Left Them Loved Myself (Stella Spencer) novel Chapter 44

Chapter 44

When Stella turned her down again, Irene felt like everyone around her was laughing at her. She couldn’t take it anymore and burst into tears. “I hate you, Mom!” she shouted, running off.

People just glanced over at the commotion, then lost interest and went back to what they were doing. After all, between family members were pretty common.

arguments

“Mrs. Lloyd,” Linda called out, stepping forward. She couldn’t just ignore it like everyone else. “Break’s almost up, and we’ve got another game starting soon. Maybe we should find Irene first?”

“No need,” Stella said, not wanting to stay. “Since she left on her own, that means she forfeited. Just count it as a loss for her in the next game.”

“Wait, what?” Linda froze, looking confused. She hadn’t expected Stella to not only be indifferent about the game but also not plan to comfort Irene.

Before, Linda thought Irene was just clingy with Sylvia, something that could be fixed with a little counseling, but now, with the adults acting out, things seemed much more serious. She needed to report Irene’s family situation as soon as possible.

“Ms. Lee, I have to go,” Stella said politely, not bothering with Irene or the two sitting next to her. She stood up and left.

Ernest was there, so Stella figured Irene would be fine. It was probably better for Stella to leave. Maybe Irene would come back once she saw that Stella was gone.

Just as Stella had predicted, no sooner had she left than Irene, hiding around the corner, came running back, sobbing harder than before.

“Mom left? Why did she just leave like that?” Irene wailed. No one answered her-just like no one really understood why she resented her mom so much.

Ernest knelt down and gently wiped away her tears. “Let’s go,” he said softly.

Irene gazed up at him, confusion all over her face. “Dad, where are we going?” she asked. There was still another game to go, and she hadn’t even received her medal yet.

“Because of what you did earlier, you’ve already quit the game, so we have to count it as a loss,” Ernest explained. “And since your mom left, even if you wanted to join, we can’t play now.”

The next round was a family trio game, and with one person missing, there was no way for them to compete.

Irene’s resentment toward her mom grew even stronger.

‘She didn’t even apologize to Ms. Jansen, didn’t bother to comfort me at all. If it weren’t for Mom, I’d have my medal now. Everything’s ruined, and it’s all her fault!’ Irene fumed inside.

Her frustration just kept building up, and finally, Irene blurted out to Sylvia, “Ms. Jansen, can you be my mom instead?”

‘I bet if Ms. Jansen were my mom, I’d still get that medal,’ Irene thought.

“That’s not okay,” came a gentle but firm voice, snapping Irene back to reality.

Linda crouched down beside her and said, “You can’t just say you want to change moms, Irene. That will really hurt your mom’s feelings. I don’t want to hear you say that again.”

As a teacher at a prestigious private kindergarten, Linda had to maintain high standards, not just in her teaching, but in her

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character and professional conduct.

If Linda had heard Irene say something like that outside of school, she might not have interfered-it would be a family

issue.

But in school, she couldn’t just ignore it. She was already considering getting a counselor involved to help Irene with her emotional struggles.

“Okay, Ms. Lee,” Irene mumbled, shrinking back a little. Every kid was at least a little scared of their teacher.

Stella knew better than to start spouting off about how Charles was just working hard for the family or how he was doing it all for Trisha’s future. Kids didn’t want to hear that stuff-they just wanted their parents to show up.

This kind of lecturing might have worked for a short while, but in the long run, it only built resentment that could tear a

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Chapter 44

family apart.

55 Voucher

Sure enough, as soon as Stella finished speaking. Trisha stopped crying. She blinked her big, teary eyes, and with a sniffle, wrinkled her tiny nose.

“Then Dad has to say sorry and buy me a ton of toys,” she demanded, her voice still a bit shaky.

“Okay, okay, I’ll tell him as soon as he gets home,” Kristy said, relieved that Trisha had finally calmed down. As for a bunch of toys, she had more than enough means to spoil her that way.

“Come on, wipe those tears, Trisha. Ms. Spencer is still watching. Aren’t you embarrassed? You’re too big for this,” Kristy gently teased, hoping to lighten up the mood.

Trisha hid her face in Kristy’s arms, cheeks flushed pink. In a muffled, sulky voice, she grumbled, “It’s all Dad’s fault for tricking me. I didn’t want to cry, really.”

“Alright, alright, it’s all on your dad,” Kristy teased with a smile.

Stella chuckled gently. “Hey, I’m not laughing at you, sweetheart. Once those tears are gone, we’ll head out for a tasty treat- anything you want to eat.”