He Never Noticed Me Until I Loved Someone Else novel Chapter 313

Stella blinked in surprise. Just as she was about to tell him not to go through the trouble, Jarrod simply reached over and took her purse.

"Let Jarrod drive you. The rest of those guys managed to run off, right? What if they figure out your car is parked there and decide to wait for you? That's way too dangerous," Serena chimed in, looking genuinely uncomfortable as she offered her concern.

Hearing that, Jarrod made an executive decision. He would have someone else go fetch her car, meaning none of them needed to return to the restaurant.

Serena's point was entirely valid, and Stella had absolutely no desire to invite more trouble, so she handed her car keys over to Jarrod.

Getting back into the car, Stella asked the driver to take her back to her apartment.

Jarrod didn't say anything, but Serena looked utterly shocked. She had assumed Stella never actually intended to go through with the divorce. She hadn't expected her to have already moved out.

Soon, the car pulled up to Stella's apartment building.

Jarrod stepped out with her and said, "No matter what happens in the future, your priority is to protect yourself first."

Stella nodded. "Okay."

Jarrod continued, "I got the text you sent the other night. I'm aware of what Silas is up to. I was planning to talk to you about it in person when I had the time."

Stella nodded again.

"So, when you called me that day, it wasn't about the divorce? You just wanted to tell me what was in the text?" Jarrod asked.

Stella offered a small smile. "A bit of both."

"It's getting late. You should go. Don't keep Serena waiting."

With that, Stella turned and walked into the lobby.

Watching her walk away, Jarrod slowly got back into the car.

"Jarrod, why did Stella move out? Are you guys really getting a divorce?" Serena asked.

Jarrod shot her a look but remained silent.

"I'll admit, if it weren't for her tonight, we wouldn't have made it out of there. She's got some serious guts. I was completely wrong about her before."

But he hadn't spared a single thought for what she needed. He had just dumped the problem in her lap, assuming it was her job to handle it.

Knowing Stella's personality, if she brought something up and he brushed it off, she would never mention it again. She would just quietly figure it out on her own. And the fact that she had used this specific bank card meant she had absolutely no other options.

A sudden wave of guilt washed over Jarrod.

When Stella had brought it up back then, she must have been harboring some small glimmer of hope, hadn't she?

And he had crushed that hope with pure apathy.

If he had actually paid attention to her needs, shown a little more care, and been a little more patient, would Stella have spent these past three years counting down the days until their contract "expired"?

Would she have slowly developed feelings for him and learned to rely on him as they spent more time together?

For the past three years, Stella had never once voiced a single grievance.

She was always docile, always smiling, always perfectly obedient.