Chapter 288: Predicament
"So doesn't that mean I'm completely stuck?" Yosef clenched his fists.
Amelia saw the genuine sadness in his eyes.
He looked at Amelia almost pleadingly, "Amelia, I'm begging you. For the sake of me helping you out a few times before, can you help methis one time? Stella really admires you and is grateful to you. She'll listen towhatever you have to say say."
Yosef wasn't the type to call in favors.
The fact that hebrought up the issue about helping Amelia before today meant he was truly out of options.
Amelia was smart—maybe she had a solution.
Plus, Stella and Amelia had a special relationship.
You could say Amelia was Stella's salvation.
If Amelia hadn't helped back then, Stella might not have survived.
Amelia didn't say anything, just turned the cup in her hands.
She didn't drink alcohol—the cup held warm milk.
An idea slowly became clear in her mind.
Only then did she speak, "I've thought of an idea."
Yosef's eyes immediately lit up.
"Tell me!"
But Amelia didn't say it right away. Instead, she said, "I need to ask Stella what she thinks first. This is between you two. I can't just listen to your side—I need to make sure she's willing too."
"Of course. Her hometown is not far from here. We can go find her."
"Okay."
And so it was decided.
The two returned to the guesthouse around 2 a.m.
Amelia took off her clothes but didn't dare get close to Natalie and Faith, afraid the cold air she brought in from outside would wake them.
But Natalie woke up anyway.
She actively let Amelia slip into her blanket and warmed Amelia's hands with her own.
But Natalie said nothing and asked nothing.
Amelia's heart warmed up too.
Natalie really was the best mom in the world.
Leaning against Natalie's shoulder, Amelia quickly fell asleep.
The next day arrived in a flash.
The plan for the day was supposed to be going to the mountains to see the snow, but the guesthouse owner came over and told them the snow was so heavy it had knocked down many trees, blocking the mountain road. It would take at least until tomorrow to clear.
This gave Amelia and Yosef the perfect opportunity.
She gave Yosef a look, and he understood. Making an excuse about going out for a smoke, he actually called Stella.
A moment later, he came back smiling and said, "I have a friend who lives nearby. Since we can't go to the mountains today anyway, why don't we visit her? We can head over after lunch and have dinner there—we'll cook ourselves."
"Would that be okay? Won't we be bothering her?" Natalie asked.
Amelia chimed in, "I know that friend too. She has a really nice personality and we're pretty close. She'll be happy we're coming, not bothered at all."
Only then did Natalie feel reassured.
Everyone stayed at the guesthouse all morning, occasionally going out to build snowmen.
The guesthouse owner found some playing cards in the yard's storage room for them.
"These were my son's. He rarely comes back now, so you're welcome to use them for a couple days."
"Thank you."
After thanking him, they sat down to play cards.
Natalie knew how to play too, so Natalie, Faith, Grant, and Amelia sat down together.
Grant was still terrible but loved playing, successfully becoming the biggest loser.
"Now we've got money for this trip," Amelia said with a smile.
Grant huffed and said, "Don't celebrate yet—it's not over! Let's keep going!"
Time passed quickly, and soon it was 2 p.m.
Yosef walked into the living room and said, "My friend is ready. We can head over anytime."
"Let's go then. We're the guests—we shouldn't keep her waiting."
At Natalie's words, Grant reluctantly put down his cards.
The group took two cars again, but this time Amelia rode with Yosef.
They talked a lot on the way.
From Yosef, Amelia learned that Stella hadn't chosen to return to her hometown—she'd been "exiled" there by her family.
Stella's family, the Hughes family, had all moved to Thornfield, but their thinking was still very conservative. They thought a divorced woman brought shame to her family.
For the sake of their reputation, they wouldn't let Stella live in the big house in Thornfield and made her stay in her hometown, out of sight.
Amelia's brow furrowed.
"The Hughes family are that kind of people?"
"Her mother even thought about making her commit suicide to protect the Hughes family's reputation. Her father beat her up right after the divorce. I only found out later."
Amelia's face turned completely cold.
Then Yosef said, "Her brother is actually normal, but he's really scared of their parents. He only dares to secretly visit her sometimes."
Amelia made a mental note of this.
The car drove for less than twenty minutes before arriving at Stella's house.
It was a newly renovated small villa that looked particularly out of place compared to the surrounding farmhouse courtyards.
But there was also a yard here, empty except for one parked car.
As soon as the car pulled up, Stella came out to greet them.
"Amelia!"
