Chapter 1

The lost star was the most beautiful one of all; it was the pride and glory of all the heavens!

…

"Stell, did you ever love me?" The man's voice was extremely hoarse as he whispered weakly in Stella Fairchild's ear. He pleaded, "Can you please love me, Stell?"

His voice grew fainter and fainter, and his once-warm lips were turning icy as he pressed them to her ear. He murmured, "My little star. You're the most beautiful star of all. And you're mine…"

Stella saw only red as she felt the person hugging her grow stiff and cold. Her heart throbbed painfully as if thorny vines were twining around it, bringing tears spilling down her cheeks. "Rowan…" She mouthed the man's name, her voice lost to the fire that had ruined her larynx. "I do love you. I love you…"

She loved him and told him this countless times, but he would never hear it again. She had lost her star as well.

…

"Rowan—" Stella cried as her eyes flew open, her heart thundering in her chest and her breathing rough. She stared at the ceiling with hollow eyes, still seeing red.

She could feel death's suffocating grip on her, but then someone suddenly smacked her on the head and said exasperatedly, "Don't you know what time it is? You shouldn't be sleeping! And stop pretending; you don't have the acting skills for it."

Stella abruptly looked to the side, and her eyes widened when she saw the woman in black office wear, whose wavy hair was pulled into a ponytail. It was Erin Lowry, Stella's manager and only friend.

But didn't Erin become Stella's collateral damage and end up behind bars after she was framed for selling company secrets?

Stella's lips trembled slightly as she muttered, "Erin?"

Erin rolled her eyes and pulled Stella upright. "Stop lazing around. The styling team is here. Hurry and get dolled up. We've got a crowd to impress today and haters to shut up!"

Stella's head throbbed painfully when Erin pulled her up. She looked around her in a daze. She could tell they were in a no-frills lounge-slash-styling room.

The styling team members surrounded her and helped her into new clothes. They exchanged opinions among themselves before asking Stella if she liked the outfits they pulled for her.

An intense roaring filled Stella's head, and her mind was blank. It wasn't until the stylists shoved her in front of the full-length mirror and she looked at her reflection that her eyes widened in shock.

The pink, strapless ball gown was made of tulle. Crystals had been sewn into the skirts, and they sparkled like tiny stars. Stella's long, dark hair cascaded past her slender shoulders like a smooth, velvety curtain before curling at the ends.

The woman in the mirror looked young, her brows delicately arched and her lashes framing a pair of alluring doe eyes. Her nose was finely chiseled, and her shell-pink lips glistened.

Stella's trembling fingers grazed her face. She didn't have any makeup on, which explained her slightly colorless complexion, but her skin was smooth and soft. No hideous burn from a fire marred her face at all.

Realization dawned upon her, and her long, curled lashes fluttered as tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

She was looking at her 22-year-old self in the mirror. She remembered the ball gown clearly. It was the one she wore to an award ceremony she attended at the age of 22. It was a couture number that she'd bought with all her money in a show of resolve.

But the 300-thousand-dollar ball gown was torn in half by Rowan Mansfield on the night of the award ceremony.

At this point, she despised Rowan with a passion, and they were known as archnemeses. She'd hated him even more after the night of the award ceremony and wished he were dead.

Stella's breathing grew shallow. Was she dreaming, or had she been reborn?

The next second, she was shoved in front of the vanity, whereupon someone pinned her down in the chair. The hairstylist started on her hair while the makeup artist began dabbing product on her face. The whole process felt chaotic yet systematic.

Beside Stella, Erin said, "Try to look spirited while you're on the red carpet later. We might not be receiving an award today, but we have to look proud all the same. We can't look bad in front of that trashy sister of yours, can we? Otherwise, you'd have spent all that money on this dress for nothing!"

The trashy sister in question was none other than Celina Fairchild, the adopted daughter of the Fairchild family and Stella's non-blood-related younger sister.

Stella and Celina had joined the entertainment industry at the same time and landed the roles of the female leads of the same movie. However, only Celina was nominated as the best female lead, and Stella and Erin had already caught word that the award would go to Celina.

Erin thought Stella was still upset about this, hence the latter's absentmindedness. "Besides, if you do well during the award ceremony today, some director or producer might just notice you and offer you roles. Got it?"

But Stella's mind was already in too much of a mess for her to register anything Erin said. She simply stared at herself in the mirror, her gaze blank as she beheld her young, beautiful self.

She felt like she was looking at a stranger, and the face staring back at her was so unfamiliar that she wanted to cry.

She had truly returned. She had come back from hell. It was as if she'd woken up from a long dream in which she endured a lifetime of painful suffering.

Was this a blessing from the heavens? Did they bring her back to life because they knew she and Rowan had died wrongful deaths?

Stella remained in a daze until she arrived at the waiting area just outside the award ceremony red carpet. She was meant to walk the red carpet with the movie crew. In other words, she was slated to walk alongside Celina.

It was also the reason why Erin had told her to keep her head up and not to be overshadowed by Celina during the livestream.

When Stella reached the waiting area, Celina was already chatting with the director and producer.

They appeared to be in the middle of a happy conversation, but the warm atmosphere grew tense when they saw Stella. Odd looks flashed across their faces, and their smiles began to slip as they eyed Stella with disdain.

Celina glanced in Stella's direction, and her eyes flashed wickedly when she saw Stella's pink ball gown. A smile then curved her lips as she greeted Stella sweetly, "Why did you come so late, Stella? We're two groups away from our turn on the red carpet. I thought you wouldn't show up."

