Without warning, Dominic grabbed Stella's wrist, his grip shackling her.
Stella winced, her brow furrowing as she glanced up at him. His eyes, however, were fixed on Celine, who was laughing and chatting with another guy, clearly enjoying herself. The sight made Stella's stomach twist, but she didn't let it show.
She sighed, trying to remove her hand, but Dominic's grip wouldn't budge.
"If you can't hold it in any longer," he snapped, his voice sharp with frustration, "just go apologize and make up."
Stella’s chest tightened. 'Why was it always her who had to be the one to fix things when Dominic fought with Celine?'
She bit back her frustration, but it was getting harder to hold on.
It wasn't until Celine reached for a third bottle of alcohol, about to drink herself into oblivion, that Dominic finally lost his cool. He snatched the bottle out of her hand with a force that startled everyone in the room.
“Drinking this much? Are you trying to kill yourself?” he hissed, his voice full of disbelief.
But Celine wasn't having it. She shot him a hurt look, almost playful like she wasn't taking him seriously at all.
“Why do you care what I do?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Aren't you supposed to be spending time with your girlfriend? For her birthday?”
Her eyes flickered toward Stella, a malicious gleam flashing in them.
At that moment, every eye in the room turned toward Stella. The atmosphere grew thick with mockery. Subtle smirks, quiet whispers, and veiled malice surrounded her. But she didn't flinch. She met their stares with a calm that bordered on eerie, unshaken. No shame. No embarrassment.
She had been here before.
Celine took a few deliberate steps toward Stella, her bottle still in hand, a smug grin spreading across her face. "Stella, everyone says I'm just the clingy mistress, and you're the real girlfriend. But that's not true.”
Her voice cracked as she feigned crying. "I'm just sick, okay? I want Nicky to spend more time with me. You won't mind, right?”
Her words came out in desperation, but Stella didn't buy it for a second.
Stella let out a soft, almost disbelieving laugh. “I do mind. If you didn't mind, you wouldn't be clinging to him, would you?"
The bluntness of Stella's remark surprised Celine. She froze, and her eyes widened, unsure of how to respond. Stella had caught her off guard for once, and there was no way out.
Before Celine could regroup, Dominic stepped in, his brow furrowing in confusion and disappointment. He placed himself between them, making Stella look like she had just kicked a puppy.
"Celine has depression. Why are you picking on her?" he asked, his tone full of doubt.
He turned to Stella, his voice dripping with annoyance. "Apologize to Celine."
Stella's eyes hardened. She couldn't remember the last time he'd spoken to her like that.
She gave him a cold, dismissive sneer before returning to Celine. Without missing a beat, Stella grabbed the bottle from Celine's hand, tilted it back, and downed it in one go.
Still smiling, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Enjoy yourselves, everyone, but I'll pass."
With that, she turned and walked away, heading for the bathroom.
Once inside, she vomited violently, her stomach churning as the room spun around her. It felt like she was purging every last bit of her patience, every ounce of her hope.
After a few minutes, she leaned against the bathroom sink, trying to steady herself. Her body trembled as she gathered her thoughts.
The door opened with a creak, and Celine walked in, flanked by two of her followers. The usual smile was gone, replaced by a cold, vicious glare.
The girls quickly closed in on Stella, pinning her down with ease.
Without warning, Celine slapped her. The sound of skin-on-skin echoed in the small space.
The sting of the slap shot through Stella's cheek, shocking her more than anything else.
"Stella,” Celine sneered, her voice laced with venom. "Do you think your little game of 'playing hard to get' is working? Do you think Nicky will fall for you because of this? Let me show you whether he loves you or me."
Stella’s eyes narrowed, her breath coming in shallow bursts, but Celine's behavior turned darker before she could speak.
In an unexpected and disturbing move, Celine began slapping herself—hard. Each strike was more forceful than the last until her face was bruised and swollen, her skin an angry shade of red. The manic laughter that followed made Stella's skin crawl.
This wasn't depression. No, this looked more like mania.
Before Stella could process what was happening, the door burst open. Dominic appeared frantic, his eyes wide with panic.
The moment Celine saw him, she collapsed into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Nicky!” she cried, her voice a jumbled mess of desperation. "I just wanted to care for Stella, but… she… she hit me! What did I do wrong?”
Her words were incoherent, her body trembling as she buried her face in his chest. "I know Stella's your girlfriend, I get it. I'm just the past, but I can't stop loving you. Do I not even have the right to love you anymore silently?”
Her tears poured down her face, her sobs so loud they seemed to fill the entire room.
Dominic's expression softened, pity flooding his gaze as he looked down at Celine. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. But then, his eyes flickered toward Stella.
Fury twisted his face.
“Stella, have you gone crazy?!” he shouted, his voice rising angrily. "How could you be so cruel?!"
His words hit Stella like a slap. 'Vicious?'
She felt a sickening twist in her stomach.
"If anything happens to Celine," Dominic hissed, "you'll pay big time!"
His words were a punch to the gut. Without waiting for her to respond, Dominic scooped Celine up in his arms, rushing toward the door with desperation.
Without a second glance at Stella, he bolted out of the room, his footsteps echoing as he rushed to the hospital.
And Stella stood there, her body trembling, her mind reeling.
