Stella Romilly's pov
I was with my parents at an event one evening. It was my tenth birthday and my father forgot to buy me a present. As usual. He promised to make up for it by sending me to an event. But I realized soon enough that I wasn't the purpose. He quickly rushed to his rich friends to boast about the money he wasted on cars and houses.
My mother and I sat in the corner as my father tried to fit in. When his friends brought their wives and children, I stood pulling my mom out to follow me. My mother was getting out when my father went to call a woman and her child to join them.
I was confused and my mother held a shocked expression. The woman had bright wavy hair and rich clothing and her child who looked younger than me ran to her supposed father to hug him. I stared at my dress which was torn at the side because my dad couldn't care to get me a new one.
“Mommy, why is Daddy bringing in another woman? Aren't we his wife and child?”
My mother didn't reply. She just watched with wide eyes. Suddenly, I was angry. Didn't my father love me anymore? I strode to the place and called.
“Daddy, why didn't you call us? Why is there another woman? Is she part of the family?” I questioned, almost crying as I tugged his suit for answers.
My father was embarrassed as he looked at his friends snickering and whispering. He gave me the death glare.
“Daddy, who is this?” the little girl asked.
“I am his daughter. And this woman..”I pointed to the woman at the corner, “is my mother.”
The woman holding the little girl glanced at him.
“Are you serious? Is this true?” she asked angrily but when she received no response, she took her daughter and left and his friends dispersed.
That day was the first time my father laid his hands on me. It was the most painful experience of my life and I woke up the next day in the hospital in a critical condition. My mother and father fought that evening. All I remember was my mother's bloodied face and injured walking.
I woke up. I felt for the bed but there was no one there. The harsh reality hit me again. Hard. I got up to freshen up and went downstairs. As I sat in the car, my phone buzzed. I picked it up and looked at the caller.
Hannah.
I picked it up and put it close to my ear.
“Stella! Are you okay?” her concerned voice screeched through the phone.
I held the silence for a while.
I rubbed my temples as I looked outside.
“No,” I muttered.
“No, I'm not.”
She sighed sadly.
“I just saw what happened on the news. How dare he?”
Tears pricked my eyes. I wasn't planning to cry! Why?
“I don't know Hannah, I don't know what to do. What did I do wrong?” I sobbed.
“That's a bastard of a guy. Don't do anything stupid okay? Come visit me”
I nodded as if she was standing in front of me. I cut the call, wiping my tears.
I went to my office to go over my files an hour before the meeting. As I sat down, I took sight of a newspaper lying on my daily newspaper table. I walked over and took it out.
ANTONIO DANTE BRINGS IN A NEW MISTRESS AND DIVORCES HIS WIFE, STELLA ROMILLY.
I read. I looked down to read further.
Antonio Dante, the richest billionaire in the world divorces Stella Romilly, CEO of Romilly's Enterprise, and brings in a new mistress. Her identity has not been confirmed yet and Antonio is being called to a press conference.
I couldn't read further. My breath had ceased in her throat and my gaze was hazy. I felt sick. I threw the paper in the bin and sat down, breathing heavily. I hadn't realized one hour had passed till my assistant called to inform me. I rushed to the meeting to sit down before the board did.
As they sat, I saw how they looked at me sympathetically. They must have noticed the eye bags and red eyes. I should have covered them with makeup.
“Let's begin.”
A picture was displayed by the projector.
“The hotel has to be upgraded according to the new trends of society.”
“It has to vary from the colors to the textures to the materials we will use.”
When the presentation of an idea was done, another followed.
He presented using vintage items.
“What about an old-fashioned style? Most of the hotels are going with new trends. There will be nothing unique. Having something like vintage chairs and tables will be nice. Dark red carpets. Designed heavy mirrors..”
I wasn't listening anymore. I tried to. But I couldn't. My mind drifted to Antonio.
‘What were they doing right now?’ I wondered. I imagined Lisa in her skimpy red dress, holding Antonio as much as she could.
Lisa was probably preparing for her gigantic wedding. Antonio was probably happy answering questions at the press conference and introducing a new face.
“Miss?”My eyes darted to the man standing in front of a green background. It hurt to be called Miss. They were calling me ‘Mrs’ before. What changed?
