Stella gritted her teeth and said, “Ignore him. He’s just being completely unreasonable.”
But Robin wasn’t ready to back down. He shouted, “Stella, if you had the nerve to accuse me, then you should also have the guts to admit you were wrong! Now that I’m out, it proves you were slandering me. You owe me an apology! Otherwise, I’ll report you to the police for making false accusations.”
Hearing Robin’s threat to involve the police, Bella immediately grasped the gravity of the situation.
She stepped forward, took a calming breath, and addressed Robin with a composed tone. “Stella is my daughter, and I know her well. She’s not the type to make baseless accusations. Could this all be a misunderstanding?”
Robin let out a derisive snort. “Of course, you’d defend her. You’re family. But the fact remains: the police let me go, and that proves my innocence. Hmph, like mother, like daughter. She’s nothing but an uncultured brat with no sense of upbringing.”
Stella couldn’t hold back any longer. Her anger boiled over as she retorted, “Robin, you know exactly how you managed to walk out of the police station.”
As she spoke, her gaze shifted to Matthew, her eyes searching his for answers-a glimmer of hope flickering in them. If he could offer a reasonable explanation, she might consider forgiving him for his mistake this time.
Robin, however, remained smug. “Of course, I got out fair and square,” he said with a self-satisfied grin. “So, Stella, you owe me an apology. Otherwise, this won’t end here.”
Lindsay, silently observing Stella’s reaction, quickly connected the dots.
She realized Stella had jumped to the conclusion that Matthew was responsible for Robin’s release. Deciding to keep Stella in the dark, Lindsay chose to let the misunderstanding persist.
She cut in, trying to defuse the tension. “Robin, don’t escalate things. We’re all family here, so let’s not make this more unpleasant than it needs to be. Stella must have had her reasons to suspect you. Just be more mindful moving forward to avoid unnecessary conflicts.”
Turning to Stella, Lindsay offered a soft, apologetic smile. “Stella, I’m really sorry. Robin can be a bit impulsive, but please don’t take it to heart. Let’s forgive him this once, okay?”
Bella, unable to hold back her frustration any Longer, snapped, “This is outrageous! You’re all being unreasonable, yet somehow it’s Stella who’s at fault? How is this even remotely fair?”
Betsey, unwilling to stay silent after Bella’s outburst, stepped in to defend Robin. “Robin was wrongfully accused from the start! Now that he’s cleared, what’s so wrong about him demanding justice? You shouldn’t be interfering in this.”
The argument spiraled out of control, with voices rising and everyone talking over one another.
The scene was pure chaos. Bella, already breathless with indignation, grew visibly pale. Her breathing turned shallow, and she stumbled, nearly fainting.
Seeing this, Stella immediately abandoned the argument and rushed to her mother’s side, cradling her as Alissa frantically reached for her phone to call an ambulance.
Betsey, noticing Bella’s condition, shifted uneasily. Still, she muttered under her breath, “Is she faking it to get sympathy?”
Stella’s head snapped up, her glare sharp and unrelenting. Fury burned in her eyes as she turned to Matthew, her voice trembling with both anger and disappointment. “Matthew, do you think this is my fault too?”
Matthew met her gaze, his expression conflicted. His heart ached, but he forced himself to keep his tone calm and measured. “This isn’t about blame, Stella. It’s the police’s decision, and we have to respect it.”
Stella listened, letting out a couple of bitter laughs. The disappointment in her eyes deepened as she said coldly, “Alright, if that’s how it is, I’ll keep digging into Robin’s issue. The truth has to come out, and I refuse to let those in power smother it.”
With a resolute turn, she took Bella’s arm and guided her toward the parking lot, without looking back. Her eyes were filled with disappointment toward Matthew.
Stella and Alissa held Bella between them, rushing toward their car.
Bella’s energy was waning fast, so they had to put in considerable effort to keep her upright.