Chapter 187

Stella hit pause, the screen freezing on the scene where the leads were hugging. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and called out casually, "Come in." The metal door slid open. Charles was standing there, Adam's apple bobbing twice. "I..." He abruptly dropped to one knee. "Stella, I don't remember anything from before. Everything between us feels broken and scattered." Even without those memories, he knew enough—she was carrying his child, and he had done unforgivable things to her. Memory or not, he wouldn't make excuses. "I know I messed up. I shouldn't have made you carry heavy stuff in the heat or said those awful things..." His voice roughened, trailing off. Thinking about what she'd gone through made his chest tighten. "I'm sorry. I really am." He remembered what the hospital visit had almost cost them—the baby, everything. And back in Grace's place, she had still wanted to keep making Stella suffer. If Stella hadn't escaped that day, who knows if she, her brother,