Divorce.
I looked at everyone who was now looking at me. They wanted an answer.
“Umm.”I fumbled.
“I will think about it and get back to you,” I said, ending the meeting. I marched out the door, my assistant following closely behind.
“Madam, I don't think you are fit to be-”
“I'm okay.”I breathed deeply.
“I'm going to be fine”
“Send me the details of today's meeting”
“Yes ma'am”
“Did you get the model I asked you for?”
“Yes”
“Her pay?”
“Twenty thousand”
“Schedule her for a shoot next Friday”
“Yes ma'am”
“What about the meeting with the scientists?”
“Next week Tuesday”
“Good. Thank you”
“You are welcome ma'am”
“Bring in the papers”
By the time I finished work, I told Ken to drive me to Hannah's place.
It was a long drive to Hannah's place and when I finally got there, she embraced me with a tight hug.
“I knew you would come. “
“What did you expect?”I rolled my eyes as I entered the house.
I removed my shoes and settled comfortably on the couch of her little sitting room.
“How do you feel?” She touched my face. I searched her face. The way her face twisted in concern made me break. Tears flowed down my face as I narrated what happened.
There was a long time of sobbing,cursing and crying.
“The hell of a scumbag!” she exclaimed, punching the air.
“ And he had the guts to bring her!”
“As if that would make signing the divorce papers easier,” I added.
“She is not nearly as beautiful and competent as you. I can see it.”I heard her whisper.
There was silence as her words struck a chord.
Lisa was not one inch near me. I was way better than her.
I could get Antonio back!
Antonio Dante's pov,"Good. Damn good,” my mother smiled as she set down her glass. “Good riddance. I didn't like her at all.” she twisted her face in disgust. “I like the new girl ”“Lisa,” I corrected staring at her indifferently. “Lisa Haven.”“Oh,” she took her glass and swirled the liquid with no care in the world. “She's got pretty eyes,”I nodded. Lisa was the prettiest woman I had ever seen. From childhood, she had been. I loved her. I did. As I escorted my mother out of the house, she told me my father would be visiting soon. She had come mainly to express her satisfaction about my divorce. She never liked Stella and I didn't know why. I called Alfredo. He was my second.“Sir”“I'm coming to the office now, prepare him.”“Yes sir”I cut the call. “Lisa!”I called. Shortly after, I heard her light thumps on the floor. She was so delicate. So small. So pretty. “Baby”“I'm going out”“To where?”“To my office. I'll see you when I get home. Tell Anna to make dinner
Stella Romilly's povLove hurts. It hurts so bad you can barely breathe. It was six in the evening when I was jotting down things in my notebook about my wrongdoings so far. I was on the high chair directly in front of the bar counter. I was in the bar across the street, pushing my mind back to what I did wrong in the past four years. I stared at the ones I wrote.These were the things I did in the past year. I couldn't remember what I did before that. Maybe it was the loud music. I should move, I thought. Except I couldn't. I was rooted to my chair unwilling to move. I was inert. There was no one to push me either. I raised my hand to request a drink. "Anything good!" I yelled at the bartender who nodded without bothering to look at me.Was I that unappealing? Maybe I stopped taking care of myself. Now I looked ugly. Lisa was prettier. She had captivating bright but deep brown eyes, it was confusing. Mine was just amber. An amber so light that it could pierce your soul. I heard that
Stella Romilly's povI didn't know how I got home. My hotel. I had no idea how I found the keys or how I ended up in my bed. It was morning. Afternoon really. I didn't know. I moved my hands on my bed blindly for my phone but it was nowhere to be found. My biggest mistake was opening my eyes because when I did, sunlight rushed through them. A sharp headache resounded in my head. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears.I forced myself to get up from the bed. I rushed to the bathroom to check my face and my body. I stared at my reflection, a disorientated woman staring back. She had a huge bunch of messy brown hair. I had a long white drool that somehow got scattered on my face.My eyes fell in exhaustion and hungover. I touched my neck and then my collarbone. I was in one of my nightgowns. My heart raced. I tried to remember what happened last night but I couldn't. It only brought more pain to my poor head. I could only hope nothing happened. I would kill myself if a random dude took ad
