Chapter 5 Insomnia
Chapter 5 Insomnia
Stella wasn’t the only one struggling to fall asleep that night.
Hannah tossed and turned in bed, wide awake.
She had seen Ethan trending.
She thought when he said he was busy, it meant something major was happening at the company.
She never expected that “busy” meant shopping with another woman.
No wonder she didn’t receive the hundred grand he’d promised, and he hadn’t sent any more money since.
So he had a new woman
But how? He was clearly
still into her!
In the end, she couldn’t resist and sent Ethan a message on WhatsApp.
“Ethan. were you out shopping with someone today?”
Ethan didn’t reply.
He was already asleep.
He’d always been a solid sleeper–out the moment his head hit the pillow.)
But at four in the morning, a call woke him up.
He rolled over and reached for the phone on his nightstand.
The screen showed an unfamiliar number.
Ethan had a habit. he always answered calls from unknown numbers.
Back when he first put out the missing person notices, he used his own number.
Later, there were too many prank calls, so they switched it to Tina’s
Then even Tina got overwhelmed, so it changed to a few of the secretaries.
Any valuable leads would get verified, reported to Tina, then passed on to Ethan.
But his number had never changed
Someone could’ve seen one of the old posters and decided to call.
He sai
up
in bed and tapped the screen, his voice still raspy. “Hello?”
There was a pause, then, a low, emotionless male voice came through. “I’m looking for Stella. Is she there?”
Ethan frowned. “Who are you? Why are you looking for her?”
Stella had just returned. Who the hell was calling for her at four in the morning?
Beep–beep–beep
The caller said nothing else and hung up.
Ethan stared at the screen, confused, then called the number back.
No one picked up.
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Chapter 5 Insomnia
In the dark, his expression hardened. Sleep was gone.
He opened WhatsApp and saw Hannah’s message.
His frown deepened.
Had she seen him shopping with Stella?
Didn’t seem likely.
If she had, she would’ve messaged right away–not at nearly 1 a.m.
Ethan had another thought and opened Twitter.
Now he got it.
Some paparazzi must’ve snapped a photo.
He usually didn’t follow gossip or scroll through Twitter. If anything came up, Tina would give him a summary.
Why hadn’t she said anything? Maybe she hadn’t seen it either?
It was too late to ask now.
His mind went back to the phone call.
He fiddled with the bracelet around his wrist.
Had someone seen the trending post and recognized Stella, then called?
But why at four in the morning?
And why hang up after calling?
Could it have been Lucas?
Lucas had chased after Stella for three years back in the day. He could’ve recognized her from a profile or a blurry photo.
That guy was a scumbag–two–faced, and used Hannah to stir up hype. He was no good.
Stella probably still liked him. That was the real problem. Ethan couldn’t let Lucas get near her again.
His temple twitched. He blocked the number.
He thought about replying to Hannah, but she might already be asleep. Messaging back could wake her up.
So he set the phone down and went back to sleep.
Stella had been curious about the late–night call, but she wasn’t the type to cavesdrop.
She drank some water in the living room and didn’t return to her room
She still couldn’t sleep, so she stepped onto the second–floor balcony, propping her chin on one hand as she stared at the sky.
At four in the morning, Ashford was silent–like a slumbering dragon..
The sky was a hazy gray, visibility low.
Which was why she didn’t see the car parked by the roadside outside the villa.
Inside the car, a pair of sticky eyes were locked on her.
The air was cool, tinged faintly with the scent of blood. A dull pain throbbed in a palm.
But the handsome man’s face was lit with excitement
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Chapter 5 Insomnia
Veins popped at his temples–not ugly, but rather hauntingly beautiful in a dangerous way.
Stella was really back. This wasn’t a dream.
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As soon as Nathan saw that side–profile photo, he’d had his assistant pull over and drove straight to Ethan’s home himself.
He was Ethan’s investor. Getting his address wasn’t difficult.
The gates were locked. He couldn’t see inside, which made him anxious.
Logic and emotion battled
inside him.
Logic said he was wrong. Stella had died–eleven years ago.
But his gut and his heart screamed that it was her in that photo.
Ethan was her brother. Them shopping together made sense.
But how? How could someone who had been dead for eleven years just reappear?
The conflict tore him apart. He felt like he was dying inside.
He wanted to confirm it, but had no good way.
He couldn’t just storm the villa
He might scare her–or worse, be wrong again and crush himself all over again.
He had mistaken other people for Stella countless times over the years. Sometimes he’d travel halfway across the country just
to check.
They never found a body. She could’ve survived–could be living anywhere.
Too many disappointments. Too much heartbreak.
He’d lingered outside the gates, hesitating until just now, when he found Ethan’s number and called.
The call confirmed it.
Stella was alive.
If she weren’t, Ethan would’ve snapped and called him crazy–or said she’d been dead for years.
Instead, he instinctively asked who was calling and what they wanted with Stella.
That told Nathan everything,
But then he looked up at the villa again-
And saw a small, blurry silhouette on the second–floor balcony,
His chest clenched, nearly bursting open.
The face that haunted his dreams was right there. Less than fifty meters away.
The overwhelming joy hit like a wave, ready to drown him.
Until he took the small knife in the car and sliced his palm.
The pain pulled him back. It proved it wasn’t a dream.
It was real.
Hidden in the dark, a refined man with silver–rimmed glasses stared obsessively at the balcony.
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Tracing every inch of her shape with his eyes.
Even after the silhouette disappeared, he kept staring, unmoving.
She might come back out. She might.
A sudden thought struck him. He frowned.
Could her insomnia be acting up?
Another thought surfaced. The man adjusted his glasses with one finger, lips curling into a stunning smile.
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“What’s with those dark circles?”
Early that morning. Ethan nearly jumped when he saw Stella.
She was sitting at the table, eating breakfast Tina had brought. Her voice was drained. “Couldn’t sleep last night. I only nodded off around five, then woke up again.”
That reminded Ethan of her sleep issues. He sat across from her. “Should we buy the same bed as before?”
Stella shook her head. “It won’t help. It’s not the bed—it’s the place. Do you know who bought our old villa? Can you contact them and see if they’ll sell it back?”
“I’m not sure. It’s probably changed hands a few times.”
There were too many memories in that house. He hadn’t dared look into it
Tina chimed in, I’ll check today”
Stella leaned affectionately on Tina’s shoulder. “Thanks, Tina! Mwah!”
Tina’s cheeks flushed pink.
She’d thought the legendary school beauty and genius would be distant.
She hadn’t expected Stella to be so bright and lively–impossible not to like.
Tina peeled an egg for her before reporting Ethan’s schedule for the day..
After hearing it, Ethan asked, “Did you see what was going on with Twitter yesterday?” Tina glanced at Stella.
Stella raised a brow, expression indifferent as she looked at Ethan. “I told her to ignore it.”
