Saving the Villain

"I'll make sure you will never forget me again, no matter how you try, Stella."

Stella's eyes shook as fear dominated her face under Maynard's gaze and threats. The words he had spewed and that look in his eyes, that wasn't the man she loved. This man… Stella couldn't recognize him anymore.

There was never a time Stella would ever think Maynard would have this look in his eyes that sought to hurt her. Even when they had nothing, even when they were struggling, the two of them tried their best to survive life challenges together. Even when he broke up with her, Maynard appeared more devastated and lost than Stella.

So who was this person?

"Come." Maynard tugged her wrist aggressively, snapping her out of her thoughts. "You can't do this to me, Stella. Not even a year —"

Stella resisted, blocking the door on instinct.

"Not a step, Maynard!" she screamed, enduring the sudden pain in her stomach. "You will not step inside this place."

Her words drew Maynard to the corner and at that moment, all he could see was red.

Why?

Why?

Why?

That word replayed in his head repeatedly, unable to understand how easy it was for her to replace him. Sure. Maynard was now married and was expecting a child, but Stella didn't have the slightest bit of an idea of how disgusted he was about it.

"You have no idea, Stella," came out through his gritted teeth, eyes bloodshot. "You have no idea!"

"Maynard, stop!" Stella screamed as he pulled her wrist and instead of making his way inside, Maynard pulled her out, dragging her with him to wherever they could reach. "Stop!!"

Stella screamed her lungs out, grabbing anything she could to stop him from taking her. She didn't want to go with him. Not when they were slowly 'returning' to their normal lives. Whether or not he loved his wife, Stella didn't want to become a person and wreak a marriage.

She had enough.

The Quinn Family and that woman.

The thought of how her life turned upside down just because she loved someone she 'shouldn't' brought tears to her eyes. Stella held on to the railing, wincing at the pain in her palm and wrist.

"Stella!" Maynard's eyes shone in fury, grinding his teeth. "Are you this unwilling to go with me?"

"Let me go! Let me go!"

His face scrunched up a little as she went hysterical, screaming the same sentence repeatedly.

"I'm angry…" his voice shook and didn't reach her because of her continuous screaming. "... but I won't hurt you. I just want to talk."

"Let me go!"

Maynard hesitated for a while, but his emotions completely took the best of him. But just before Maynard could peel her hand on the railing, he stopped.

"Stella?" Shocked at the scene he came home to, Rocco took a moment to assess what was going on.

There, Maynard was holding Stella's wrist and was in a stance to peel her hands from the railings. Her screams continued, and because of it, Maynard and Stella didn't hear Rocco's quiet call.

The moment realization dawned on him, Rocco dropped the plastic bag that was containing a few cans of beer. He sprinted toward them with adrenaline rushing through his system. Rocco couldn't remember what he had done, but all he knew was that Stella needed help.

Maynard was caught off guard and got pushed to the side. That somehow snapped him out of his madness. His eyes shook as he came to his senses, raising his eyes, only to see Rocco's fiery eyes.

Rocco just ground his teeth, not saying a word. Instead of wasting his energy on Maynard, Rocco went to help Stella.

"Stella, are you okay?" he asked, holding her trembling shoulder.

Upon sensing that she was safe, Stella's screams subsided. When she turned and saw Rocco's face, relief washed over her entire soul.

"Coco!" Stella didn't think twice about throwing her hands and wrapped them around Rocco. "Rocco."

"It's okay. You're okay now." Rocco stroked her trembling back; he could feel the fear as her entire body was shaking. "It's okay, Stella. You're okay."

Hearing his voice had a tinge of anger, but dominated by worry, tears blurred her vision. In the end, Stella couldn't say anything, as she chewed her bottom lip, sobbing.

"It's okay." She focused on Rocco's voice as he tried to calm her down. "It's okay."

As he comforted her, Rocco cast Maynard a glare. The latter was still slumped on the floor, his palms on either side of him, watching how Rocco comforted Stella. Out of uncontrollable jealousy and anger, Maynard didn't see that there wasn't anything special between Rocco and Stella.

It was more like a friend comforting his friend. But he was too blinded to see that.

For Maynard, it only confirmed that Rocco and Stella 'reignited' their old flame.

"Maynard, for old time's sake, please leave." Rocco breathed out. "Let's talk about this once you've calmed down. Stella is pregnant. Don't do this to them."

"Hah…" Maynard let out a short dry scoff but didn't say anything. He watched Rocco carefully assist Stella to stand up. His eyes shifted to Rocco's hand that was on her shoulder blades, and as they walked back to their apartment unit, Maynard glanced at Stella.

She didn't look at him.

"Stella…" Maynard called under his breath, but alas, Rocco and Stella didn't stop.

Slam.

Maynard's heart sank as silence followed the door shut. Darkness slowly enveloped him and soon his heart. The pain in his heart seeing his dearest friend and the woman he loved was paralyzing, disabling him momentarily.

As tears rolled down his cheek, Maynard gazed at the shut door where Rocco and Stella entered.

"How can you two do this to me?" she whispered with a ragged breath, balling his hand into a fist on the ground. "A year… that's what I told you."

When they broke up, the only request he had for Stella was to wait for a year. Just one year. He didn't tell her the reason, but he was planning to get everything he could and own the entire Quinn Family so they wouldn't have a say once he divorced and remarry.

Just one year.

Was that too much to ask?

Was she itching to replace him?

Did she even love Maynard?

Or was the Quinn family right? That Stella was only after his money?

Moreover, did Rocco not think of Maynard when he got Stella pregnant? Or had he been waiting for his chance as revenge for what Maynard did during their university days?

Many questions hovered over Maynard's head, but he got no answer. All that was clear to him was that Rocco betrayed him, and Stella's love was all superficial.

If only Maynard had waited until Rocco reached out or if only Conrad was aware of all this, the disaster that would befall Stella, Rocco, Maynard, and some other people wouldn't even happen.