"Miss Sterling?"
The nurse’s call brought her back to reality.
Stella forced herself to stay alert and signed her name.
Soon, Stella was wheeled into the operating room.
As the anesthetic entered her body, she felt darkness engulfing her.
In the haze, it seemed like someone was calling her name.
The voice pierced through layers of mist, carrying the scents of disinfectant and blood.
She seemed to see seventeen-year-old Jasper Hawthorne being pinned to the ground by villagers, his wolf-like eyes meeting hers through the crowd.
She also saw the early days of Clearstone Law Firm, when she rushed into Jasper’s arms, smiling like a spring breeze.
Finally, she saw Grace Quinn in a wedding dress in Jasper’s embrace, while she stood silently, her face devoid of smiles.
When consciousness returned, Stella heard the distinctly clear beeps of the monitor.
Moonlight seeped through the blinds, casting a cold silver edge on everything in the world.
Stella stared at the waves representing vital signs.
The incision, numb from the anesthesia, began to awaken, as if cut repeatedly by a rusty saw over her abdomen.
She reached for the phone under her pillow — 3:17 AM.
Stella felt a sharp pain in her incision and pressed the pain relief pump several times, but the effect seemed limited, and she curled up in pain.
Tears slipped down from the corner of her eyes as she wandered into a daze.
Turns out, when the pain reaches its peak, tears are truly physiological.
Early the next morning.
The morning light broke through the haze and climbed onto the window sill, ringing unexpectedly as Stella lay in sleep.
The previous night, with pain in her incision, she barely slept and drifted off only by dawn.
The call was from Jasper Hawthorne.
Stella looked at the name flashing on her phone screen, fazed by its unfamiliarity.
"Stella, I tore up your resignation letter. Be at the law firm by nine. The Evercore case needs your handling."
"I..."
But before she could speak, she heard Grace Quinn’s playful complaint over the phone, "Jasper, where did you put my ginger tea with brown sugar?"
That voice was like ice water poured from above; a bitter sweetness surged in her throat, and she bit her lip hard, pressing the hang-up button abruptly.
Stella smiled silently, lowered her head, swiped her screen, and without hesitation dragged that familiar number into the blacklist.
The action was decisive, without a trace of reluctance.
...
On the fifth day of hospitalization.
The attending doctor came to remove Stella’s stitches, frowning at the CT report, "Chronic appendicitis dragged into gangrene perforation, the young lady is quite hard on herself. If she’d come half a day later, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
Stella leaned against the bedhead, her face still pale. She merely gave a slight smile, light and unaffected, not reaching her eyes, "Hmm, won’t happen again."
On the day Stella was discharged, a night-long downpour in Kenton had just stopped.
The sky remained grayish, but the air was rare and refreshingly moist, carrying the scent of soil and grass.
The roadside trees and leaves had been washed clean by the rain, gleaming a vibrant green, adorned with sparkling droplets.
After finishing discharge procedures, she stood alone at the hospital entrance, deeply inhaling the fresh air, as if wanting to replace the accumulated smell of disinfectant for days from her lungs, before raising her hand to hail a taxi.
As the taxi passed the Clearstone Law Firm building, she glanced calmly and then looked away, turning her gaze to the endless stream of vehicles ahead, expressionless.
...
Meanwhile, at the Clearstone Law Firm office.
Jasper Hawthorne stood before the bright floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the entirety of Kenton, vehicles streaming endlessly at his feet.
Jude Kensington dialed Stella’s number for the nth time, but the response was still, ’The user you are trying to reach is turned off, please try again later.’
"Still can’t get through."
Jasper’s brows furrowed tightly, his complexion dark and ominous, as if ready to drip water.
Jude pressed his lips, as the law firm’s third partner, unable to reach Stella naturally made him anxious.
"Old Hawthorne, what’s going on this time?" He frowned at Jasper, "Stella’s temper is too big this time, isn’t it? It’s been a week, how many times have you had disagreements before? Didn’t Stella always end up comforting herself? It’s unreasonable..."
Jasper remained silent, his cold face reflected in the floor-to-ceiling glass.
"Do you think she’s sick?" Jude asked.
Sick?
Jasper’s brow barely furrowed.
In his memory, Stella had always been healthy and cheerful, he’d never seen her sick.
He knew Stella had hardly any friends in Kenton besides himself; if she really were sick...
"I called her, she’s not sick," Jasper said sternly.
At least, she’d never mentioned being sick.
Even on ordinary days, she’d bring a finger with a small cut for him to blow on.
If she really were sick, how could she not call him?
Instead, her temper was so big that she blacklisted his number?
Jude, reassured by this, finally relaxed.
"If she’s not sick, why doesn’t she even ask for leave? Things are chaotic these few days..."
He paused, then changed the subject, "Old Hawthorne, honestly, you can’t just leave someone hanging at a wedding, who wouldn’t be upset?"
Seeing Jasper still unresponsive, Jude rolled his eyes, "Well, I guess she’ll be back in a few days, enthusiastic as ever..."
Jasper’s lips tightened, "The firm doesn’t keep idlers. Notify the HR department, if Stella isn’t back tomorrow, she’ll be fired outright!"
In his memory, Stella feared this most.
After all, this was the place where she could be closest to him.
She couldn’t bear to leave.
Jude smiled slightly, "Alright, I’ll spread the news. If Stella hears about it, she’ll probably be back tomorrow!"
Since he knew Jasper and Stella, it was always Stella chasing after Jasper.
For Stella, Jasper was her whole world.
But for Jasper, it was entirely different.
Stella was a lingering attachment, an optional accessory.
It was always Stella who couldn’t leave Jasper.
If Jasper cared even a bit about Stella, he wouldn’t have left her at the wedding to rescue his childhood friend!
Jasper waved his hand, signaling him to leave.
Jude didn’t say much more, and turned to leave the office.
Jasper glanced at his phone, still without any movement. Normally, even if Stella didn’t call, she’d send him messages every day.
And now, their chat had been idle since the wedding day.
She sent a happy emoji.
o(*￣▽￣*)o
——Jasper, I’m the happiest person in the world!
——I’ll love you forever!
But he didn’t reply to either of these.
Just like usual, Stella would send him dozens of messages; he’d merely reply with a word.
Responses like ’Hmm’ and ’Got it,’ sorts of things.
But this time, not messaging him for days was unprecedented.
Thinking thus, Jasper felt somewhat restless and edgy, flinging his phone aside.
Just let it be!
She won’t easily appease him this time.
...
Meanwhile, Stella returned to the hotel and began packing.
During the days in the hospital, she’d contacted a real estate agent to put her apartment online for sale, eager to close the deal, so she priced it low.
She’d signed the title transfer agreement that morning; the apartment now had a new owner.
Then her phone vibrated suddenly in her pocket.
The display showed it was the law firm’s HR manager.
Stella pressed her lips, hesitated, but ultimately answered the call.
"Hello, Stella. When are you coming back to work? Attorney Hawthorne... said if you don’t come back..."
The voice on the phone paused, "He’ll have to terminate you..."