"Sis, what are we gonna do if she never wakes up?"
"Then she just won’t wake up. One less mouth to feed anyway."
"But you two are getting married tomorrow..."
"So? Just have the Carter family carry her off. Problem solved."
...
Ugh!
That pain was brutal!
Stella Hawkins had just started to come to when a flood of unfamiliar memories hit her like a truck. By the time her brain had finished sorting through it all, her head felt like it was about to explode.
Her eyelids fluttered open to a completely unfamiliar place.
The room was a shabby woodshed—old, dark, and drafty. The walls had gaps all over, letting wind in. Firewood was piled in three corners, and there was a makeshift bed cobbled together from broken planks.
The blanket? Thin, filthy, and downright grimy.
She couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
Who’d have thought that a top-tier assassin from the 23rd century like her would get struck by lightning just for grumbling during a mission, muttering, “What a crappy day!”
Next thing she knew, bam—wakes up in this dump.
And she’s now this poor pitiful girl?
Fine, time travel to the backward '80s she could tolerate. But what really made her blood boil was finding out her so-called “mom” was a clueless fool who didn’t know right from wrong.
Her real dad died of illness when she was five.
Later, her mom, Angela Hawkins, remarried Charles Hawkins and brought Stella into a patchwork family with three stepkids from his previous marriage.
Two years down the line, Angela gave birth to Sophie Hawkins—Stella’s half-sister.
Problem was, Sophie never seemed to like Stella. Instead, she always cozied up to her half-siblings.
Mom was distant, her sister ignored her, and the step-siblings basically saw her as a thorn in their side. No one in that house truly cared for her—she was like a stray that no one wanted.
Worse, they bullied her all the time.
This time, they went too far—it literally killed her.
It all started last night at dinner. Lily Hawkins suddenly dropped the bomb that she was marrying Jason Hughes, the guy Stella had been engaged to since they were kids.
And the Hughes family had already agreed to it.
So now, the plan? Stella was supposed to take Lily’s place and marry Nathan Carter instead.
When Stella heard this, she was furious. Her fiancé got stolen, and they expected her to just go along with the switch?
No way.
She flat-out refused.
But the entire Hawkins family acted like Lily had cast a spell on them—not a single one stood up for Stella.
Instead, they all made her out to be the problem.
Even her own mother took Lily’s side, chiming in with, “Stella, your sister says she and Jason really love each other. Maybe just switch with her and marry Nathan?”
That was the final straw for Stella.
Everything went dark; she passed out on the spot.
Then came the fever from heartbreak—and that original girl was gone for good.
Stella let out a resigned sigh.
Man, that poor girl had it rough. Just a kid, yet life handed her blow after blow.Just as Stella Hawkins was still processing everything, the door to the woodshed creaked open, and in walked a middle-aged woman with a bowl of warm water.
She came over to the bed, obviously relieved when she saw Stella was awake. "Stella, you're up? How are you feeling? Any better?" She reached out to touch her daughter’s forehead, but Stella dodged her hand.
Angela Hawkins’s face stiffened, realizing her daughter was still upset with her. She sighed and pulled her hand back. "I made you some sugar water. Drink it up, it'll help you feel better."
Instead of being touched, Stella shot back sharply, "So I can get better faster and go marry that guy in Lily’s place, huh?"
"Stella..." Angela’s fake smile froze on her face; she clearly hadn’t expected her daughter’s first words to cut so deep. Her gaze shifted, fingers twisting awkwardly.
Stella saw that and let out a cold laugh.
Some mother, huh?
Didn’t even act like a stepmom, let alone a real one.
Angela set the bowl on the small cabinet and gently grabbed her daughter’s hand. "Stella, I know this whole thing’s unfair to you…”
“But your sister really wants to marry Jason Hughes. She said she’d kill herself if we don’t let her. And the Hughes family is on board with it now. Even if you tried causing a fuss over there, they wouldn’t care. Right now, your only option is marrying Nathan Carter."
From the moment Angela walked in, she didn’t ask how Stella felt, didn’t even check her properly—just jumped straight into persuading her about marrying Nathan. Stella couldn’t help but feel bad for the original girl whose life she now embodied.
Expressionless, she pulled her hand back and scoffed, “Oh, she’s threatening to kill herself and that’s my problem? What, you’re scared Lily might off herself, but not worried I might do the same?”
And what did this so-called mom say to that?
With absolute certainty, she said, “I know you, Stella. You've always been sweet and obedient. I know you’d never do anything crazy.”
Really? That’s what a mother says?
In that moment, Stella wanted to yell the truth. That the real Stella Hawkins was already gone—all thanks to this so-called mom's indifference and selfish choices.
If Angela had ever taken a stand, done the bare minimum to protect her daughter and said no to this messed-up marriage swap, maybe the original girl wouldn’t have been driven past the edge.
"Stella, please, just hear me out, okay? I’ve met Nathan Carter. He’s a decent guy," Angela kept going, oblivious to how dark her daughter’s face had gotten. She patted Stella’s hand again and added, "He’s in the army, you know? That kind of job—steady work, guaranteed pay.”
“Sure, his family isn’t rich, but if you’re willing to build a life with him, I’m telling you, he’ll treat you well.”
Before she could finish, Stella interrupted, her voice icy: “Then why did Lily Hawkins throw herself at Jason Hughes like a shameless leech? If Nathan’s such a catch, why doesn’t she marry him herself?”
She suddenly felt her eyes sting.
She forced the tears back.
No way she’d cry now.
Crying would mean she still cared about this woman.