Antonio Dante's povIt's been a whole month since I got divorced. Stella never came after the stunt she pulled. I was glad. She had to move as far away from me as possible. My eyes darted around the quiet park. I was glad I bought this park. It was perfect for my mind. I couldn't help but look to my side. It took some time for her body to shift into sight. Her amber eyes met mine sorrowfully.Her amber eyes shone like a luminous lamp. Bright. It was almost like a light in the darkness. It mostly shifted between hazel and amber. It was dark now. Dark as it could ever be. It was here to torture me. I glanced. And she was no longer staring at me. I shook my head as if I could get it off my mind. It didn't work. Her eyes haunted me. As I continually shot at the roundel in front of me, I heard another gunshot. I turned to look at her. It went straight to the centre of the board beside mine."Bullseye!" She exclaimed like she had done it for the first time. I sighed, putting my gun down and
FIFTEEN YEARS AGO,Antonio Dante's povI glanced ahead of me. We had two more miles to go. I looked ahead at Lisa. I watched as her blonde hair dangled in the bright white lights laced around the house. Her body was covered in dirt. I reached for her arm but she shook it away and ran faster."Gosh, Lisa! Wait for me!"She jogged even further. Her long blue sleeves clung to her skin. I summoned all my strength to meet up and pulled her back."Hey," she yelled after me. I scrambled in front of her almost falling over.I finished a mile and looked back. She was panting. Her dress had been soaked in sweat. "Slowpoke!" I shouted. I could see her roll her eyes. I rushed forward to complete the rest of the mile. I turned to shout at her to hurry up. To signal her that dinner will be ready soon. And that father didn't like us to be late. But not too far away, I could see her on the grass. She held her ankle tightly. Her face pumped up like she was trying hard not to cry. Her eyes were sque
Stella Romilly's povI sat in my office chair situated in my suite as I scrolled through houses to buy on the internet. I ended up not liking any of them. None of them looked like Antonio's. He had a very huge house. Almost like a hotel. The rooms were too many to count. There were long staircases and big balconies with the best of views.I didn't want his big mansion. I just wanted something similar to remind me of him. I can't let him go. I don't want to. My mind cast back to the time we married. The room he called ours. the feelings. The rush. The thrill. The excitement. His fingers on my skin. The butterflies he made me have. Oh, how his whispers made me melt.I took those thoughts off me, my body already reacting to his invisible touch. My fingers lightly tapped a website. It opened on a different tab and I scrolled, looking at many houses with similar styles.A thud on the table startled me. I looked up to see my assistant. She had a stern face as she placed the right amounts of
FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, Antonio Dante's pov "Good news?"I almost squeaked. My father had never had any good news to tell for the last fifteen years of my life. "What good news?" I asked curiously. Nothing in this world could make my father happy. Or so I thought until this day. I glanced at the turkey again. Tall and proud. Hot juices spilled from its sides and my stomach growled without warning. "Now, now. The good news must wait," my father laughed merrily, his eyes, giving away every angle of happiness he was showing now. "You must eat something," he said before making to call the servant. "No father, "I protested. "I will dish the food for myself." I looked over to Lisa who had a nervous expression but still gave me the slightest smile. I ran my hands through my hair as I sat down, making notes to bathe as soon as I was done with my food. And of course, hearing the 'good news' my dad who barely smiled had to offer. I chewed on the food slowly, relishing its goodness while thin
FIFTYEEN YEARS AGO, Antonio Dante's pov, I gasped as the cold water hit my skin. I had forgotten the weather was still cold. I turned off the shower abruptly, resting against the wall. I was sweating. panting even. I could barely breathe well. My father is a bad person My father is a bad person My father is a bad person As much as I tried to push those thoughts away, they kept coming back in waves and gushes of water. It was like cold air, infiltrating my senses most painfully. Allowing my nose to redden and my eyes to water. Here I was, thinking everything was normal in my family. My father had a great business. One that was not infamously lucrative but one that was respected and worth every ounce of good hard work put into it. Not one that dealt with depravity. I didn't even realize when my hand had connected with the activator. Didn't realize when I had pressed the cold button. Didn't even flinch once the cold water poured on my body. I was shivering. But not from the cold