Three Years After They Abandoned Me novel Chapter 142

Chapter 142

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Stella’s unease grew steadily until she couldn’t get any work done. She’d never been one to push herself when she wasn’t feeling up to it, so she set her work aside and sat quietly gazing out the window.

Now, it wasn’t just unease anymore; something was twisting painfully in her chest, as if she’d suddenly developed a heart problem.

Her phone rang–it was Mary. She picked up, and Mary’s panicked voice came through the line. “Ms. Stella Hayes, have you seen Mrs. Hayes?”

Stella’s heart skipped a beat. “What’s wrong with Eleanor? Mary, don’t panic,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

Mary said, “I saw Mrs. Hayes took a nap at noon, so I napped too. When I woke up, I couldn’t find Mrs. Hayes, called her but got voicemail, and security footage showed Mrs. Hayes had left the house alone.”

Stella couldn’t stay at the office any longer. She grabbed her coat and rushed out. “Mary, I’m heading home right now. I’ll see if I can help look for Eleanor,” Stella said.

“Okay,” Mary replied.

After hanging up, Stella immediately pulled up the home surveillance cameras on her phone to check on Eleanor’s whereabouts. She saw Eleanor leave the house right after Mary had fallen asleep.

It seemed like everyone was taking a nap at the time, so no one noticed her leaving. Eleanor looked like she was in a hurry, her face anxious and hurried.

Stella could tell this wasn’t something simple. Eleanor must have found out something she didn’t want Mary to discover, so she decided to leave on her own.

Stella knew this might cross some legal lines, but she was out of options. She tapped into every surveillance feed she could find, trying to see where Eleanor had gone.

When she saw Eleanor disappear near an area with no cameras, Stella immediately called Mary. “Mary, I’m not coming home. I’m going to check out that area instead.”

Mary said, “Ms. Stella Hayes, we have news. The police just called and they found Mrs. Hayes!”

Stella was relieved and joyful. She asked which station it was and immediately made her way over. As soon as Stella arrived and saw the look on Mary’s face, her heart skipped a beat.

“Mary, please don’t scare me. Did something happen?” Stella asked.

Tears streamed down Mary’s cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Ms. Stella Hayes. I failed to take care of Mrs. Hayes. You’ve always been so good to me and my family, but I let you down. I don’t deserve to live.”

Stella had no idea what was going on, and anxiety gnawed at her. She quickly grabbed Mary’s hand. “Mary, please, just tell me what happened.”

Mary shook her head, unable to speak. Stella was extremely worried. Seeing that Mary was too upset to talk, she realized she’d get no answers and turned to the police officer for help.

Stella recognized the officer. This was the same station she’d been brought to before. The female officer’s eyes were rimmed with red.

“Stella, please accept my condolences. Eleanor…she’s gone. There’s nothing we can do to bring her back,” the officer said softly.

“What?” Stella blurted, her mind reeling and ears ringing with shock. “I don’t believe it. How could Eleanor be gone?” Her voice shook,

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Chapter 142

refusing to accept the truth. Mary’s tears fell even harder as she saw Stella break down in disbelief.

“She had a hospital check–up yesterday. The doctor said she was healthy, so she couldn’t die so suddenly. I don’t believe it,” Stella choked out, voice trembling.

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The female officer stepped forward and gently took Stella’s hand. “Stella, I need to take you to see her now. You have to be strong, no matter what happens.”

‘Does this mean something really happened to Eleanor?‘ Stella thought, her mind reeling with disbelief. ‘How am I supposed to accept this?‘

Stella felt like a puppet, led step by step into the room by the officer. Deep down, she didn’t want to face what she was about to see. But she had no choice; she had to accept the truth.

When they reached the morgue freezer and the officer pulled Eleanor’s body out of the cold storage, Stella’s legs gave way and she collapsed

to her knees.

“Grandma,” Stella called out. Her tears fell instantly, streaming down her cheeks.

The female officer said softly, “When we found Mrs. Hayes, she was covered in blood. We had someone clean her up a bit.

“The way you see her now, she looks much better. I think she would want you to see her at her most beautiful, just like this.”

Stella stepped forward, her eyes fixed on Eleanor’s face, which still carried a hint of anger. She forced herself to hold back her tears and

turned to the officer.

“How did you find her? What happened?” Stella asked.

“Someone called in to report that an elderly woman had been crushed by an electric wheelchair on Newton Avenue. They told us to get there as quickly as we could,” the officer explained.

“By the time we arrived, Mrs. Hayes… she was already gone. She was pinned under the wheelchair. The medical examiner determined her time of death was about two hours ago,” the officer continued.

Two hours ago. Stella’s mind went blank and she couldn’t even begin to process it. “Is there anything else you found?” Stella asked.

The officer saw how Stella calmed down, which made her feel uneasy, but she still answered, “We checked the surveillance cameras nearby, but they were all out of order.

“We haven’t found anything yet, but we’re still investigating. We’ll keep looking and make sure you get the truth.”

Newton Avenue was exactly the area Stella had been tracking earlier. ‘How could all the cameras just happen to be down at the same time?‘ she wondered, suspicion churning in her mind.

The officer looked at her with cancern. “Ms. Stella Hayes, please accept my condolences. Try not to let this bring you down.” Stella looked down at Eleanor again. The pain was still there, but she pulled herself together.

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