Chapter 6

Stella's POV

The violent crash jolted me awake. I sat up in bed, rubbing my temples. "What kind of episode are you having in the middle of the night?"

"An episode?" Chase strode in and hurled his phone directly at me. "Look at this yourself! What the hell is this?"

I picked up the phone. On the screen was an interrogation video.

Several battered men with bruised faces sat with their heads down, confessing that a woman named Stella Mitchell had paid them to kidnap Chloe Lynn .

"The kidnappers confessed to everything! They said you hired them to take Chloe so she'd disappear from your sight forever!"

Watching the video, I felt nothing but utter confusion.

My expression didn't change as I set the phone down. "I didn't do it."

Chase's voice sounded like it had been dragged through ice. "They pointed you out by name, and you're still sitting there lying to my face?"

I met his glare, completely baffled. "I already told you, your life has nothing to do with me anymore. I haven't cared about a single thing you and Chloe have done lately. Why on earth would I hire someone to kidnap her?"

Chase's pupils constricted, the rage on his face flaring hotter. "You don't care? Ha, you put on quite a show! You pretended to act indifferent all this time just so you could plan something this vicious behind my back, didn't you?"

I parted my lips. "I didn't—"

"Chloe was grabbed when she stepped outside today! Those bastards locked her in an abandoned warehouse for six straight hours! When I found her, she was shaking so hard she still can't close her eyes to sleep!" Chase's expression was furious. "They said you ordered it. You're going downstairs right now and apologizing to her!"

"No."

"What did you just say?"

"I said, I'm not going." I frowned. "Why should I apologize for something I didn't do? If she thinks it was me, call the police and let them investigate."

"You refuse to apologize?" Chase narrowed his eyes. "Fine. We don't need to waste time with the cops. All I have to do right now is call our parents over and call off this damn wedding once and for all!"

Exhaustion washed over me. "You know damn well this engagement can't be called off."

Both our families treated this union as non-negotiable—especially Robert and Evelyn. They would never agree to let it go.

It wasn't like Chase hadn't tried to break it before. Had he ever succeeded once?

Chase's mouth twisted into a sudden, chilling smirk. "What if I threaten to kill myself?"

My heart stuttered.

"If I put my life on the line to break it," Chase said, ice lacing every syllable, "do you think my parents, and your parents, will still force it through?"

Looking into the sheer desperation in his eyes, an icy chill crept down my spine.

To get payback for Chloe, he was actually willing to bet his own life just to threaten me?

In the past, whenever Chase was reckless with his safety, I would break down in tears, begging him to stop, practically ready to tear my own heart out just to keep him safe.

Now, all I felt was bone-deep exhaustion.

A fatigue that seemed to seep straight from my marrow.

I didn't care about him anymore.

Whatever he threatened me with had lost all its power.

Except this engagement didn't belong to me anymore.

The Mitchells' real daughter was returning any day now, and this marriage was meant for her.

If the arrangement fell apart right now because of me, Robert and Evelyn would pin every bit of the blame on my head.

I lowered my gaze, staying silent for a long beat.

Finally, I nodded.

"Fine. I'm not going to argue with you. I'll apologize to her."

Down in the living room, Chloe sat on the couch wrapped in a throw blanket, her face pale, genuinely looking like she had been terrified out of her wits.

I walked over and stopped right in front of her.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't hire anyone to kidnap you, but Chase insists that I apologize, so here I am."

My tone was completely flat, devoid of any warmth or remorse.

Chase stood nearby, his brow knotting into a tight scowl.

Chloe glanced at me, then up at Chase, before offering a fragile, understanding smile. "It's okay, Stella. I get it. You're Chase's fiancée, after all. Seeing how close he and I are must have hurt. It's completely normal to make a mistake in the heat of the moment. You don't have to deny it—even if you admit it, I won't hold a grudge."

I didn't bother defending myself. I was simply too tired.

Chloe stood up and moved to Chase's side. "Chase, I'm exhausted. Can you walk me back to my room?"

Chase pulled his conflicted gaze away from me, nodded, and reached out to support her.

The moment his fingers brushed against her arm, however, Chloe let out a sharp cry of pain.

Chase's face instantly shifted. "What's wrong?"