Chapter 131: Did She Die?

The car pulled into the driveway of Winston’s mansion and slowly came to a stop in front of the large house, its headlights shining across the quiet driveway before switching off. For a few seconds, nobody moved.

The house looked exactly as it always did from the outside. But the silence around it felt different.

Mr. Winston opened his door and stepped out first. Stella followed him, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder as she looked toward the entrance.

Neither of them said anything.

The events of the day were still heavy on their minds.

Amelia was still in the hospital, and Sylvia was staying with her.

And even though the doctor had said Amelia was stable, the thought of their daughter lying unconscious in a hospital bed made it difficult for either of them to relax.

Mr. Winston closed the car door gently. Stella stood beside him, staring at the house.

She took a slow breath before walking toward the entrance with her husband.

The moment they stepped inside, the familiar warmth of their home surrounded them.

The lights were on, filling the living room with a soft glow. Everything was neat and in its usual place. The large sofa sat in the middle of the room, the glass table shining under the ceiling light, and the curtains were drawn over the tall windows.

It should have felt peaceful, but Stella couldn’t feel peaceful.

Her mind was still at the hospital.

She could still remember Amelia lying on the hospital bed.

Stella’s fingers tightened around the strap of her bag.

Mr. Winston walked a few steps into the living room before stopping. His eyes suddenly landed on someone sitting on the sofa.

Stella noticed it at the same time, and her steps stopped. Her eyes widened slightly.

Janina.

Janina was sitting comfortably on the sofa with a glass of wine in her hand.

She looked completely relaxed, as if she had been waiting there for hours.

Stella stared at her in surprise. For a moment, she wondered if she was seeing correctly.

Then Janina looked up.

A smile slowly appeared on her face. "You’re back."

Stella’s expression immediately changed. She looked at Janina for a few seconds before asking, "Why are you here?"

Her voice wasn’t warm. It wasn’t welcoming either.

It carried a clear note of surprise and discomfort.

Janina smiled. "I missed you."

The words sounded innocent, but Stella didn’t believe them.

She had known Janina since she was a child.

She had watched her grow up. She had seen the sweet smiles, the innocent expressions, and the way Janina could easily make people believe that she meant no harm.

But Stella had never trusted her.

Even as a child, there had always been something about Janina that made Stella uncomfortable.

Something hidden behind those innocent eyes. Something Stella could never explain properly.

Stella slowly looked at her husband.

Mr. Winston’s expression was equally difficult to read. He didn’t say anything.

Stella didn’t either. After a moment, she looked back at Janina.

"Okay then. You’re welcome," Stella said quietly.

She didn’t smile. She simply turned away, and Mr. Winston followed her.

They were about to leave the living room when Janina suddenly looked toward them.

Her smile disappeared for a moment. "Why’s Sylvia? Isn’t she coming back today?"

Stella stopped walking and slowly turned around.

Her eyes settled on Janina.

The question bothered her. Not because Janina had asked about Sylvia, but because she hadn’t asked about Amelia.

Janina had been sitting in their house, waiting for them to return, yet the first thing she wanted to know was where Sylvia was.

Stella’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Why was she so interested in Sylvia?

A strange feeling settled in Stella’s chest.

She watched Janina carefully.

Is she planning another thing to do to my daughter?

The thought came suddenly.

Stella didn’t like it. She had already seen enough from Janina to know that she wasn’t as harmless as she pretended to be.

Stella’s expression became colder. "She’s not coming back today."

Janina’s eyebrows lifted. "Why?"

Stella didn’t answer immediately, but Mr. Winston did.

"She is in the hospital."

Janina’s expression changed. "The hospital?"

Mr. Winston nodded. "She’s with her sister. Amelia got into a car accident."

For a moment, Janina didn’t move. Her fingers remained wrapped around the wine glass.

Then something changed in her face. The surprise that had appeared when she heard the word ’hospital’ disappeared.

Her eyes brightened. A small smile almost appeared on her lips.

"Did she die?"

Stella’s eyes widened.

The words seemed to hang in the room. For a second, the entire living room became silent.

Mr. Winston stared at Janina, but Stella reacted first. Her face hardened immediately.

"What do you mean by that?"

