Chapter 456 An Old Misunderstanding
Wrenna couldn’t remember how she got home.
Just when she arrived at Jackdaws Mansion, she received a call from Xandra.
“Wrenna, haven’t you finished your discussion? Why aren’t you back yet?”
When Wrenna was silent for a long time, Xandra realized that something was amiss.
She asked anxiously, “What did that woman say? Wrenna, where’s your spine? How can you let a few words from her get you down? Don’t forget that you’re Mrs. Quigley. You have to be stronger than this!”
Filled with tears, Wrenna cried into the phone. “No, it’s not like that. Xandra, you don’t understand.”
“You’re damn right that I don’t. So, explain to me what actually happened!”
All Wrenna did was cry.
Xandra grew concerned. “If you’re not going to tell me about it, I’ll tell Damian and have him question Stella about what she said.”
“No, don’t.”
Overwhelmed by emotions, Wrenna stopped Xandra at once, fearing that she would call Damian.
“Don’t Xandra. I don’t want Damian to know. Really, I beg you. You cannot tell him. You really can’t.”
Xandra sighed. “Fine, I’ll not say anything to him. However, you have to get a grip of yourself and come back for the afternoon’s class. Didn’t you promise our teacher that you will be disciplined in your studies because of Stella? Or else, it will be a disgrace if you are held back for a year. No matter what, don’t let your studies slide. I’ll give you half an hour to return at once.”
After ending the call, Wrenna sat in the living hall and gradually stopped crying. Getting to her feet, she went to see Cora before leaving.
She knew that Cora would definitely inform Damian about how she cried in the day. To avoid that scenario, she had to talk to Cora and think of an excuse for her not to.
After that, Wrenna returned to her dorm. There, Dora regretted why she had even liked Stella in the first place. Time and again, Stella would hurt Wrenna. It was now evident that Stella was a malicious person.
Just when Dora was cursing Stella, Wrenna walked in.
Everyone felt bad for Wrenna when they saw how swollen and red her eyes were.
Dora walked up and gave Wrenna a hug. She then comforted her by patting her on her back.
“Wren, don’t be afraid. Tell us about it so that we can help you resolve it. Stella must have said something terrible to you which you might not have seen through. So why don’t you share it with us instead? Perhaps, we can help you judge if she is telling the truth or just lying to you. Maybe-”
Suddenly, Wrenna had an idea. Pushing Dora aside, she made a phone call.
“Hello? Colton, can you help me investigate something? But please don’t tell Damian about it. I know you won’t tell him for his own sake… Mmm-hmm. All right… thank you. We’ll talk again when I see you tonight. It’s not a good idea to discuss it over the phone… All right.”
After Wrenna ended her call, Xandra stared at her intently.
“Regardless of what Stella said, Wrenna, are you going to cry all day if we didn’t give you a call? Also, are you planning to quit school and do nothing other than wallowing in misery?”
Amidst Xandra’s barrage of questions, Wrenna felt guilty. All this while, she had always behaved timidly in front of Xandra.
Now that my life has been turned upside down by Stella again, Xandra must be pissed at how spineless I am.
“I-I’m all right. I was just sad for a little while. That’s all.”
“Haha, Ms. Jackson. Is your definition of a little while the same as ours? Does yours mean a few days to half a month? Or perhaps, skipping school in dejection? In that case, you might as well stop school and focus on being Mrs. Quigley. In fact, you don’t have to run into Stella and listen to her provocations. This way, all your troubles would be gone. By not coming back, you can focus on what you have always dreamed of doing, which is to be a dutiful wife and mother.”
That was indeed Wrenna’s dream. But at that moment, she wasn’t sure if it would come true in the end.
Squirming her lips awkwardly, she apologized.
“I’m sorry, Xandra. I’m sorry, my dears, for being utterly useless.”
Linda, who was the kindest among them, tried to defuse the situation. “Alright now. Since she’s back, let’s give Wren some space to calm down. The past is in the past. Wren, there’s no need to apologize as we’re just worried about you. Furthermore, it’s not worth feeling sad over a b*tch like Stella, isn’t it?”
“Mmm-hmm. It isn’t.”
It was just that she couldn’t bear it when it happened. In other words, her heart was simply too weak.
If it was Xandra in the same situation, she would likely have Stella fleeing in terror.
At the end of the day, it depended on the individual.
Knowing Wrenna well, Xandra explained candidly, “She knows where exactly to strike at you. Since she understands you so well, why don’t you try and figure her out instead? The next time she says something to you, you will be ready with a comeback. Wouldn’t that solve your problem?”
