Chapter Eighty
Third Person's POV;
Stella had become a shadow of herself within the last few days. Everyone seemed to be getting on with their lives and delving into the Christmas spirit but she was excluded.
She sat in her room all day and hardly ate anything. They were all worried and hoped she would come around soon.
She was too shamefaced to meet Amy. What was she supposed to say to her long lost daughter after her husband almost killed her and in fact killed her father. She just couldn't face her.
She stared at herself in the mirror and visibly cringed at how pale and unkempt she looked.
Stella dragged herself up and found her way down the silent hallway and into the study. She sat still for few seconds before reaching out to the drawers on her table.
Just like always, her intuition did not fail her. A part of her had always known that no matter how long it took, the truth would always be brought to light. And here it was staring her right in the face. It was more than what she thought it would be but who was she kidding? There was something fishy about how that mansion was razed down by a sudden war of flames.
She surfed through the drawers and got to the one place she had locked away all those memories. She never let anyone see them. She admitted to making her children forget all there was that had do with the past. It seemed she didn't try enough and Damien held on to the past all those years. And that, was why he hated her.
She was sorry, she truly was.
She ran her hands through the tangled mane on her head and sighed. She flipped through the pages of the oldest album there was in her possession. The dust was so much, she sneezed and coughed a few times.
She saw the fake smile on her face the day she first got married. She flipped over and saw inexcusable joy on George's face whenever she had a baby whether his or not and knew for a fact that she had truly wronged him. She was partly to blame for Gerald's actions, she led him into commiting such heinous crimes because she was so blind. Too blind to see that things were trailing down the wrong path but felt so right.
Page after page, the tears dropped more and more. The family portraits after each kid filled her eyes and her guilt drastically increased.
"I'm so sorry." She said when it came to the end. She hugged the large album to her chest and apologized profusely for her undoings. She was sorry for hurting George like that, she was sorry for letting something like this happen to Amy and even more sorry for not being there for Damien when she had to because she was so caught up in her love filled passion for Gerald.
She had ignored all the condemnation and disapproval and got remarried in less than a year after her first husband's death. She was selfish, she knew. And now she could not bear to face anyone.
She picked up her phone and called for a driver. Even though it was too late, she was going to ask for forgiveness and do right by her family. She would not let herself wallow in self pity, it was of no use to anyone.
She pushed herself off the seat and quickly freshened up before donning a classic all black outfit that befitted where she was headed.
She walked out, hoping she was not going to have to see anyone. She was sure almost everyone would have left for their various workplaces.
She got into the vehicle swiftly and had her driver take her through the long distance to the one place she hadn't been in a really long while.
"Do you need me to come with you ma'am?" Her personal guard had asked her.
She turned to him and shook her head. She needed to be alone so she could pour her heart out properly.
She carefully walked into the private cemetery the Kingston family owned.
She saw the graves of her in-laws and walked past them, inwardly heading down memory lane to the few times spent with them before their demises.
Then she saw the reason why she had come there in the first place.
"George William Kingston." She whispered painstakingly. She bent on her knees and dropped the white rose she had brought with her to the grave stone.
"George, I have been the worst wife and mother ever." She started solemnly.
"I'm sorry for all I did to you. I should never have been so careless, I should have been more patient with you and I really should have learned to love you but I was just so selfish. Wherever you are, I hope you can forgive me for my undoings. I know I don't deserve it but I'm begging you to please show me a little mercy for my ignorance." She wailed heavily as she poured her heart out, wetting the finely polished marble that covered the grave.
She heard slow footsteps coming from behind her and her heart raced in fright. Maybe this was her end, maybe it was her punishment to die so soon.
She shakily looked up and gasped in surprise when she saw who had graced the cemetery with their presents.
She gradually stood up on her feet and said nothing as they walked towards her slowly.
All clad in black, her twins silently dropped similar white roses on the grave of their father and she watched them in silence even as Amy sobbed on her father's resting place. Damien, pulling the strong front, had her head placed on his shoulder and rubbed soothingly on his sister's hair with a stoic expression etched on his face.
Several minutes passed and they were soon about to leave when she called after them, hoping they would not ignore her.
"Damien? Amy?" She called out in a shaky voice.
They both paused in their movements and as expected, Amy was the first to turn.
"I'm,"
She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried speaking again.
"I'm sorry for everything." She managed to get out before choking on a tear.
"I don't even know where to start but I know I've been the worst mother to you both and I'm really sorry about everything that I've done. Damien, I'm sorry for being such a selfish mother and it's no surprise that you hate me." She looked at him through her tear filled eyes and saw that he wasn't even sparing her a glance.
"Amelia, I really should not have forgotten about you just like that. I should have done better, I should not have ever let your siblings forget you just like that. I'm so so sorry." Both of them were crying messes by the time she finished her last sentence.
"I totally understand if you hate me and want me gone from your sights but I just need your forgiveness so I can die a happy woman. I'd leave and never return to your lives if you want me to." She promised earnestly.
"Mom, no." Amy hushed her with a comforting hug.
"I totally forgive and do not blame for anything. If you leave now, how do we recover all those times I lost, being away from you?"
Her daughter surely was a sweet soul. How did someone forgive so easily after all she had had to go through?
"Please don't say that. You're not going anywhere." Amy said gently and it brought a fresh set of tears to her eyes but happy and relieved ones this time.
"Thank you." Stella cried out in relief. She turned to Damien in high hopes but he said nothing and in fact walked out on both of them. Her heart sunk.
"I'm sure he'll come around." Amy asserted in a bid to pacify her.
But, Stella knew it was going to be an uphill task to get her son back but she was going to try. She was going to do better this time. This was her only chance and she would not let anything get in the way of her being a better mother to her children, especially Damien.
Having spent lots of time in there, they decided it was best they left the dead to rest while they went back into the world of the living.
They got out and saw that Damien's vehicle was nowhere in sight.
"He gets mad like that huh?" Amy spoke up somberly, apparently worried for her brother and how cold he had gotten over time.
"Trust me, you have no idea." She gave a humorless chuckle while Amy sighed.
"It'll get better." Amy being positive as always said with a forced grin.
"I hope so." She reached out and caressed her daughter's face softly before they got into the vehicle and headed back to the place they called home.
