After that, no matter how much Hayden tried to make Stella talk, she just would not open up her heart
again. She talked about general things on the surface and refused to pour out what she really felt.
Hayden found himself in a tricky situation. Stella seemed like a gentle and docile woman, but she was
very defensive at heart. Perhaps even she did not realize that deep down; a split personality might be
hiding itself.
“Mrs. Ford, how long has this been going on?”
“I’m not too sure either…” Stella struggled to remember. Suddenly, a sharp pain throbbed in her mind
and made her expression ugly.
“Sorry, I…” She tried to stand up, but she fell back in her seat. She pressed her temples hard and tried
to shake off the jumbled images in her head to no avail. A patch of thick red liquid spread before her
eyes. Vivid images of the scene on the rooftop, the kidnappers, and her desperation during the fall
brutally forced themselves into her mind.
After that came the blood that poured out from beneath. Stella was instantly shot with bullets that were
filled with moments of total despair. After that, they all collapsed and converged into the image of the
pot of oleander bathed in sunlight on the balcony. The bloody images soon overlapped each other into
a blur.
‘End it all,’ said the voice in her head.
“The pain will be gone after the end.’
“Mrs. Ford… Mrs. Ford?” Hayden raised his voice and frowned.
“Mrs. Ford, are you okay?” Stella snapped back to her senses, her head covered in sweat.
“S-sorry…” Stella was shocked by her own extreme thoughts. She gulped hard and gripped the arm of
the sofa.
“I feel a little uncomfortable. Can we talk some other time?”
In her current state, there was no way she could continue the conversation. Hayden reassured her, “It’s
okay. If you don’t feel like talking anymore, we can always stop.” He said, “Psychotherapy is a very long
process. My last patient was actually….”
“Was your last patient Guinevere?”
Stella suddenly gave him a sharp look.
“Dr. Quirk, are you Guinevere's psychiatrist?” Hayden's eyes flickered.
“Yes, I am.” He noticed the subtle change in Stella's emotions when she mentioned Guinevere's name.
Stella and Guinevere were love rivals. It was only normal for them to be hostile against each other. In
psychotherapy, it was common to use possible characters to guide the patient's emotions.
“Do you mind telling me more about your relationship with Ms. Cohen?" Stella shook her head.
“I have nothing to say about her.”
“You seem very agitated about her. Is it about Weston?”
“No..."
“If it's not Weston, what's the connection between you? The Ford family? Zachary?” Hayden guessed,
“Unsurprisingly, you should be her child's stepmother...”
"Enough!" Stella roared, “Shut up!”
Her eyes turned red as she heaved angrily and clenched her fists. She would never be Zachary's
stepmother. The image of her own child lying in front of her in a bloody mess instantly appeared before
her eyes; her child crying and questioning her. How could she become the stepmother to a murderer's
child? Weston heard the commotion and rushed in with concern.
"Stella." His face was stern. He pulled her into his arms and comforted her, “What's wrong? Are you
feeling unwell?"
Stella only shook her head and leaned into his arms stiffly. After she had calmed down, Hayden stood
up and shot Weston a hard look.
"Mr. Ford, can we talk?"
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