Chapter 41

Upon hearing Ethan's words, Stella finally realized that the end of the month was her birthday. Many children in the orphanage couldn't remember their exact birth dates, so the director would usually designate the day they entered the orphanage as their birthday. Stella's birthday in the orphanage was May 26th, the same day as her wedding. Except for Natalie, no one knew that day used to be her birthday. As for Stella's birthday after she returned to the Carlson family, it was at the end of October. She and Ethan had been "married" for five months. Looking at the necklace in her hand, Stella smiled and asked, "So this is also a birthday present?" The man shook his head. "No, just consider it a... small gift." He just happened to think of her when he saw this necklace and imagined that it would look good on her fair and delicate skin. As for the birthday gift... there were others. Stella nodded at his words and said softly, "Okay." "Okay what?" Ethan lowered his gaze to look at her. "I said okay to go on a honeymoon," she said. A faint smile appeared at the corners of the man's lips. ... Because they needed to free up the end of the month for vacation, Stella sorted out all her work and prepared to resolve all important matters before their honeymoon. So, work became extremely busy. The adoption procedures for Alex were quite complex, and the day for sending him abroad was finally set for the day before Stella and Ethan's honeymoon. The workweek flew by in a rush, and before they knew it, it was already the weekend. Stella squeezed out some time to attend the wedding of Shane and Wendy. As Stella was about to leave, Ethan leaned against the door and asked her again, "Are you sure you don't need me to accompany you?" Stella paused, reassuring him, "You need to watch over Alex at home, and you know... Natalie will go there by herself, I need to accompany her." Last time Stella just casually mentioned it, thinking that Ethan would be busy as he had been spending most weekends in the study or in meetings. But unexpectedly, he had some free time. However, because of Natalie's complicated relationship with Juan and Aiden, it wasn't convenient for her to bring Ethan along. Stella thought for a moment and persuaded Ethan to stay at home. With a subtle droop of his eyelids and a casual raise of his eyebrows, his voice light and composed, he uttered, "Then, I'll wait for you at home." But somehow, Stella always sensed his implicit plea: "Come back early." Ethan's demeanor conveyed a sense of being wronged. ... The wedding was held at a church. The church was near the Zenith University and had a vintage architectural style. It was said to be the place where the bride and groom had fallen in love. It was a small-scale event, with only a few close friends and relatives invited. The wedding ceremony was simple yet heartwarming. Wendy's father didn't attend, so her uncle played the role of the father, leading her to Shane's side. The bride wore a pure white wedding gown, her beautiful face radiating with happiness. Even Shane, who was usually quiet and reserved, had a faint smile on his lips throughout the ceremony. The two newlyweds exchanged vows and rings, holding hands and looking at each other in front of everyone. They were a perfect match, both in talent and appearance. After the ceremony, Stella and Natalie walked over to the newlyweds who were not far away. Shane was two years younger than Natalie and half a year younger than Stella. Stella smiled as she took the champagne from the gift table and clinked glasses with the bride and groom. "Congratulations on your wedding! Wishing you a lifetime of love and happiness together." "Thank you, Stella," Wendy smiled brightly. "I've heard from Shane that you've helped him a lot in the past." Natalie quite liked Wendy and chuckled at her words. "He's always been a man of few words, like a silent bean. He's been lucky to have you." Shane didn't refute and just glanced at Wendy, nodding slightly. "Indeed." Although they hadn't been in touch much in recent years, they had grown up together after all. Stella felt a wave of comfort wash over her and said, "The director must be very happy to see you getting married." Shane had been abandoned at the orphanage gate as a few-month-old baby and was frail as a child. The director had always been very worried about him. Shane lowered his gaze and said, "Yeah, in a few days, I'll take Wendy back to Mountside County." The orphanage where the three of them had lived was in Mountside County, and the director was buried there too. Stella hesitated for a moment, feeling a bit melancholic. "Speaking of which, you helped a lot while the director was sick." At that time, both she and Natalie were not there, and only Shane was by the director's side. When she called the orphanage later, it was Shane who answered. "I didn't do much. In the end, it was thanks to a friend of Aaron in Kenwest who took the director to the hospital," Shane said. "His friend in Kenwest?" Stella asked. Shane nodded. "When the director couldn't get a hospital bed, his friend came over and took her to the city hospital." Kenwest was the capital of Skyloop, not far from Mountside County, but the medical facilities at Kenwest City Hospital were certainly better than those in the county. Stella furrowed her brows slightly. She had never heard of Aaron having friends in Kenwest. But realizing she was drifting into thoughts about Aaron again, she quickly pushed aside that train of thought. ... After attending