Stella’s words struck a nerve, and Lindsay was momentarily stunned, her heart racing uncontrollably. Reacting without thought, she shoved Stella aside, her gaze darting away as she muttered, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
A brief flash of fear crossed Lindsay’s face, but she quickly masked it with defiance, her voice rising. “I’ve done nothing wrong! You’re the one who destroyed everything. Matthew and I were perfectly fine until you interfered. You’re the intruder who shattered our Lives!”
Stella chuckled coolly and retorted, “When I married Matthew, there was no mention of an ex. Tell me, how does that make me the interloper? And let’s not forget-before his memory loss, Matthew was indifferent to you. You know it too well. If he recalls everything and discovers what you’ve been doing, what do you think will happen?”
Lindsay’s hands trembled before clenching tightly, her knuckles whitening as her nails dug into her palms. Through gritted teeth, she declared, “Even if Matthew regains his memory, he won’t turn his back on me. I sacrificed my ability to walk for him-he’ll never abandon me.”
Stella regarded her with a faint, knowing smirk and said casually, “That’s your story. Let’s see if it holds.”
Lindsay’s breathing grew uneven, and she suddenly gripped her chest, her complexion paling rapidly.
Stella blinked, startled by Lindsay’s visible distress. She hadn’t expected her remarks to cut this deep. Before she could react further, a firm hand yanked her back.
Matthew rushed to Lindsay’s side, his voice filled with concern. “Are you alright? What’s happening?”
Tears brimmed in Lindsay’s eyes as she weakly shook her head. “I’m fine, Matthew, really fine.”
Her gaze shifted toward Stella, though, silently blaming her as the cause.
Turning toward Stella, Matthew’s tone was icy. “What did you say to her? You know the doctor warned against anything that could upset her. Don’t you care?”
Stella met his glare with a calm expression. “I didn’t do anything to her. She’s overreacting.”
Lindsay quickly reached for Matthew’s arm, speaking hurriedly. “Don’t be angry with Stella, please. This was just sudden-it’s not her fault.”
At that moment, Fernando arrived and felt quite overwhelmed as he took in the tense scene. He braced himself and stepped forward.
Seeing him, Matthew barked an order. “Fernando, take Lindsay to the car. We’re heading to the hospital now.”
Without hesitation, Fernando nodded. “Yes, Mr. Clark.”
Matthew started to follow Fernando but halted near Stella, his voice tinged with irritation. “Stella, can’t you just stop stirring things up? You’re always at the center of these problems.”
As they walked away, Stella stood motionless, bitterness welling up as it struck her that Matthew once more blamed her for instigating conflict with Lindsay. Her lips curled into a faint, self-deprecating smirk.
From the kitchen, Erin noticed the quiet return and cautiously peeked out. Spotting only Stella, she asked tentatively, “Would you like something to eat?”
Stella responded faintly, “I’ll freshen up first.”
With that, she headed upstairs.
At breakfast, Stella barely touched her food, pushing it aside after a few bites and heading directly to the studio.
Not long after she arrived, Dexter entered to give her an update.
Dexter said, “Mrs. Clark, our investigation has confirmed that the deceased was Hiram Duffy. He has a younger brother and a seriously ill mother back in his hometown. A week after the chandelier incident, a large sum of money was deposited into his brother’s account. Additionally, someone mentioned that before his death, Hiram kept boasting about striking it rich. He even claimed that once he closed the big deal, he’d introduce them to Robin.”