Erin furtively rolled her eyes and immediately launched into pleasantries, apologizing to the director and producers.

Meanwhile, Stella's eyes widened slightly when she saw Celina, and her hands curled into fists at her sides.

Celina was Stella's younger sister. She stole Stella's parents, friends, and fiancé, then started a fire that disfigured Stella's face and ruined her larynx. She framed Erin, had the latter thrown behind bars, and then used Stella to kill Rowan.

Rage filled Stella's eyes. She quickly closed her eyes just as the tears were about to spill down her face.

It wasn't long before it was their turn to walk the red carpet.

Celina approached Stella and linked arms with her like they were best friends as they stepped onto the red carpet with the rest of the crew. Countless cameras pointed at them, or more accurately, at Stella and Celina. The camera lights went off all around them.

Celina beamed sweetly at the cameras and waved in greeting.

She was dressed in couture as well, her ball gown a similar pink tulle number but without the crystal embellishments on the skirts. Her hair had been styled in an elegant coiffure and adorned with a small, crystal tiara. With her light makeup, she looked sweet and pure.

The fans watching the livestream couldn't help gushing over their sweet "Princess Celina".

Celina looked like a bona fide sweetheart, but in truth, Stella was the prettier one. Her wavy hair had been swept into an elegant up-do as well, and with her doe eyes and red lips, she had the face of a delicate doll. Her makeup was lightly done, too, but it did not conceal her natural beauty. The ball gown made her look sweet yet sultry.

Unfortunately, she was expressionless and did not look lively before the cameras. Her eyes were hollow as well.

The audience watching the livestream commented, "As beautiful as she is, she looks soulless."

Someone else said, "What good is beauty when she's so wicked?"

"Celina is an orphan, and Stella's been using her position in the Fairchild family to pick on Celina since they were children. People like her make me sick. Only Celina is kind and naive enough to continue treating Stella like an older sister."

"Those who say Skanky Stella is beautiful must not have seen the photos of her and Princess Celina when they were in their teens! She looks completely different now. It's obvious she's had plastic surgery!"

"We're wasting this fine evening by talking about the skank who's trying to get her five minutes of fame by walking the red carpet. Our Princess Celina might be getting an award today! Let's shower her with more praise!"

"After tonight, Celina will no longer be a princess but a queen! Heh!"

"Don't jinx it, guys. She hasn't gotten the award yet, not that I think she's up against any competition. Haha."

The red carpet photoshoot was followed by an interview session. While the director and producers were being interviewed, Celina angled her head to the side and whispered in Stella's ear, "Mom, Dad, and Randy are throwing me a party tomorrow to celebrate my winning the Best Actress Award."

Stella lowered her gaze and said nothing.

Celina smiled and said in an even softer voice, "Do you think you're still a princess just because you put on a fancy ball gown, Stella? Mom and Dad already kicked you out. Shouldn't you have more self-awareness by now?"

Stella's lashes fluttered as she turned to look at Celina. She called the latter hoarsely, "Celina."

Celina glanced at Stella, smiling sweetly as she asked, "What—"

At that moment, Stella raised her hand and slapped Celina hard across the face. A resounding crack rang through the air, and the hubbub on the red carpet ground to a halt.

Celina cupped her cheek, her sweetheart act crumbling. The air around them grew still, and even the cameras stopped flashing.

The red carpet host, who was about to hand the microphone to Celina and Stella for their interview, froze. Even the comments on the livestream stopped pouring in for a second.

The world went quiet.

But the next second, the comments flooded the livestream as everyone on the red carpet went wild. The reporters aimed their cameras at Stella and Celina as the flashes went off at a frenzied pace.

Celina snapped to her senses. Her cheek ached from the slap, and she was so furious that she wanted to strangle Stella.

However, now was not the time for her to fight back, so she put on a dejected expression as fat teardrops rolled down her face. "Stella, why did you do that? Did I do something wrong and make you angry?"

Everyone else came to Celina's defense and confronted Stella about her sudden show of violence.

Stella ignored them and fixed her gaze on the scene beyond the red carpet. She had noticed an expensive, silver Rolls-Royce pulling up outside the red carpet at the same time she raised her hand and slapped Celina on the face earlier.

The car door opened by itself, and an elegant, handsome young man ducked as he got out of the vehicle. He casually shoved his hands into his pockets as he stood before the car, looking indifferent.

He cut an imposing figure in a tailored silver-gray suit that perfectly accentuated his tall silhouette and lean waist.

The man beheld the debacle on the red carpet impassively, though he frowned slightly when his gaze fell on Stella.

Sensing this, Stella glanced in his direction.

When their eyes met, her heart tightened, and her mind went blank. She could still hear the man's hoarse voice ringing in her ears as he begged her, "Stell, did you ever love me? Can you please love me? My little star. You're the most beautiful star of all. And you're mine…"

Rowan. Her Rowan.

In that instant, Stella forgot about everything. She only cared about Rowan. Everyone saw how her hollow eyes lit up and looked as dazzling as the galaxy. She picked up her skirts, ignoring the flashing cameras that tracked her as she bolted down the red carpet toward Rowan.

Everyone watched in shock as she threw herself into Rowan's embrace, her arms snaking around his lean waist. She was shaking as she hugged him tightly, then tipped her head up to kiss him.

When their lips touched, tears trickled down her face. Two lifetimes seemed to intertwine as she told him what he never got to hear before, "Rowan, I love you…"