If only Joshua had been by her side back then—how different things might have been.
Maybe she wouldn’t have had to endure those nightmare years.
A dangerous thought slipped into her mind.
If Stella were gone… would Joshua finally belong to her, and her alone?
…
Stella was just about to head upstairs when a small figure darted into her arms.
“Mom!”
She caught Keen, hugging him tightly. “Keen, what are you doing down here?”
Keen clung to Stella, his voice muffled. “I missed you, Mom.”
“I told you I’d come see you as soon as I was free, didn’t I?”
Keen spoke softly, “Pretty soon, I have to go back with Dad. Who knows when we’ll get to see each other again? I just want to spend a little more time with you.”
Stella brushed his hair back. “There are so many people at the party. It’s not safe for you to run off on your own.”
“I asked Mr. Richards to bring me down,” Keen replied.
Only then did Stella notice Foreman standing a few paces away.
Foreman explained, “I stopped by to check on Keen, and he insisted he wanted to see you. So I brought him over. Hope I’m not causing any trouble, Star?”
Foreman was new in Solmaris, and it wasn’t strange for him to want to check in on Keen. Stella didn’t think much of it.
“Not at all,” she said. “Actually, I was just about to go up and see Keen myself.”
Foreman glanced around. “Where’s Haynie?”
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