Chapter 34
Rachel’s voice trembled as she spoke, her vulnerability palpable.
“Ms. Cameron, you don’t need to remind me. I know I don’t have much time left.” “Ms. Cameron, you’re right. What Haynes gave me is all a sham. I’m sorry.”
The scene shifted abruptly to a clip of Stella “pushing” Rachel into the water, followed by a distressing moment where Rachel apologized, looking utterly defeated.
Then, as if to seal the narrative, a video showed Rachel nearly losing her balance and almost getting hit by a car earlier that morning.
The comments under this trending topic exploded.
[Wow, Rachel only has six months left, and Stella’s cursing her to die?]
[Sleeping her way to the top? Gross! This wife is so vicious. Maybe there’s more to Rachel’s illness than we know!]
[So, this tragic couple was separated by Stella? What a despicable woman! And I thought she was just a pretty face.]
[Pfft, pretty? My friend is a plastic surgeon, saying her face is all fake.]
[Poor Rachel, not only did this homewrecker steal her man, but she almost got her killed!]
[This is attempted murder! Let’s tag the police and bring this murderer to justice!]
[It’s unfair. Rachel is talented and beautiful, a brilliant violinist, and now, this illness? What a cruel twist of fate!]
[I heard Stella hasn’t worked since she got married. She’s a useless housewife, nothing compared to Rachel.]
The wave of criticism against Stella was overwhelming and one-sided.
Usually, in such stories, there would be a debate about the ‘perfect victim’ or ‘victim-blaming,’ but not with Stella’s case. There wasn’t a single dissenting voice. In an instant, Stella became the pariah, the villain everyone loved to hate.
Stella scrolled through the comments with a blank expression. After closing the news app, she took a deep breath, contemplating her next move.
Just then, her phone rang again.
She glanced at the caller ID and picked up after a few seconds.
Jasper’s haughty voice rang through the phone. “Stella, Rachel is awake. Haynie
is demanding that you come to the hospital and apologize!”
Stella responded coolly, “I’m not going.”
Jasper chuckled coldly. “Haynie said you’ll regret it if you don’t!”
Stella’s voice was icy. “Tell Haynes that marrying him is the only thing I’ve ever regretted.”
With that, she hung up and turned off her phone.
By the next day, the story had exploded online. Stella’s name was plastered everywhere, but not in a positive light. Overnight, she had become infamous, a viral sensation for all the wrong reasons.
The following morning, Stella got up as usual, making breakfast for Marvin, seemingly unfazed.
When it was time for school, Stella took Marvin downstairs. As soon as they stepped out of the building, something came hurtling toward her.
“Stella, you homewrecker, murderer, how dare you show your face!”
Instinctively, Stella wanted to dodge, but then she saw Marvin beside her. If she moved, Marvin would get hit. So, she stayed put, shielding Marvin with her body.
Smack! A sticky egg splattered against her forehead, the yolk trickling down with a nauseating sensation.
A group of fashionably dressed young women charged toward her with fury in their eyes, each armed with rotten lettuce, eggs, tomatoes, and water bottles.
Upon spotting Stella, they launched their barrage.
“You bitch, you almost drowned Rachel. Go to hell!”
“Disgusting plastic surgery freak! If men saw the real you, they’d run for the hills!”