Chapter 644
Atlas, seeing me suddenly lose control, grew concerned. He quickly pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly.
“Don’t be upset, Chlo… Look, fate has finally smiled upon us, letting me find you in this vast sea of people. It must be the spirit of Hailey watching over us from above, guiding us.
“I won’t let her get away with it, absolutely not,” he promised, determination in his eyes. “I will make her repay us a hundredfold, bit by bit, and bring comfort to those departed souls.”
His words gradually calmed me down. I listened to his strong heartbeat, feeling unprecedented security and reassurance.
Atlas continued to kiss me gently, patting my back. “Everything is in the past now, isn’t it?”
“How did you find that orphanage?” I asked him, now that I was calmer.
He looked at me seriously, waiting until I had completely relaxed before recounting that undoubtedly harsh history.
“lan accidentally overheard Celine instructing her subordinates to get rid of me quietly. Taking a risk, lan had his 17-year-old son sneak me out. He told me that Stella had been sent to an orphanage in Northbank. So, lan’s son and I escaped from the Pierce family that night.”
I felt a suffocating pain, and my hands grabbed his shirt tightly.
“We headed toward Northbank, and lan’s son, Cody, took a significant risk in helping me escape. He told me that we needed to get to Northbank before those people caught up, all because I wanted to reach Northbank and find my Stella before they caught us.
“Northbank is vast but desolate. We inquired everywhere about orphanages, but after checking several, we found nothing. I was anxious, so I took your photo and asked everywhere.
“Fortune favors the determined. Someone mentioned there was a little girl around here, adopted by a family. We hurriedly went to check.”
As Atlas spoke, there was a gleam of joy in his eyes. I could imagine how excited he must have been at that moment.
When
“She looked so much like you. she was brought out, I was ecstatic, I but no, her way of walking, the way she talked, her eyes… None of it was like you. She lacked your vitality. I knew she wasn’t you. I was utterly disappointed. How could she not be my Stella?”
Atlas’s voice was low and powerless. “Do you know? At that moment, it felt like riding a roller coaster. From complete joy to sudden and complete coldness.”
“Why did she end up back in the orphanage later?” I asked, confused.
The situation was so messy, and I couldn’t unravel the mystery as someone without any memories.
“It all starts with that little girl. When she saw us, she treated us like her saviors and insisted on leaving with us. Maybe because those people saw us as two kids, they demanded money, claiming it was for caring for her. Otherwise, they wouldn’t let her leave.”
Atlas’s description was vivid, and I could feel sympathy for that little girl.
“But when we were fleeing, even though lan had given us all his assets, it was just not enough. After running for a few days, we had almost nothing left. Plus, we couldn’t predict what would happen next.
“lan’s son took me away with a
hardened heart. But that little girl cried her heart out, reminding me of how you tooked when you were taken. So I took the money, ran back, and swapped her with me. Little did I know, she would become your
substitute and save you from a dire
situation.”
I closed my eyes, not wanting anyone to sacrifice themselves for me. Not that little girl, not Kennedy, not even Harmony.
“Later, I kept thinking, if I had been a bit more heartless that day, maybe she wouldn’t have died. But how could I leave her in the lion’s den? Staying in the orphanage wasn’t the best option either. She would have died at their hands sooner or later. Honestly, even now, I don’t know if saving her was right or wrong.”
I asked numbly, “Is she Annalise?”
“No,” Atlas shook his head.
I was surprised. “No? Wasn’t she the Annalise you brought there?”