Beyond the Divorce

Atlas looked at me, and in his eyes, I saw a hint of sadness. "That was just the version you heard."

He continued, "They gave you that story in a deliberate attempt to confuse you. That's why I've been reminding you that you need to trust me."

My mind did a quick flip. He was right. The false Stella was the one who told me about Annalise the first time.

"The truth is, when the real Stella was sent to that orphanage, she wasn't called Stella anymore. She was given the name 'Annalise'," Atlas said with certainty.

"So Celine changed her name when she sent her there," I deduced.

"Yes, that's right. So even though we searched every orphanage, we couldn't find Stella."

"When did you find her?" I was having trouble understanding the intricacies of the situation.

"Perhaps it was fate. Just as I found the lost little girl, we discovered an orphanage. We went to inquire, and when Cody came back, he told me they had someone named Stella there. Overjoyed, I ran out to see her, but they wouldn't let me. Instead, they kept me and questioned me about my situation. Something felt off, so I ran away."

"Was it because they had received some orders?" I asked, connecting the dots.

"I couldn't care less at that moment. I just wanted to see Stella. We went around the orphanage, trying to find a way in. Later, I decided to climb over the outer wall from a slope, and Cody waited outside. "Once inside, I saw you there among a group of children, looking dispirited. I was ecstatic; it was the first time I'd seen you in two years. You were so thin. But I didn't dare approach you because the caregivers were also there. I waited anxiously for an opportunity to get you out.

"Maybe it was because I'd been inside for too long, but Cody got worried when I didn't come out, so he came to find me. Before he entered, he hid the little girl outside. She was scared and cried while she waited.

"When she didn't see us after a while, she ran out crying, which resulted in her being discovered. The commotion outside drew all the children to see what was happening. You stayed there, unresponsive, while I ran over quietly. When you saw me, you were utterly shocked. You just stared at me without moving."

Atlas paused, his eyes filled with tenderness. Then he kissed me lightly and chuckled, "You looked so dumbfounded. I didn't dare say a word; I just grabbed you and ran. You didn't make a fuss and just followed me.

"Cody carried us over the wall to a tree, and we quickly escaped. But then, we realized that the little girl was missing. Later, he climbed onto the wall to check inside and said she had been caught and taken back in. We were afraid of being discovered, So we had to leave with you first."

"She replaced Annalise that way?" I sighed helplessly, feeling a bitter sorrow in my heart. It was unfair; she shouldn't have died. But it happened because Stella had died.

"We didn't want to give up on her. We were afraid you would be captured again, so we planned to hide and find an opportunity to get her out later. But we were too late. When we wanted to get her gut, we received news of her death, claiming she fell off a cliff."

"What happened exactly? Why did Stella push her off?"

"After you came out, you told us there was another Stella inside, and you called her Annalise. That's when I realized Celine had orchestrated a switch.

"Many years later, when I

investigated the situation, I found

out the reason. They said that the child kept crying, and insisted she

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wasn't Annalise when she was caught and taken back. Later, she escaped again, wanting to find us. She insisted on leaving with us that day because she was being abused in that house, and she had injuries on her body."

I choked up, closing my eyes. I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.

"What was her name?"

"I only know she was called Kylie," Atlas said heavily. "Her death weighs heavily on my conscience too."

"It was an unjust death," I said, sniffing.NôvelDrama.Org is the owner.

"After she was captured and brought back, the imposter Stella began to suspect her. It's unclear how Stella managed to push her off when they ran away together. No one knows the details, and maybe only Stella herself knows."

As Atlas spoke, I fully understood his previous deliberate distance and feigned indifference. He didn't want me to be involved in this tragic past.

"Stella used her death as an excuse. She claimed that she didn't die from falling off a cliff, but was just disfigured. Celine took her for treatment and she underwent plastic surgery, creating the entirely new Stella we see now."

"I still don't understand one thing. Wasn't Stella in the Pierce family at that time? Why did she appear in the orphanage again?" I was puzzled by the sequence of events.