Chapter 4 Margery Cried!

In Borian House, a black Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan pulled in, and the woman inside had delicate features and an ethereal aura. Margery drove into the parking lot, then immediately took the elevator up to her front door. Her heart was a mix of nervousness and anticipation. Three years had passed, and Stefan had finally served his sentence and been released from prison. The thought that she hadn’t gone to pick him up upon his release—instead, she had been celebrating Fidel’s birthday—made her uneasy. But then… She glanced at the gift bag in her hand and smiled. On her way back, she had specially bought an Audemars Piguet watch worth several hundred thousand, intending to give it to Stefan. She believed he would calm down once he received it. Ding! Margery opened the door and faintly caught the smell of something burnt, like ashes, lingering in the air. A look of surprise crossed her face, and she instinctively called out, “Stefan, I’m home…” The room was utterly quiet, with only her own voice echoing back. Was Stefan not home? Margery paused for a moment, then stepped inside. She called out several more times but still received no response. She opened the doors to each room one by one—all were empty, with no sign of anyone. In an instant, a wave of unease washed over her. She quickly pulled out her phone and dialed Stefan’s number. “Sorry, the number you have dialed cannot be reached at the moment…” Margery’s expression froze. She tried several more times, but each attempt yielded the same automated message. She opened WhatsApp, typed out a message, “Stefan, where are you”, and hit send. As soon as the message went through, a bright red exclamation mark appeared on the screen, stinging her eyes. Stefan had blocked her—not just on WhatsApp, but her phone number too. In that moment, it felt as if all the strength had been drained from Margery’s body. Her face turned pale, and she staggered backward, bumping into the sofa behind her before collapsing onto it, powerless. “Why… why is this happening…” Clutching her phone tightly, Margery murmured to herself. This wasn’t how she had imagined things would go. She had thought Stefan would return home after leaving Ambrosia Pavilion, but that wasn’t the case. Just then, her phone rang. She immediately picked it up and saw it was a call from her best friend, Lillian. “Hey, Lillian…” Margery answered, her voice weak and lifeless. “Margery, are you home yet?” “I just got back…” “What about Stefan? Have you cleared things up with him?” “He’s not home. He misunderstood… He blocked me. I can’t reach him at all now!” Margery’s voice trembled, her eyes beginning to redden. Regret and guilt started to spread through her entire being. “Lillian, did I do something wrong? I didn’t pick Stefan up when he was released, and he saw me drinking a cross-cup toast with Fidel…” “Margery, don’t overthink it. Drinking a cross-cup toast with Fidel was just part of a game. Once you explain it to Stefan, everything will be fine, right?” “Right, as long as I explain it to him, he’ll forgive me…” Margery murmured. Earlier, at Fidel’s birthday party, everyone had played a spinning wheel game. The wheel was marked with various birthday activities, like singing a song for the birthday person or offering a blessing. When it was Margery’s turn to spin, the pointer landed on “Drink a cross-cup toast with the birthday person,” so she had no choice but to share a toast with Fidel. She never expected that Stefan would walk in and see exactly that. “But how can I explain it to him if I can’t even reach him?” “Margery, you’re really letting this get to you. Stefan just got out of prison. He has no family or friends in River City—where could he possibly go? I bet he’ll show up at your doorstep by tomorrow at the latest. He willingly went to prison for you—do you really think he’d just walk away? Don’t worry, he’ll come back on his own.” “I know Stefan has always been good to me. I should have picked him up when he was released today, but you insisted on dragging me to Fidel’s birthday dinner…” “Fidel’s birthday only comes once a year. He just returned to the country and doesn’t have many friends here—we should show our support. Besides, now that Stefan is out, you two will have plenty of time together. It’s not a big deal if you didn’t pick him up. He’s a man—he should be understanding. If he can’t even handle something this small, he’s being too petty…” “Alright, stop talking. I know I was in the wrong. I just hope you’re right and Stefan comes back by tomorrow.” Exhausted both physically and emotionally, Margery hung up after saying this. It was only then that Margery noticed a brazier placed in the living room. It was filled with ashes, and the faint smell of something burnt still lingered in the air. Margery hurried over and saw remnants in the brazier that hadn’t been fully burned—like corners of photographs. Her heart skipped a beat, and a strong sense of dread washed over her. Amid the ashes in the brazier, something glimmered faintly. Without a second thought—despite her usual fastidiousness—Margery reached into the thick layer of ashes and pulled out a diamond ring, now blackened and yellowed from the fire. Holding the ring, Margery stood frozen, as if she had lost her soul. She stared at it, unblinking, as crystal-clear tears streamed down her smooth cheeks, dripping onto the floor. It finally dawned on her—the man who had always cherished her had prepared a diamond ring on the day of his release, intending to propose to her! And what had she been doing? Celebrating another man’s birthday. How unfair and cruel this must have been for him… “How laughable, Margery… You’re truly laughable…” Her lips trembled as choked sobs escaped her. Tears flowed uncontrollably, like a burst dam, and her heart ached as if pierced by needles. Looking at the remnants in the brazier, Margery suddenly realized something. Clutching the ring tightly in her palm, she murmured, “No… it can’t be… It just can’t be…” Blinded by tears, she rushed into the bedroom and flung open the wardrobe—only to find that all of Stefan’s clothes were gone. She dashed to the study, the bathroom, the shoe cabinet… without exception, every item belonging to Stefan had vanished. Even the photos of the two of them were gone, leaving only charred fragments in the brazier. Everything was gone. As if he had never existed in her world. “Stefan… left?!” Margery’s mind went blank. She stood there, stunned, before collapsing onto the cold floor. Her head hung low, powerless, and her smooth, long hair cascaded down like a waterfall. “Hic… hic…” Gradually, suppressed, regretful sobs began to echo through the room, interspersed with fragmented murmurs and calls— “Stefan, I’m sorry… I know I was wrong… “Stefan, where are you? Where exactly are you… Please come back…” Little did Margery know that Stefan was currently at the Stewart Mansion, accompanying the family members to the West Compound Villa.