Chapter 148
“Wish you were dead?” Stella raised an eyebrow at Keen’s words, finding them a bit odd. “Who told you that? Was it Rachel?”
Haynes’ voice was low and firm. “Stella, you can’t blame Rachel for everything.”
With a lazy drawl, Stella replied, “Wow. That Rachel-defense reflex of yours could qualify as an Olympic sport. Do you practice in the mirror?”
“Stella, what kind of nonsense is this?!”
“Nonsense? I’ve got my reasons,” Stella said coolly, like a calm lake on a winter day. “When Keen had his allergic reaction, only a few of us were around. Why would he say Marvin and I wanted him dead?”
She arched an eyebrow, “Did you tell Keen that Marvin and I not only didn’t help him but wanted him dead?”
Haynes’ brow furrowed as he turned to Keen. “Keen, how did you come to know about this?”
Rachel felt a jolt of panic. She had told Keen repeatedly not to mention that she was the source. And yet, here they were.
Kids, they can never keep a secret.
This could be it for her. Haynes had already been different since the last time she was caught in a lie. If he discovered she was stirring the pot again, he might finally cut her off completely.
“I figured it out myself!” Keen huffed, his little cheeks flushed with indignation. “I wasn’t completely out of it then. I kind of heard things.”
Rachel’s tension eased a bit. Thank goodness, Keen hadn’t ratted her out.
Keen’s small hands balled into fists, his voice trembling with barely-contained fury. “Stop dodging the question! Just say it is it true or not?”
Stella didn’t just see-she felt the shift in the room. Rachel’s guilty flicker. The way her shoulders dropped just a fraction too soon with relief. Her gaze deepened. So Rachel was involved after all.
“That’s not true!” Marvin spoke up for Stella. “Stella used the inhaler to help you, and everyone saw it!”
“Liar!” Keen retorted. “That inhaler was useless. I threw it away! A doctor should have been the one to save me!”
Looking at Keen’s defiant face, Stella didn’t even feel disappointed anymore. Just numb and cold inside. This kid had gone down the wrong path.
Sometimes, the best thing to do is to cut your losses.
Stella turned to Haynes. “Haynes, Marvin saved Keen’s life. Your son is treating his savior like a villain. Don’t you think you should say something?”
Haynes’ voice was deep, almost a growl. “Keen was in a bad state. It’s normal for him to be confused.”
Stella’s eyes were like ice. “Sure, confusion at the time is normal. But he’s been out of the hospital for a while now and still holds onto this… Mr. O’Brien, do you still find that normal?”
Haynes shifted his gaze from Stella to Keen. Noticing the smoldering anger in Keen’s eyes, he furrowed his brow slightly. Why was Keen looking at Stella with such hatred? This wasn’t the way a child should look at his mother.
Though Stella had been a bit distant recently, there was no denying that without her quick thinking during the last incident, Keen’s survival would have been uncertain.
Keen gave Stella one last hard look. Stella, unfazed by Keen’s animosity, gazed at him with the detachment of a stranger. Yet, when she glanced down at Marvin, her expression softened noticeably.