Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 430

The words coming out of Neil's mouth took me by surprise once again.

Could he really delineate right from wrong so clearly?

Thinking back to his past actions, they didn't seem to differ much from Mitch's.

"Where did I go wrong?" Mitch refused to admit his mistakes. He still believed his special treatment towards Ariana was a minor issue, akin to lending a helping hand.

His rebuttal made my blood boil. If Stella were here, I bet they would come to blows.

"If you can't even see where you went wrong, you might as well just hand the kids over to her, get a divorce, and then whatever happens between you and Ariana or any other woman won't matter!" Fuming, I pointed at Mitch and spoke without mincing words.

The mention of his kids always riled up Mitch. His voice heightened, "Impossible. The kids are mine too. I haven't cheated or been abusive. If we divorce, I won't be the one at fault. Why should I give them up?"

His words chilled me to the bone. Mitch was now hell-bent on gaining custody of the kids, as if the idea of reconciling with Stella was no longer his priority.

In the past, he would have first considered how to win Stella back, not how to fight for the kids.

"Do you still love Stella?" After a few seconds of silence, I asked Mitch.

Perhaps the central issue wasn't whether something had happened between Mitch and Ariana, but whether Mitch still loved Stella.

If he did, he would find a way to salvage their marriage.

Mitch seemed taken aback by my question. His raging anger dissipated, replaced by a stunned silence.

I felt a profound disappointment, on Stella's behalf.

Neil must have sensed Mitch's change too. His voice lowered, "Let's leave here for now."

"I..." Mitch attempted to speak, but faltered.

"Think about the question she just asked you." Neil advised.

Mitch took a deep breath, slowly exhaling as he seemed to sink into a complex swirl of emotions, momentarily losing his bearings.

Under my icy gaze, he didn't insist on staying to argue. Instead, he slowly exited, looking like a lost soul.

Neil glanced at me, his tone softening, "I'll leave first."

"Sure, go have a serious talk with him." I felt a tad weary. The situation between Stella and Mitch felt like such a shame.

Neil nodded slightly, unusually obedient. With a few quick strides, he followed Mitch out.

Silence returned to the yard, and I headed back into the living room to check on Serena and Brandon.

About ten minutes later, Norah returned.

Surprised, I asked, "Norah, how did you get back so quickly? Didn't you see the message I sent?"

"No, I forgot my phone." Norah shook her head.

I let out a sigh of relief. Had Norah returned a few minutes earlier, she would have run into Mitch. Once they crossed paths, there would be no saving the situation.

Thankfully, we dodged that bullet. I heaved a sigh of relief and immediately called Stella, filling her in on what had transpired.

But I kept Mitch's hesitation to answer my question about his love for her a secret.

Russel nodded, "Yes, he definitely messed up. Now it's about what he wants to do next."

"He wants the kids. It's that simple." I replied.

"And what about Stella? Is he really planning on divorcing her?" Russel asked, standing up after finishing feeding Boomer and Daisy.

It seemed that was Mitch's intention. He was so captivated now; he wasn't even thinking about how to win Stella back. His mind was set on fighting for custody of the kids.

I didn't plan to get Russel involved in persuading Mitch. Russel didn't have much contact with Mitch anymore.

However, I was feeling a bit lost about matters of the heart. My past experience with Neil had left me feeling jaded.

But seeing Stella and Mitch's marriage, which had been fairly happy, I believed that true love existed in this world, but it just wasn't meant for me.

Now that they were at this juncture, my last shred of faith in love seemed to crumble.

"Don't worry, Mitch will figure it out. I think he's just a little taken with Ariana right now, but that infatuation won't last." Russel saw the worry etched across my face and tried to reassure me.

"Really?" I wasn't entirely convinced.

Just then, Russel's iPhone chimed. He glanced at the screen, then stepped away to take the call.

His voice was hushed, and I couldn't make out his words, but his sudden discretion made me feel oddly uneasy.

He never used to step away when he took calls; why the sudden change?

I didn't care which woman was on the other end of the line, as long it wasn't Karina.