Page 91 of Broken Bonds

“I don’t know, Lionel Kral.” It’s Felicia who takes the floor, Lorraine has let her be her spokesperson. “Tell me why I should trust you right now? How can I be sure it isn’t another deception?”

“Because you love Stella and want the best for her, just like me.” That’s the whole truth. I can’t give them a better reason than that.

“Trust takes time, Lionel Kral.”

In those words I seem to be listening to my wife’s voice.

“Well, I plan to stay close enough to earn it,” I reply before turning and walking toward the door.

As I walk away, I can almost be sure that I’ve seen Aunt Felicia smile.

Chapter 28

“Lionel Kral, how nice to see you again!” The lively clerk at the Jefferson County office greets me like she has known me a lifetime. For a minute, I think she might have mistaken me for someone else.

Thank God the woman has an ID hanging around her neck on which I can read her printed name. “Kathleen, good morning, how are you?”

She stares at me with her mouth open, like another head has suddenly come out.

“So formal,” she chides as she raises her hands. “Come here and give me a hug, boy. I’m so glad to see you so well. We all got distraught when we saw your name appear on the news.”

I walk over to the bar that separates her desk and allow her to hug me. The truth is, I’m not a man open to displays of affection with strangers. This has shaken my world a bit. Whoever impersonated me was responsible for leaving impressions on the people he met. Part of the plan, I guess.

“Now tell me, how is that beautiful wife of yours?”

How and where is my wife? Good question, I wish I could give her an answer.

“She’s doing well. Thank you for asking.”

She makes a strange gesture again, but come on, how am I supposed to share my personal life with someone who I just met?

“I hope you come to visit me soon. You guys have been the talk of the town for weeks. First how romantic your wedding was. Then, what happened to you in Los Angeles. Here we all followed the news day by day, like a television series. When I tell them you came, they won’t believe me. Should we take a selfie?”

I feel the need to contain myself, not to roll my eyes. Our wedding could’ve been very romantic, but according to what Felicia told me, what came later wasn’t that at all. Many pieces of this complicated puzzle are falling into place. His modus operandi comes to light step by step. He wanted no one to doubt their relationship, while his dominance would keep Stella submissive and under his control.

There was where he made a big fat mistake. By underestimating Stella.

Stella has an ethereal appearance, looks like a fairy with that long hair and skin so pale, and those eyes the color of the sky. Her appearance makes it seem that she’s calm and easy to handle, but what people don’t know is that my girl has fire running through her veins. That her spine is made of steel and that she has an abundance of sheer determination. Stella is strong, not everyone can stand toe-to-toe with my mother, and she did it more than once in the hospital. And that made my mother declare herself Stella’s enemy before getting the chance to know her.

Beating back the crippling fear that had taken over her, she stood firm and refused to back down. From studying for her SATs in the early mornings while I was working, to managing inventories and sales in the afternoons, she never stopped pushing forward. Her determination was unbreakable, like a force of nature that commanded respect.

I remember hearing her say with fierce conviction, “Nothing is impossible.” Those words always fill me with pride, knowing that she will stop at nothing to achieve her goals.

While some men may want a docile doll to play house with, I knew I wanted a strong woman by my side. And I found that woman in my wife.

But now, as I stand in front of the town hall requesting a copy of our marriage certificate, a sense of betrayal creeps into my chest. The woman behind the counter rolls her eyes at my request and asks for payment. I hand her a twenty-dollar bill and offer to buy her lunch, trying to ignore the twinge of anger bubbling inside me.

After securing the document and visiting the B&B where we spent our wedding night, I can’t help but think about everything Stella and I have been through together. Our passionate nights, when she wasn’t afraid to ask for what she wants or give me what I need. The lazy kisses we share in the mornings before starting our day.

But amidst all these happy memories, there is also a looming threat - the person who fabricated our entire relationship. A sick man who stole my identity and tried to destroy everything I had built.

As I drive back to Carrollton, thoughts of Stella consume me. The urge to start a family with her grows stronger every day, but I know she has plans for college and her business. And yet, deep down, there is still that primal part of me that longs for us to be intimate without any barriers between us.

But for now, the most important thing is to catch the people who planned and perpetrated all this mess. And once that’s done, I’ll do everything in my power to make Stella mine forever.

I have to find her first and make her forgive me. To trust in me again.

Upon returning to Stella’s house I realize Ethan’s people turned it into an operations center, the small kitchen table is stuck against a wall as a makeshift desk where two men are working on laptops. Josh is in the living room, pacing back and forth.

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