Juliette, sensing the tension, quickly intervened, saying, “Matthew, you’ve got it all wrong. It’s me who’s expecting. Stella was just accompanying me to the hospital today.”
Caught off guard and visibly relieved, Matthew’s reaction only served to upset Stella further.
Removing Juliette’s hand from hers, Stella said softly, “I don’t feel well. I’m going to lie down for a bit.”
She then turned around to head upstairs.
Juliette and Oliver exchanged worried glances, both turning their attention to Matthew almost instinctively.
Realizing his mistake and the pain it caused Stella, Matthew stated simply, “Go ahead and enjoy your evening. I need to talk to Stella.”
With a concerned glance toward where Stella had gone, Juliette said, “Forget about us. You should have a nice talk with Stella.”
Matthew nodded and headed upstairs.
Stella dashed to her room and flopped down on her bed. She couldn’t help but feel down, thinking about how Matthew had acted.
She heard the door open behind her but didn’t bother to look.
Matthew sat down beside her and softly ran his hand over her back.
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Stella, feeling irritated, quickly moved his hand away and snapped, “Don’t touch me.”
“I get that you’re upset with me, but could you hear me out first?”
Matthew asked, his voice soft.
Stella flipped over, sitting up to face him with a scowl. “Fine, I’m all ears,” she said, clearly annoyed.
Matthew was tempted to tease her by pinching her cheek as he saw her angry
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expression, but the moment he reached out, Stella swiftly moved away.
“Don’t even think about touching me until I’ve heard a good enough reason from you!” she warned him.
Matthew pulled his hand back, offering a sheepish smile, and then paused for a moment before he opened up about various experiences from his childhood.
In the end, he concluded, “I’ve been suffering from claustrophobia since then, and I wasn’t sure how to handle the idea of welcoming a new baby. I’ve never really known what it’s like to feel fatherly love, so I’m at a loss about how to be a good dad.”
Stella remembered when she had just returned to work as Matthew’s assistant. Back then, Matthew struggled with flying on planes.
Stella’s heart felt heavy.
Matthew took Stella’s hand and said, “I’ll work on letting go of all the negativity, but I need some time. I know my words hurt you earlier, and I hope you can overlook them. Believe me, I love you.”
Stella’s anger cooled a bit, and she felt more pity for him.
Tears welled up in her eyes. “You’ve never shared this with me before.”