the wedding, the two of them got into Natalie's car. Stella had just had a few glasses of champagne, her face slightly flushed. She lazily leaned back in the chair, her eyes squinting gently as she opened the car window, feeling the gentle breeze brushing over her cheeks comfortably. Natalie looked at her expression and asked with a smile, "Are you getting along well with Ethan now?" Stella nodded, "I suppose it's pretty good." "I feel like you've relaxed a lot since getting married. Now, you're almost like when you were at the orphanage," Natalie said. "Really?" Stella glanced back at her. Natalie pondered for a few seconds, then said, "Back then, you were relaxed when facing me and the orphanage director, but after returning to the Carlson family, every time I saw you, it seemed like you were suppressing your emotions." Stella looked at the night scenery outside the car window, saying, "Maybe, I used to feel like the orphanage was more like home." She had lived in the orphanage for more than 10 years, but was suddenly told she had relatives, and her life changed drastically in an instant. When the orphanage director said not to come back anymore, she was a bit lost. If given the choice, she would rather live in the relaxed atmosphere of the orphanage than the cautious aristocratic life of those years. Although it wasn't a wealthy life, the director never let them go hungry. After leaving the orphanage, she always felt a lack of belonging in the Carlson family. She had spent many years away from Seattle, much longer than she had lived in the Carlson family's villa. The decision to return home was only for her grandfather. Hearing this, Natalie raised an eyebrow and asked, "What about now?" If Stella once felt only the orphanage was like home, what about now? "Now?" Stella slightly furrowed her brow, as if suddenly caught in some difficult contemplation, and didn't respond further. Seeing her somewhat conflicted expression, Natalie knew that although Stella appeared quite sober, she was actually a bit drunk. The car stopped in front of the villa, and Stella opened her eyes. "Have we arrived already?" "Yes, Miss. Can you manage to get out of the car?" Natalie chuckled as she looked at her. Stella opened the car door and got out, waving goodbye to Natalie. Then she stood there, seemingly preparing to watch Natalie's car leave. Seeing her steady footsteps, and catching a glimpse of the man standing by the French windows, Natalie shook her head with a smile, then drove away. The car disappeared from view. Stella stood still for a moment before turning towards the villa's entrance. Before she could even press her fingerprint, as she arrived at the front of the villa, the door had already been opened from the inside. Seeing the man's face clearly, Stella walked up to him, squinting and smiling, "Ethan, I'm home." Feeling heavy-headed, she vaguely remembered someone saying they would be waiting for her at home before she left. "Welcome back," Ethan uttered softly, glancing at her, then led her inside. As the man closed the door, Stella remained silent, standing motionless in the foyer. Catching a whiff of the faint scent of alcohol on her, Ethan furrowed his brow, "Have you been drinking?" "Oh, just a little," Stella nodded absentmindedly, then added, "I was quite happy to see Shane getting married today." Indeed, she was quite happy, but after the happiness, her head felt kind of fuzzy now. The man's expression froze slightly, he made a soft grunt, then casually raised his eyebrows and said, "He's getting married, why does that make you happy?" If he had known she would come back like this, he should have gone with her. Stella furrowed her brow, pondered for a moment, then replied, "If you were getting married, I'd be happy too." Hearing this, Ethan pursed his lips, his tone slightly subdued, "If I were getting married, you'd be happy?" Stella nodded, looking puzzled at him, "Of course, aren't we already married?" Before she even fell for him, she had already turned him into her husband. With odds like winning the lottery, why wouldn't she be happy? Ethan remained silent, seemingly unable to come up with a retort. Seeing his lack of response, Stella raised her eyes slightly, gazing steadily at the man in front of her. After a moment's pause, she reached out her slender fingers and gently smoothed out the furrow on his brow. Unexpectedly, just as she was about to retract her hand, the man quickly grasped it. Gazing at her flushed cheeks, Ethan swallowed hard and his voice lowered, husky, "Stella, are you taking advantage of me again?" Hearing his words, Stella blinked in confusion, shaking her head, "This isn't taking advantage." Ethan chuckled lightly, then casually continued, "Really? Then what do you consider taking advantage?" With her eyes slightly lowered, Stella wrinkled her brows, pondering for a moment before flashing a smile at the man, "Maybe, like this—" She lightly tiptoed, and her soft lips kissed his lower lip. It was like skimming the surface of the water, fleeting in its touch. After the kiss, she savored it for a few seconds, then smiled and remarked, "Sweet." A strange silence fell upon the foyer. After a while, the man suddenly spoke up. "Stella." "Yes?" "When you wake up tomorrow, will you remember what happened today?" Seeing her furrow her brow in confusion, Ethan sighed, chuckled, and raised an eyebrow, "If you don't remember, it's okay, after all, there is indeed a camera in the living room. You watched me put it there yesterday."