Prologue

Stella stood before a grand and elegant portrait adorned with intricate woodcarvings and delicate designs. It was the first thing you'd notice when you step into the mansion, positioned at the very center, impossible to miss. It was breathtaking.

The portrait depicted two men standing on either side, slightly behind a magnificent sofa. At the center of it all, she was seated, the only daughter in the family. To her right was her father, and to her left, her stunning mother... or rather, stepmother.

"What a lovely, happy family" she muttered to herself with a sarcastic tone and a smile tugging at her lips.

Her gaze lingered on one of the two men standing in the portrait.

He was tall, his hair neatly swept back, with brown eyes that reminded her of autumn, warm yet distant. His thick, well-shaped brows framed his face perfectly, his long lashes casting soft shadows. And his lips... soft and plump, like ripe plums, perfectly complementing his fair complexion.

This photograph was taken when she was 18 years old.

The man she was staring at in the picture was none other than—

"Mathews" she blurted out his name without thinking.

Mathews Windsor.

She fell silent, the bitterness in her chest growing as she tried to understand how things had ended up like this.

I didn't want to say his name again, she thought.

"Stella?"

She was startled when someone placed a hand on her shoulder, but she quickly exhaled with relief when she realized it was just their old helper.

"It really is you, Stella!" The housekeeper smiled and embraced her.

"How have you been, dear? You've been away from the mansion for so long" the question came with concern from their longest-serving housekeeper.

"It's really me, Manang Delia. How about you? You've been working here for such a long time, yet nothing has changed it's still clean and beautiful here" she admired the elderly woman.

She glanced around, noticing the familiar cleanliness and brightness. Some of the furniture had been replaced, but a few old pieces from before she left four years ago were still here.

"Oh, you know me, Stella. I'm just grateful that I was allowed to keep working here despite my age" the old woman smiled warmly.

"By the way, have you eaten? I'm about to set the table for dinner since Mathews arrived earlier. You two can eat together. Just rest for now, dear, and I'll call you when it's ready"

The elderly woman hurried off to the kitchen.

Stella stood frozen in place, her mind reeling from the mention of him being there in the mansion.

Wait, why is he here?

I thought he moved to another house years ago, after I left?

The question lingered in her mind, but she was more nervous and scared than confused. After all these years, after everything that had happened between them. The pain, the heartache, the chaos in her mind caused by unexpected and teasing circumstances. Now, Mathews was here again. The man she had loved for so long, the one who had hurt her.