Snowbound Strangers Chapter 1

"Stella, are you sure about this? You want to give up the surgery?"

On the other end of the line, my doctor's voice was laced with disbelief. He probably couldn't fathom why I would refuse a kidney I had waited over two years to find.

"You need to think this through," he urged. "Your condition is in its final stages. Without a transplant, you don't have much time left…"

"Yes. I know."

I hung up and looked down at the legal document in my hand. Caleb Sterling’s name was printed in sharp, clear ink.

My boyfriend of seven years.

Now, with a single lawsuit, he was dragging me to court, demanding I repay every cent he had ever spent on me during our relationship.

I let out a slow, shaky breath and knocked on the door of the Sterling family mansion.

The woman who opened it was Caleb’s new girlfriend, Seraphina, draped in a luxurious designer dress, her makeup flawless.

"Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in." Her voice was a purr of amusement. She turned her head and called out, "Honey, you have to see who's here."

Seeing Caleb again felt like staring across a lifetime. He leaned against the doorframe, a cigarette dangling from his fingers, his handsome, familiar face now a mask of cool detachment. His cold gaze landed on me.

"Did you bring the money?"

I pulled a bank card from my purse and held it out. Seraphina snatched it from my hand, toying with it as her eyes, sharp and provocative, met mine.

"Thirty thousand dollars... I suppose it's not even enough for a day at the spa for me, but at least," she smirked, "we can get a new wardrobe for my little Prince."

She then called over a Schnauzer. Even the dog was decked out in a top-tier designer brand.

Caleb wrapped an arm around Seraphina’s waist, his voice a low, doting murmur. "Only thirty thousand for Prince's clothes? That's not nearly enough. I'll transfer you another half a million later. Go pick out something really nice for him."

Prince, of course, was the dog.

Watching them, so wrapped up in each other, I dug my nails into my palms.

For some reason, the Schnauzer suddenly bared its teeth at me, letting out a low growl. I flinched and took two steps back.

Seraphina saw this and bent down to stroke the dog’s head, a saccharine smile on her face as she looked at me.

"Oh, I am so sorry," she cooed. "My little Prince has never seen a poor person before. It must be a shock to his system. Ms. Knight, next time you decide to visit, do try to wear something a little more presentable. Then my puppy won't feel the need to bite you."

A few of the Sterling family's maids, standing nearby, covered their mouths to stifle their giggles.

I looked down at my own clothes. A faded, washed-out outfit, the pocket of my shirt crudely mended with a patch.

Caleb let out a short, contemptuous snort, flicking the ash from his cigarette.

"Stella Knight," he said, his voice dripping with disdain. "You took so much money from my mother. Don't tell me you've already squandered it all."

"Or," he added, his eyes narrowing, "are you deliberately dressing like this to play the victim card?"