Chapter 7 

Only then did Alaric’s expression change. 

“Stella Forbes, what the hell are you doing?!” 

But Stella ignored him completely, stabbing her thigh again and again with the scissors. 

Her pristine white dress instantly became soaked with crimson. 

Alaric stood frozen. 

Stella… would rather hurt herself than let in touch her? 

She would choose self–harm over him? 

As the thought sank in, Alaric felt an unprecedented frustration rising within him. 

“STELLA!” 

He roared, grabbing her hand. The scissors clattered to the floor. Through the searing pain, Stella felt her drug–hazed mind clear slightly. 

— 

Meanwhile, applause erupted from downstairs clearly they were waiting for the birthday girl to make her speech. 

Stella fought through the pain, pushed Alaric away, and made her way downstairs. 

Seeing her covered in blood, the entire crowd gasped in horror. 

But Stella’s expression remained unchanged. 

She held her chin high, the striking red making her look like a rose on the edge of a cliff. 

Raising her glass, she smiled at everyone. 

“To twenty–nine. To the blood that runs through my veins. To the path ahead, wherever it may lead 

me.” 

06:10 

A Heart Once Broken, A Life Reclaimed 

Chapter 7 

With those words, she finally collapsed. 

Amid the shocked cries, Alaric rushed forward and caught her. 

Stella was unconscious for a day and night before waking up. 

After being discharged, she returned home and had just finished packing her bags when Alaric arrived with Jenna. 

“I looked into the drugging incident,” Alaric said stiffly. “It was someone else’s mistake. You weren’t 

responsible.” 

Stella showed no reaction. 

Beside him, Jenna burst into tears again. 

“I’m so sorry, Stella,” she whimpered with wide, innocent eyes. “It was my thoughtless words that made Uncle Al suspect you. To make it up to you, I designed your wedding dress myself, as a birthday gift too…” 

Stella finally looked up at the wedding dress in Jenna’s hands. 

Memories from her previous life came flooding back, and she laughed coldly. 

“Do you design clothes without considering measurements? There’s no way I could fit into that.” 

In her previous life, on the eve of the wedding, Jenna had also presented a wedding dress she’d “”personally designed” for Stella. 

Alaric had immediately canceled Stella’s carefully selected couture gown, insisting she wear Jenna’s design instead. 

Ironically, Jenna’s dress had been so small and narrow that Stella couldn’t possibly fit into it. 

But in her previous life, Alaric had coldly stated: “Just lose weight, then.” 

So for the two days before the wedding, Stella hadn’t dared drink even water, and ultimately fainted during the ceremony. 

Chapter 7 

This time, she wouldn’t be so foolish. 

Hearing Stella’s words, the color drained from Jenna’s face. 

“I’m… I’m sorry…” she stammered tearfully. “When I was designing it, I kept thinking about if I were the bride, so accidentally…” 

Alaric’s head snapped up to look at her, his eyes filled with complex emotions. 

Jenna frantically covered her mouth, seemingly realizing her slip. 

The air suddenly became awkward until Stella broke the silence with a cold laugh. 

“Take it,” she said, gesturing dismissively as if tossing away garbage. “It’s yours. It always was.” 

C