Chapter 160
After Stephanie and Vincent put out the fire, they sat on the swing in the yard as they waited for Julianna and Graham.
As Stephanie gazed up at the night sky, she grasped the rope firmly with both hands and began to gently propel herself on the swing.
Stephanie spoke. “When I was a kid, I always envied Florence. She had all the things I didn’t have. I could only stand by and watch her count the rows of dolls she had. I didn’t have my first doll until Grandpa came. The doll was rather ugly, but chose it because I didn’t think anyone would like it. That night, Islept with the doll in my arms. We were like two lonely souls leaning on each other for warmth. The next day, I went to kindergarten while Florence stayed at home because she was ill. When I returned, Hound that the doll had one of her eyes buckled off, one of her legs broken, and her face painted with eye shadow, which made it even uglier.”
The haze obscured Stephanie’s face, but the helplessness and faint sadness she felt wasn’t hard to discent.
She looked at Vincent, who was sitting on the swing. It was weird to see him sitting on a swing because his legs were too long
She asked, “Can you guess who did it?”
Vincent guessed, “Florence?”
Stephanie shook her head. “It was Matilda. She said I didn’t deserve the doll, even if it was an ugly one. I didn’t cry, but I couldn’t understand why Florence and I were treated so differently when we were both her children. I thought maybe did something wrong that upset my mother. After that incident, I wouldn’t accept anything that Grandpa wanted to buy me. I studied harder and tried to be better, but Matilda still gave me the cold shoulder. Even when I was the one who got good grades and not Florence, I was the one who was scolded.”
Vincent felt a pang of sorrow as he listened to Stephanie recalling her childhood. She should have had a happy childhood, but it was ruined by the greed, selfishness, and shamelessness of the Hayes family.
“Do you still feel sad about it?” Vincent asked the same question as Julianna, All this time, they cautiously probed her feelings and avoided talking about- her family issues for fear of hurting her.
Stephanie shook her head. “No. As a matter of fact, I felt relieved that I was never loved by them. Regardless, I’m happy with the world I live in right now. I get to see the sunrise and sunset every day. I have Starlight Design Studio, and I have you.”
Vincent got up from the swing and came behind Stephanie. I’ll be with you forever. Till death do us part.”
Stephanie looked up at him. “Okay”
When Vincent looked at how brightly Stephanie was smiling, he couldn’t help but lean over and kiss her.
He asked, “Do you want to go higher?”
She agreed, “Sure.”
He said, “Hold on tightly to the rope then. I’m going to swing you.”
Stephanie tightened her grip on the rope. She felt Vincent’s broad palm resting reassuringly on her back as he propelled her toward the star-studded sky
above.
She laughed out loud. It had been a long time since she felt so relaxed.
As Julianna and Graham entered the yard carrying the appetizers they had bought on the way, they spotted Vincent gently pushing Stephanie on swing
Caught up in the joyous atmosphere, Julianna looked at Graham and said, “I want to play like that too. Push me.”
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Chapter 160
“Beg me, then.” Graham arched his brow.
Julianna’s mouth twitched. This man should be mute!” she thought.
After letting out a snort, she thrust the food she was holding into Graham’s arms before darting toward the swing and plopping down onto it.
Graham sighed, thinking. ‘She will never give in, will she?”
He placed the items on the table, then walked behind Julianna and gave her a push.
However, before Julianna could hold on to the rope, she lost her balance and was pushed to the ground by Graham.
She exclaimed, “Ugh! Graham! What the hell?”
Stephanie let out a snort. “Sorry, Julia. It’s kind of funny.”
Julianna stood up and glared at Graham. “I don’t need you to push me. I can do it myself. Go and grill the skewers!”
Stephanie turned around and looked at Vincent. “I’m hungry,” she said.
Vincent nodded, “Okay, Graham and I are going to grill the skewers now. You guys have fun.”
Stephanie nodded in agreement.
The two men went to grill skewers, Meanwhile, Stephanie and Julianna continued playing on the swing together.
The mansion boasted a s p a i o s courtyard, which was adorned with two tall, sturdy sycamore trees. The yard was lush with greenery in the
summertime.
During the house viewing, Julianna suggested placing a swing under the trees so they could play on it together.
So, Stephanie bought the property.
Stephanie looked at Julianna, who was still sulking. Holding back her laughter, Stephanie said, “He didn’t push you on purpose.”
“He annoys me every time!” Julianna huffed.
“I thought you two had made progress since you went to Crescent Cove Island after the game?” Stephanie asked with a smile.
Julianna pursed her lips. They were on good terms during the holidays. She thought, ‘When did it start to get worse?”
It was a few d
days after they returned. Graham had gone to a social gathering.
That night, no one knew how much he had drunk. When he came back, he fell directly onto the couch without even taking off his shoes.
Julianna mumbled to herself as she took off Graham’s shoes and jacket. Then, she noticed a red lipstick mark on the collar of his shirt.
She didn’t know why, but she was very upset at that moment.
She kicked the man hard and went back to her bedroom.
However, she couldn’t fall asleep. Later in the night, she left her bedroom and found Graham sleeping on the carpet.
Although the room had floor heating, Julianna gouldn’t bear to leave him there. She helped him up and brought him back to the bedroom.
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Chapter 160
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She looked at his peaceful sleeping face, with his long, thick eyelashes and prominent nase. Almost involuntarily, she reached out to caress his face. However, when she saw the lipstick mark again, a surge of anger welled up inside her.
She ripped off his shirt and pinched his arm hard. Then, she stormed out of the bedroom and threw his shirt into the trash can.
That night, she was so angry that she couldn’t sleep.
Despite acknowledging their fake marriage, the thought of Graham talking about turning it into a real relationship made her see him as a massive hypocrite.
As Stephanie observed Julianna’s angry expression, she couldn’t resist asking, “Julia, are you in love with Graham?”
“How is that possible?” Julianna raised her voice to disguise her feelings. “There’s no way I will fall in love with that kind of mant”
Stephanie chuckled. She lifted her gaze to the night sky, where several stars t w i k e d brightly above.
“Julia, it doesn’t matter who falls in love and admits it first. The most important thing is to be with the person you love. Life is short. Don’t let go of him just because of some temporary argument or misunderstanding. It’s unfair to either of you.” She looked at Julianna and uttered seriously, “Julia, you are my best friend. I hope the best for you.”
Julianna stared into Stephanie’s sincere eyes and smiled. “I, too, hope the best for you, Stephie.”
Stephanie nodded. “I believe that will happen for us.”
Not far away, Vincent sprinkled seasoning on the meat while Graham grilled chicken wings beside him.
“Why are you acting so mysterious lately? Is something big going to happen?” Graham asked.
Vincent nodded. “Why don’t you come with Joseph to the reunion party? Something interesting is going to happen.”
Graham squinted slightly, sensing a hint of conspiracy from the way Vincent said it. “Well, you know I love drama. I’ll inform Joseph about it. He should
be back soon. Since your problems are solved, you don’t need to use a wheelchair anymore, do you?”
Vincent lowered his gaze and chuckled. “Yeah. At last, I don’t have to sit in a wheelchair anymore.”
Graham commented, “You sound like you’re going to miss it.”
“No.” Vincent glanced at Stephanie as he said, “I’m just glad that she is by my side on the day I can finally stand up.
Graham flipped the chicken wings over and sighed, “You’ve made it, after all!”
Vincent released a sigh, his gaze tenderly fixed upon Stephanie’s face. “At last, I’ve found my moon”
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