Janina’s smile disappeared.

Stella took a step toward her. "Are you praying for my daughter’s death?"

Her voice was low, but the anger behind it was unmistakable.

Janina immediately shook her head. "Not at all."

She placed the wine glass down on the table. "I’m just worried."

Her voice sounded softer now, almost nervous. But Stella wasn’t fooled.

She continued staring at her. "Worried?"

Janina nodded quickly. "Yes. I was just shocked. I didn’t mean it that way."

Stella’s jaw tightened.

She didn’t believe her. Not even for a second.

She had always disliked Janina. Even when Janina was still a child, Stella had noticed things that other people seemed to ignore.

Janina had always known how to hide behind a smile. She knew how to make herself look innocent.

She knew how to say the right words when adults were listening, but Stella had noticed the small things.

The coldness behind her eyes. The way she sometimes smiled when someone else was hurting. The way she could turn situations around and make herself look like the victim.

Stella had never known exactly how far that darkness inside Janina would go, but now she was beginning to understand.

She looked at Janina for a long moment.

Her daughter’s accident had happened, and Janina’s first question was whether Amelia had died.

Not whether she was alive. Not whether she was badly injured. Not whether the doctors were taking care of her.

Death.

That was the first thing she had asked about.

Stella felt a deep anger rise inside her. She didn’t want to stand there and continue the conversation.

So she turned around. Without saying another word, she walked toward the staircase.

Her heels made quiet sounds against the floor as she climbed the first few steps.

Mr. Winston remained behind for a moment.

He looked at Janina. There was disappointment in his eyes, but he didn’t say anything.

He simply turned and followed his wife.

Stella continued up the stairs. She didn’t look back. She reached the hallway and disappeared from sight.

The sound of her footsteps slowly faded.

Janina remained sitting on the sofa.

For several seconds, she said nothing. She looked toward the staircase where Stella had disappeared. Then a smile slowly returned to her face.

She shrugged.

"If she dies, it will be nice." She picked up her wine glass again. "At least it would reduce the stress of having to torment her."

A quiet laugh escaped her lips. She shook her head as though she had just said something amusing.

The red wine moved gently inside the glass as she turned it between her fingers.

She took another sip.

The taste of the wine remained on her tongue as she leaned back comfortably against the sofa.

There was no sadness on her face, no concern, no fear.

Only satisfaction.

Her eyes remained fixed on the staircase.

She knew Stella hated her. She knew Stella had never truly trusted her, but that didn’t matter.

Janina had never needed Stella to like her.

All she needed was for her plans to work, and slowly, they were.

She lowered her glass and smiled to herself.

Amelia was in the hospital. Sylvia was with her, and the Winston family was already being pulled apart by everything happening around them.

Janina’s smile grew wider.

She could almost picture the future she wanted.

A future without Amelia standing in her way. A future where Sylvia would no longer have her. A future where Amelia would no longer belong in the Winston family.

She took another drink. Her eyes gleamed with quiet satisfaction.

"It hasn’t even begun." She laughed softly.

"Amelia, my plan to make you leave the Winston family is coming true."

Her voice was almost a whisper. She leaned back against the sofa, still smiling.

The large living room remained quiet around her.

The lights reflected against the glass table.

The curtains remained closed, and everything looked peaceful.

But Janina sat there with a smile on her face, completely satisfied with the direction things were taking.

She lifted the wine glass again and took another slow sip.

Her smile never disappeared.

Upstairs, Stella walked through the hallway without looking back.

Her heart was still heavy. She could not stop thinking about Amelia. She could not stop thinking about the way Janina had asked about her daughter’s death.

The question kept repeating inside her mind.

Did she die?

Stella’s fingers curled tightly.

She had known Janina for years. She had watched her grow, and perhaps she had spent too long hoping that the darkness she had noticed in Janina as a child would disappear with age.

But it hadn’t.

If anything, it had grown.

Stella reached the end of the hallway and stopped for a moment.

She closed her eyes. A deep breath left her lips.

Her thoughts returned to the hospital.

Stella opened her eyes again.

She wanted her daughter to come home.

She wanted everything to return to normal.

But deep inside, she knew things had already changed, and Janina’s presence in their home only made that feeling worse.