Before I Leave

Ethan's expression finally changed.

"Stella? What the hell are you doing?!"

Stella ignored him and stabbed her thigh repeatedly. Her white evening gown turned crimson in seconds.

Ethan stood frozen.

Stella would rather hurt herself than let him lay a hand on her? That thought hit him hard. An indescribable feeling rose in his chest.

"Stella!" he roared, grabbing her wrist.

The scissors clattered to the floor. Pain shot through her body, but oddly, her dazed mind began to clear.

Just then, applause erupted from downstairs. The guests were waiting for the birthday girl to speak.

Stella wrenched free from Ethan's grip and walked out, clutching the banister as she made her way down the stairs.

Gasps filled the room the moment she appeared in her blood-soaked dress.

However, Stella looked calm. She held her chin high, the crimson blooming across her dress like wild roses clinging to a cliffside.

She raised her glass and smiled at the crowd.

"Happy twenty-ninth to me," she said. "May my future be bright."

With that, she collapsed.

Screams followed.

Ethan rushed forward and caught her before she hit the ground.

…

Stella was unconscious for a full day and night before she finally woke. She was discharged and returned home, quietly packing her bags to leave.

Ethan showed up before she could barely zip her suitcase—with Rachel beside him.

"I looked into the drugging," Ethan said stiffly. "It was a mistake. It wasn't your doing."

Stella barely reacted.

Meanwhile, Rachel began to cry.

"Aunt Stella, it was all my fault. I said things I shouldn't have. I made Uncle Ethan think it was you. I'm sorry."

She stepped forward with a soft smile, holding out a wedding gown. "To make it up to you, I designed this wedding dress just for you and Uncle Ethan. It's also my birthday gift to you."

Stella finally looked up. Her eyes locked onto the dress.

The memory from her past life surged up again.

She chuckled coldly. "You designed it without checking the size, did you? I can't fit into that."

Back in her previous life, before their wedding, Rachel had presented her 'handmade' wedding gown to Stella as a gift.

Without discussion, Ethan returned Stella's meticulously custom-made gown and forced her to wear Rachel's instead.

Rachel's gown had been so tight that Stella could barely squeeze into it.

Yet, all Ethan said was to let Stella lose some weight to fit it.

Stella had not dared eat or drink for two days. She even fainted at the altar.

She would not make the same mistake again.

Rachel paled.

"I-I'm sorry," she said in a panic. "I've imagined myself as the bride—"

Ethan's head snapped up. His eyes darkened, unreadable.

Rachel's hand flew up to her mouth. She looked like she had just realized what she said.

The air froze with awkward tension until Stella smirked.

"Well then," she said, her voice cold. "Why don't you wear it?"