Chapter 5

The housekeeper watched my silhouette vanish down the winding estate road. She instinctively moved toward the living room to alert Chase, but her steps slowed to a halt.

She paused, looked back at the empty driveway, and quietly decided to wait fifteen minutes before casually strolling over to report my absence.

By the time they rushed up and pushed open the bedroom door, the room was deserted.

Chase’s face turned an ugly shade of gray. He fired off text after text, call after call, met only with automated voicemails.

Dad paced frantically, the phone glued to his ear:

"Straight to voicemail! Why isn’t she answering?!"

"That ungrateful brat is getting more rebellious by the day!"

Mom clutched her chest, looking faint from sheer outrage:

"How could she do this to us? Today was supposed to be the day they signed the papers, and she just bolts?"

"How are we supposed to show our faces in high society after this?!"

Amidst the panic, Stella lowered her head, hiding a sly smirk.

She stepped forward and gently tugged on Chase’s sleeve, her voice dripping with mock innocence:

"Chase... since Elena ran away, and she and I look so much alike... why don't you and I go sign the papers? Just like how I stepped in for her at the wedding."

"Once we track her down, we can figure things out from there."

For once, Chase didn't immediately agree.

His brows knitted into a tight knot, an uneasy chill creeping up his spine.

My parents, however, nodded eagerly, already grabbing Stella’s arm to head for the door.

That was the moment the fog finally cleared from Chase’s mind.

"Stop!"

His voice cracked like a whip through the room, his arm shooting out to block Stella's path.

All three turned to look at him, baffled.

Chase stared hard at Stella, his eyes narrowing with a dark, probing intensity.

"Stella. On the wedding day, you said you just wanted to experience walking down the aisle, and I let you. You promised you would behave."

"Then you stole Elena’s engagement ring, and to keep the peace, we let you keep it. Then the wedding favors were printed with your name, which you swore was a simple mistake, and we let that slide too."

"And now... you want to sign the marriage certificate with me?"

Chase took a menacing step forward, his voice dropping into a deadly whisper:

"The wedding was you. The ring was you. The favor boxes were you. And now you want to be the one on the legal documents."

"Tell me, Stella—who was I supposed to be marrying? Elena, or you?"

Stella froze.

She had never seen Chase look at her with anything other than indulgence. To have him turn on her so violently left her entirely off-balance.

Instinctively, she leaned on her usual weapon—acting cute.

She softened her posture, reaching out to grasp his wrist, giving it a playful shake.

"I didn't mean anything by it, Chase..."

"Besides, Elena is my sister. She always shares with me! When she comes back, we can just explain it to her. If she’s really mad... I'll just apologize to her again, okay?"

Chase stood in stony silence.

He knew Elena. She wasn't someone who acted impulsively or ruined family reputations for fun.

For her to walk away from her own wedding meant she had truly reached her breaking point.

For the very first time, Chase felt a sickening wave of panic—the terrifying realization that he had lost something he could never get back.

Seeing Chase’s storm-cloud expression, Stella’s confidence began to crumble.

She quickly turned toward my parents, who had always shielded her:

"Mom, Dad, help me out! Talk to Chase!"

"I really was just trying to help resolve the situation!"

But this time, my parents didn't jump to comfort her.

Mom was staring frantically at her phone, repeatedly trying to message me, her voice trembling:

"How is this possible... She blocked my number?"

"Elena has always been so obedient. Even when we fought, she never blocked me..."

Dad was sweating profusely, yelling into his phone:

"Pick up! Why won't she pick up?!"

"What if... what if something happened to her out there?"

Completely pushed to the sidelines, a toxic surge of resentment flared in Stella’s chest.

She stamped her foot and shrieked at the top of her lungs:

"Mom! Dad! What are you doing?! Instead of worrying about me, you’re obsessing over Elena?"

"She’s a grown woman! It’s not like she’s going to drop dead on the street!"