Seeing Amelia, Stella was very happy.
At first she thought Yosef was lying to her, because last night she'd said she didn't want to see him anymore and told him not to come back.
Now actually seeing Amelia and her family and friends, she was sure Yosef hadn't lied.
The two groups met and introduced themselves. Stella greeted everyone, then said, "Come in quick, it's cold outside. I bought some ingredients. How about we have stew for dinner?"
"Sounds great, we're not picky."
As Amelia spoke, she looked around the house.
It looked fairly new on the outside, but inside you could see hints of decay.
Stella's life really wasn't going well.
Amelia had thought that after the divorce, Stella would be able to live a good life.
So when Stella didn't reach out, she didn't disturb Stella's peace either.
But in the car, Yosef told her that the Hughes family wouldn't let Stella leave this town, much less go to Thornfield.
Stella had her own dreams.
Amelia remembered Stella once mentioning she wanted to study abroad and pursue computer science.
She'd majored in computer science as an undergrad, but before she could show her talents, the Hughes family forced her to marry Philip.
Being trapped here—what difference was there from being trapped in the Dobbins family before?
She'd just fallen from one abyss into another pit.
The house had plenty of heat, but Amelia felt that Stella's hands were a bit cold.
Her heart was probably cold too.
In that moment, Amelia made a certain decision.
...
When everyone went to prepare the ingredients, Amelia went upstairs to chat with Stella.
"Yosef told me everything about you two," she said straight out.
She didn't mention seeing them last night—girls care about their dignity, unlike Yosef who wouldn't care if you told him directly.
Downstairs, Yosef sneezed lightly.
Upstairs, when Stella heard Amelia say this, her face filled with surprise, then her ears turned red.
"Amelia, I—I'm not that kind of shameless woman. He and I don't have anything going on. Before the divorce, we never even held hands."
Only last night, Yosef had kissed her.
Because she'd told him never to come see her again.
That's when he got desperate and kissed her hard.
Amelia grabbed Stella's hand and patted the back of it gently.
"Stella, I know what kind of person you are. You don't need to explain. You're already divorced—who you're with is your freedom."
Stella paused, then smiled bitterly and said, "I don't have that kind of freedom. You probably don't know—my family sent me back here."
Otherwise she wouldn't have left the big city to return to this remote snow mountain resort that only gets tourists in winter.
The entire village here had fewer than two hundred people.
Amelia was silent for two seconds, then said, "What if I told you I could help you get your freedom back?"
Stella's eyes shot up to meet hers, a glimmer of light flashing in them.
"What do you mean?"
Amelia carefully explained her plan to Stella.
Then she said, "But I need to know what you think."
Stella lowered her eyes, then looked up a moment later, her gaze determined.
"I'm willing! Yosef is genuine with me and respects me. I've never been respected like this before. I'm willing to be with him."
"Good." Amelia nodded. "Then we'll go with the plan."
She said much more, and Stella took it all in.
"This will also need your brother's help. You need to find a time to tell him."
"Okay. We agreed he'd come see me in a few days. I'll tell him then. He'll help me."
"Good."
After talking, both of them composed their expressions before heading downstairs looking relaxed.
"I prepared some small gifts for everyone."
Stella took out a bag and said, "Nothing special, just some souvenirs I made myself."
She pulled things out of the bag—they turned out to be miniature carvings.
Some were little boats made from walnuts, others were even more delicate, requiring a magnifying glass to see what they were.
"So beautiful!" everyone exclaimed.
Stella smiled and said, "I'm glad you like them. Pick what you want, don't be shy. I have a lot of time—when I'm bored I make these little things to sell to tourists."
Natalie looked at Stella with surprise, then quickly looked away.
She knew who Stella was.
When Stella married Philip, the Dobbins family had invited her to attend.
Outside earlier, Natalie had recognized Stella.
But Stella didn't remember Natalie.
There had been too many guests at the wedding that day.
What surprised Natalie was that someone of Stella's status had to make handicrafts to sell to tourists.
But she'd never been one to meddle or gossip. She quickly regained her composure and praised Stella's skillful hands.
The group had a lively dinner together.
After eating, everyone played cards again.
They played until after 9 p.m. before saying goodbye to Stella and leaving.
"When are you leaving?" Stella asked Amelia.
"The day after tomorrow, first thing."
"I'll come see you off."
"Okay."
Amelia nodded and waved goodbye to Stella.
But when everyone got back, they found two luxury cars parked at the guesthouse entrance.