Wrenna nodded thoughtfully. After that, she racked her brains to think of Stella’s weakness.
A moment later, she exclaimed, “I know! She hates her own family the most and is ashamed of them. If I recall correctly, her dad loves to gamble and would beat her and her mom up. After that, her mother left with her and remarried… But, she never talks about her new family. Since she doesn’t like them, I guess that could be considered her weakness.”
Dora agreed. “That’s right. If she provokes you again, you should just return the favor.”
“However, isn’t it inappropriate to ridicule her family?”
“What do you think she’s doing when she’s talking about your husband? It’s all the same. She’s the one who disrespected you first. If she hadn’t done that, all this wouldn’t have happened.”
Wrenna agreed with Xandra’s assessment. Hence, she decided to defend herself next time.
However, although she had Colton investigate it, she still didn’t know whether what Stella said was true. Hence, she continued to feel unsettled by it. Her gut feeling told her that Stella wouldn’t lie, especially not about something like that.
Nevertheless, Wrenna still hoped that it wasn’t true.
In the evening, Colton came to pick Wrenna up at the school entrance. Coincidentally, Stella saw her getting into Colton’s car.
Squinting her eyes, she sneered before driving away.
After having a seat in a private room that was quiet, Wrenna explained her goal to Colton.
“Stella says that she had a miscarriage back then and doesn’t want Damian to know. She also showed me the medical records but I don’t know if they are real. Therefore, can you please investigate it for me?”
A cold glint flashed in Colton’s eyes.
“You cannot trust her words.”
“I know. That’s why I want it investigated. Colton, please don’t tell Damian about this first. Regardless of whether there’s truth in it or not, give it to me straight. Since I already know about it, I’m mentally prepared that there was a child…”
After a long silence, Colton replied, “All right. I’ll get to the bottom of this. However, don’t believe what Stella is telling you.”
“Fine. I’ll be waiting then.”
After that, both of them went their separate ways.
When Wrenna returned to Jackdaws Mansion, Damian wasn’t home yet. Hence, she used the time to gather her composure.
By the time Damian came home, it was already late. Wrenna had fallen asleep while waiting up for him. All she did was give him a glance before going back to bed.
The next morning, she made breakfast for him as usual.
When he came downstairs, he explained, “Last night, I had to entertain one of our partners. That’s why I came back late.”
“I know, Damian. There’s no need to explain. Before this, Mom has already told me that you will be very busy with work considering how big the company is. Hence, I’m mentally prepared for it. It just breaks my heart to see how tired you are.”
Damian chuckled before kissing Wrenna on her cheeks.
“Is there anything that Mom hasn’t told you?”
Wrenna tilted her head with a smile. “There is. Mom said that she can’t tell me everything. There are certain things that I have to explore by myself. Only by doing so would it be interesting. Or else, once the sense of mystery is gone, I will quickly lose interest in you. Haha… Mom even said that you and your dad are alike, in the sense that both of you are equally boring. She’s worried that once I see through you, I’ll cast you aside instead.”
Dumbfounded, Damian defended himself, “Mom is wrong, so don’t listen to her.”
What’s Mom doing? Does she even have my best interest at heart?
As Wrenna giggled in response, Damian didn’t say anything further. Worried that she might say something that embarrassed him, he quickly went out for a jog.
After breakfast, Wrenna watched Damian leave for work before she packed and headed for school.
She went to class, drew, got feedback from her editor, and researched the menu for the next day. Although she was very busy, she still couldn’t shake off Stella’s words from the back of her mind.
However, she didn’t need to wait for long before hearing from Colton.
He sent all the information to Wrenna’s email. Once she was done reading it, she was filled with mixed emotions.
“Wrenna, although there really is a hospital record of the miscarriage, it doesn’t mean that it’s true. For all you know, Stella might have paid someone to fabricate it. In fact, she might have even planned it a few years ago. Also, there’s another possibility that she did carry a child but it wasn’t Damian’s. Therefore, given all the possibilities, you shouldn’t take this seriously. Instead, you should focus on living your life happily with Damian considering how compatible both of you are,” Colton consoled Wrenna over the phone.
However, Wrenna knew that those possibilities were unlikely to be true.
There’s no way she could’ve faked the reports a few years ago because she was just a student without any power or influence back then. As for the child, how can it not be Damian’s?
As tears welled up in her eyes, she wasn’t sure whom she was shedding tears for.
Is it for myself, the child that was lost, or Damian? Perhaps, it might even be for Stella. If what happened back then was a misunderstanding, would Damian feel bad for Stella when he finds out? Would he change his mind and get back together with her?
