Stella glanced over at Evelyn, who was just coming out of the dining room, and asked hesitantly, “Aunt, do we have any leftovers or anything?”

Guests had arrived, and it would be rude to just let them sit there with nothing to eat.

Evelyn took one look at the situation and was left totally speechless. “The kitchen’s been packed up and cleaned. I can get someone to make a few quick dishes, but don’t expect anything fancy.”

All the best ingredients went into Richard’s birthday celebration earlier.

Seeing everyone still stuck in debate, Harvey just rubbed his forehead and groaned, “Hey, shouldn’t we get the guests inside already?”

“Oh, right,” Evelyn smacked her forehead. “Marvin, go let them in. I’ll get the chef to throw together a couple of simple dishes.”

“Alright,” Marvin replied.

A few minutes later, Kirk and Yvonne were parked at the dining table, drenched in sweat.

They exchanged uneasy glances as the entire Spencer family practically circled them like sharks. Kirk finally broke the silence, his voice cautious, “Uh, isn’t this supposed to be Mr. Spencer’s birthday party? Aren’t you all joining us?”

‘Okay, so why is everyone just watching us eat? This is getting weird fast, Kirk worried, shifting in his chair. ‘Don’t tell me they spiked the food or something?‘

Instantly, Kirk stiffened up, every muscle on high alert, and his hand crept into his inner pocket, ready for anything.

Talk about cutthroat boardroom tactics; are the whole Spencer family seriously plotting to off me at Richard’s birthday

bash?‘ Kirk wondered.

Rang

Just as Kirk was eyeing everyone nervously. Yvonne, sitting right beside him, suddenly closed her eyes and smacked her forehead right into the table with a heavy thud.

Before anybody even registered what was happening, Kirk yanked a glowing light stick from his pocket. The instant he flipped the table, an upbeat pop tune exploded into the room.

It sang. “Just like sunlight breaking through the night, dawn quietly slips across the sky-

Crash

The heavy wooden table crashed to the floor, and Kirk brandished his glowing light stick at the shocked crowd, paranoia blazing in his eyes. “You people are disgusting–trying to poison us at a birthday party?

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