It was already 10 a. m. when Stella Grace woke up.
Jasper Milton was not by her side.
She got up, brushed her teeth, washed her face, and stepped out of the room.
Jasper was not in the living room either.
She wanted to say goodbye to him before leaving, so she gave him a call.
“When will you be leaving?” Jasper asked.
“In the afternoon. It’s already ten o’clock, I’ll leave after lunch. Will you be coming back for lunch? If you are, I’ll cook for you as well,” Stella replied softly.
“Okay, I’ll be there in an hour.” Jasper hung up and looked at the report in his hand.
There were two types of medications in Stella’s bag. One was the sleeping pills, and the other was Chlorpromazine.
The sedative in Chlorpromazine was generally used to cure those with manic depressive disorder.
Why would Stella carry this kind of medicine with her?
He remembered when Stella quarreled with him, she mentioned something about being sick as well.
He thought that she was referring to the wound on her chest. But now it seemed that the sickness that Stella was talking about might be a mental disease.
What had he done in the past to have hurt her so deeply?
…
When Jasper arrived at the apartment, he smelled the fragrant aroma of freshly-cooked food.
He headed to the kitchen.
Stella was wearing an apron and walking in the kitchen busily.
He stepped forward and embraced her slim figure.
Stella turned her head to look at him and stated, “You’re back! I’m almost done. Take a seat at the dining table. I’ll bring our meal out and we can eat.”
“Stella,” Jasper called out in a deep voice as he stared at her sparkling eyes, “I will never ever let you down.”
She felt warmth around her heart. “I know that you are a person who keeps your promises. Let’s try some of the food that I had just cooked.”
“Let me take them. It’s hot.” Jasper said softly as he let go of Stella.
She watched Jasper walk out of the kitchen with the plates in his hands. Her eyes turned red. She felt inexplicably bitter in her heart.
Although Jasper had lost his past memories, she felt that the man that she had always loved had finally come back.
Jasper placed the plates on the dining table and went back into the kitchen. When he saw her tears, he held her hand anxiously and asked, “What’s wrong? Did you scald yourself? I told you not to take the plates.”
He turned on the tap, held Stella’s hand and rinsed it with cold water under the tap.
It made her cry even more. “I wasn’t scalded. I was just thinking about the past. The old you used to be like this too.”
Jasper turned off the tap and dried her hand with a towel. “Maybe you’ve awakened the human side of me. When you were in the States over the past three years, I felt like I was cold-blooded as well.”
“We promised Timmy that we would find the murderer and bring him to justice on Timmy’s behalf. If we can’t find the killer, we can’t be together. We must find the murderer.” Stella wiped off her tears as she mumbled.
“Okay, we will definitely find the murderer.” Jasper promised.
Stella hugged Jasper and buried her face in his chest. She could feel his warmth and his strong heartbeat.
Three years, and another three years thereafter, she had finally gotten together with him. They would never be separated again.
Jasper placed his hand on her small waist, a dark look flashed across his eyes. “Stella, have I ever hurt you deeply in the past?”
“I didn’t take it well back then. But as long as you’re back now, that’s enough for me.” Stella mumbled in his arms.
“Okay.” Jasper did not probe further. “I’ll bring the rest of the food out. The aroma is making me salivate. I can’t wait to eat them all up.”
“Oh yes, I’ve made the fish and chips the way you like it. Have a taste.” Stella took a plate and approached the piping skillet.
“I’ll get it.” In one swift movement, Jasper slid the cod onto the plate.
She also made some french fries and mushy peas.
Jasper took a bite of the deep-fried cod.
Stella stared at him, patiently waiting for his review.
Jasper nodded. “It’s really good! It tastes so much better than the one where we ate nearby your school. I’m sure I used to love your cooking in the past too.”
Stella grinned, “If you like it, I’ll make it for you often.”
“And for our child.” Jasper said and took a few mouthfuls of the mushy peas.
Stella’s heart skipped a beat when he suddenly mentioned their child “How’s the investigation on your side going ?”
“The child is currently not with Frederick, but my men will follow him 24 hours every day. As soon as Frederick goes to see our child, they will rescue him in no time. What you have to do now is to put on a straight face and behave as if nothing has happened.” Jasper explained.
Stella nodded and accompanied Jasper through the meal.
Her cellphone suddenly rang. It was from Bettany Hadley. She answered it in front of Jasper.
“Hello Stella, it’s Bettany. Have you found my child?” Bettany asked softly.
Stella thought for a moment and said, “Sorry, I don’t have the time nor the energy to. I’m going on a business trip and I’ll be back in about three months.”
“Would it take three months?”
“Yes, it’s going to take three months. I’m sorry,” Stella replied in a deep voice.
“It’s okay, I know. It must hard for you too.” Bettany hung up.
She spoke to her so gently and politely, making Stella feel sorry for her. She looked at Jasper and said, “It’s Bettany.”
“Don’t worry about her. I have found a place for her to recuperate. You can treat her when we’re back. The matter we have at hand is far more important than her. With regards to her treatment, she’ll understand that we can’t rush these things.” Jasper explained.
“I heard something from Frederick.”
“There’s no need to say it. I can’t tell whether his information is true or false. He is not a simple person and I don’t trust him at all.” Jasper interrupted her.
Stella lowered her head and continued eating. But she felt the need to say it out loud. “Frederick said that Bettany had a child, and the child is yours.”
“That’s impossible. I didn’t have that sort of relationship with Bettany.” Jasper stated with certainty.
“Six years ago, we slept together because you were drugged by the enemy. I fainted and didn’t know what happened. Frederick mentioned that they collected your semen and impregnated Bettany with it so she could give birth to your child and threaten you with the child. You just need to do a DNA test to find out whether the child is yours or not,” Stella muttered as she examined Jasper’s expression carefully.
Jasper held her hand tightly. “No matter who the child belongs to, you’re still the most important person to me. I will never disappoint you.”
She had these words from him earlier.
Stella held his hand instead. “I am your wife and that is your child. Even though the way he was created was unique, if you decide to raise the child by your side, I will treat him as my own and raise him wholeheartedly.”
“Stella,” Jasper called out.
He recalled her saying that she would not tolerate him having another woman in his life.
Stella smiled lightly and said, “You have been very tolerant of my flaws, so I should do the same for you as well. Besides, nothing can separate us now. Our future may be full of thorns, but as long as we face these challenges hand in hand, we will definitely conquer them together.”