All Chapters of No Longer A Substitute : Chapter 101 - Chapter 110

ESTELLE POVI smashed the whiskey glass against the table.The sharp crack echoed through the apartment as amber liquid splattered across the marble surface and dripped onto the floor.“Damn it!” I screamed. “Damn it all!”My chest rose and fell violently as anger burned through me.The failed arrest.Devon doubting me.Grandma Susan defending Stella.Everything was spiraling out of control.I gripped the edge of the table tightly, my nails digging into the wood. Vanessa knows something. That woman knew something I didn’t, and I hated it.What exactly was she hiding from me?I didn’t know.But I needed to find out. Fast.Stella came back from Colombia acting different. Confident. Untouchable. Like she had suddenly forgotten exactly who I was and what I was capable of doing to her.A cold smile crossed my lips.No.I needed to remind her.I needed to crush that confidence and put her right back where she belonged. Beneath me.My phone suddenly rang. I snatched it up immediately and pre

STELLA POVThe drive to Alex’s apartment was quiet.Alex didn’t say a word to me, and I didn’t know if he was upset with me or not. I was too scared to ask because I already knew I had become a burden in one way or another.When we arrived at the apartment building, we quietly went upstairs. The hallway lights were dim, and the entire place was calm and silent compared to the chaos of the police station.I slowly pushed open the twins’ bedroom door and peeked inside.To my surprise, they were both asleep.That alone felt strange because Andrea and Andrew would have definitely taken advantage of me not being around to stay awake longer than they should have.The room was softly lit by a small night lamp near the window. There were two beds in the room, one for each of them. Andrea had kicked her blanket halfway to the floor while Andrew slept stiffly on his back with his arms crossed like a tiny old man.The customized cot beside Andrea’s bed immediately caught my attention. Chloe had

DEVON POV When I first heard Stella was staying in a hotel with two children, my heart sank. It felt like someone had poured ice water directly into my chest. My mind immediately jumped to the worst possible conclusion—that she had children with another man while we were separated. For a moment, I nearly lost my mind over it, but eventually I forced myself to calm down and think rationally. Stella had arrived in America with another young woman, so I convinced myself the children probably belonged to her instead. That explanation was the only thing keeping me sane. Later, I confronted Stella about it, and she confirmed exactly what I wanted to hear. She told me the children belonged to the other woman and that they were simply her niece and nephew. I should have let it go there. I really should have. But something about the entire situation kept bothering me. Stella’s eyes shifted too much when she answered me, and her voice carried that familiar tension she always had whenever she

Stella POV“I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry,” Mrs. Kent cried, her trembling hands covering her face as tears streamed down her cheeks.“Sorry about what?” I yelled hysterically. “Don’t tell me you’re sorry! I don’t care about your apology. Just tell me where my children are!”“Your children were—”She tried to speak, but my breathing had already become uneven. My chest tightened painfully, and I struggled to stay calm.Devon stepped closer and rubbed my back gently, trying to steady me, but I shrugged him off immediately. Even though he had helped me into the principal’s office and forced the school staff to cooperate, I still could not completely trust him.A part of me still feared this was somehow connected to him.Maybe this was another twisted way to force me back into his life.I should never have brought my children here. I should never have let my guard down.And if this truly was not Devon, then there was only one other person cruel enough to do something like this.Estelle.“You

Stella POV“Please don’t start talking my ear off,” I snapped at Devon.The words came out harsher than I intended, but I didn’t care.For a brief second, hurt flashed across his face.Actual hurt.His jaw tightened immediately afterward, his expression hardening into that cold unreadable mask he wore whenever emotions slipped through. But I still saw it.And under normal circumstances, maybe I would have cared.Maybe I would have apologized.But my children were missing.Nothing else mattered.Not Devon’s feelings.Not Alex showing up unexpectedly.Not the tension crackling in the room thick enough to suffocate everyone.Just my children.I stepped aside and let Alex into the house like I owned the place.Rainwater dripped from the hem of his black coat onto the marble floor as he walked in, quickly taking in the tense atmosphere around him. His eyes swept across the shattered remains of the vase near the fireplace, Mrs. Kent crying on the floor with her son, Devon standing rigid nea