Three Years Too Late

At midnight, Stella woke up. Her stomach was growling.

She climbed from the couch in the living room and padded toward the kitchen, only to find that there was nothing there. She tiptoed over to the fridge and opened the door.

A sweet aroma immediately filled her senses. Inside the fridge, there was a box of chocolate cake.

Stella's eyes lit up. But the moment her hand landed on the box, she pulled it back right away.

"I… I won't eat it," she mumbled. "Daddy will be upset."

My heart shattered into pieces as I watched her tread so cautiously.

Just as she was about to close the fridge door, someone suddenly shoved her from behind. As she was caught off guard, her hand got caught in the door with a painful slam.

It was Caden.

"Well, well," he drawled out. "Looks like some little thief is trying to steal the cake Uncle Andy bought for me!"

The pain drained all the color from Stella's face.

She shook her head desperately, but Caden leaned harder into the door, trapping her hand even more.

His face twisted with malice as he spat, "Mom said that once we kick a bastard like you out, everything in the Lorne family will be mine!

"The big house, and even Uncle Andy, will be mine. You'll only end up a beggar, with no one to care for you!"

Stella cried out from the pain, and the noise finally woke the adults up.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Cade quickly released her hand. Amidst the scuffle, the cake fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"What's going on?" Andrew demanded, his expression grim.

Caden immediately threw himself into Tiana's arms and cried out, "Mom, Stella stole my cake! She said it's her house, and everything here belongs to her. She even said she was going to kick me out!"

Andrew's scrutinizing gaze fell on Stella. Surprisingly, he didn't lose his temper right away.

"Stella, is that true?"

Seeing his solemn expression, Stella trembled uncontrollably and quavered, "That's not true, Daddy! Caden's lying. He also hurt my hand!"

Andrew was about to lean down to check when Tiana pinched Caden from behind, and he immediately burst into tears.

"S-Stella also said that I'm a bastard without a father," he wheezed.

Andrew looked like someone had punched the living daylights out of him. He turned and scooped Caden into his arms.

"Caden, don't listen to her," he said gently. "You can always think of me as your dad."

Stella tried to explain, but he snapped, "Shut up! You really are a lost cause, Stella. If that's how it is, don't blame me for being ruthless."

With the door thrown open, Andrew shoved her out and snarled, "Kneel here and reflect on yourself."

Covered in injuries, Stella shivered, overwhelmed by both the cold and hunger.

I wrapped my arms around her and rubbed her arms and legs, trying to offer whatever warmth I could. But, I knew it was impossible.

In her dazed state, she blinked open her eyes and stared at me.

"Mommy, are you here to take me away?" she asked in a tiny voice.

In that instant, the aching in my heart grew. It felt like something was squeezing it.

Staring at the cold metal door in front of me, for the first time in my life, I felt like killing Andrew—that blind, heartless scum.

After what seemed like ages had passed, the door finally opened—only for a bucket of cold water to be thrown down on Stella.

When she didn't react, Tiana trampled on her face and hissed, "You little brat! Stop pretending to be dead. Believe it or not, I'll feed Jovana's corpse to the strays if you don't do as I say."

Resentment flared in her eyes. She seemed as if she wanted to rip my daughter to shreds.

My blood boiled. Summoning all my strength, I shoved her foot away and screamed, "Scram! Stay away from my daughter! Deal with me instead."

But Tiana didn't flinch. She stomped even harder on Stella's face.

Finally, Stella stirred, her eyes narrowing as she glared at Tiana and croaked, "Y-You evil witch! Don't you dare insult my mom—she's the best mom in the world!"

Tiana sneered and kicked her again, "So what? She's already dead. Everything in the Lorne family belongs to my son."

Her kick sent Stella flying into the wall, blood spilling from her mouth.

Just then, Andrew's voice rang out from behind—low and tinged with anger.

"Tiana, what are you doing?"