Chapter 960
Time slowed to a crawl. To Stella, it seemed as if the change of seasons had been stalled. Spring had come and gone, and the early days of summer were being ushered in.
That said, it rained so heavily last night that it felt more like a cold spring night.
She was walking on the carpet in cotton slippers when she heard someone coming in through the door.
“Dr.Quirk,” she greeted, more out of a habit than anything.
“Good afternoon!”
“How are you feeling today?"
“Not bad." She put down the watering can in her hand and played with the leaves of her plants with keen and focused eyes.
Dr.Quirk walked up to her and was about to speak when he was distracted by a delicate chain on her feet.
“What is that?” he asked.
= "Hmm?" Stella followed his gaze, smiled, and casually explained, “Oh, these? They’re ankle cuffs.” Stella lifted her left foot, and the dainty chain jingled with a crisp and clear noise.
"I was trying to bask in the sun with my cactus yesterday,” Stella explained further.
“Weston probably thought I was trying to run away again, so he had someone make these anklets and had them on me.” She spoke in an eerily calm and composed tone, like describing a distant event that had nothing to do with her at all.
Dr.Quirk frowned.He found it hard to breathe .He had always been disturbed by Stella and Weston's relationship, even finding it to be morbid at times.
Today, that feeling had come to a head.
“May I ask why Mr.Ford did this?”
“Hmm?” Stella seemed surprised by the question.She shook her head and replied, “You should ask him.” Dr.Quirk tugged at his collar and walked up to Stella.
"So not only did he lock you up in there, he’s now putting cuffs around your ankle…Is it you who needs therapy, or does he have some mental illness too?” Stella smiled when she heard the question , though she still looked as unruffled as she did.
"He would never think that there was anything wrong with him,” she said.
“I don't have the right to mind it," she replied, her eyes dull and lifeless, devoid of a trace of light.
“I really don't know what to do with you two..." Dr.Quirk sighed, deeply unsettled by what he was seeing.He then proceeded with the usual therapy session with Stella, although he drew a sharp breath every time he caught a glimpse of the shackles around her feet.
Over time, he became increasingly restless and could no longer remain calm.
“What he's doing is equivalent to restriction of your personal freedom,” he pointed out, suddenly changing the subject.
“Stella, you’re not a submissive person.It's bad enough that he locks you up, but he even put those shackles around your feet, knowing clearly well that you have noway to escape him.Don't you know what this means?" Clearly, it looked like Weston was treating her like his property.
But Stella stayed silent, staring vacantly at the empty space in front of her.
At the sight of the condition she was in, Dr.Quirk could no longer sit still.
“If things between you two keep going down like this, there’ll be no way I can treat anyone here.” He sprang up to his feet and added, “Today’s session ends here.I’ll talk to Mr.Ford about this.” Joan then sent him off to the door.
He turned around and looked at Stella , intending to say something to her, but when he saw those chains around her feet, he let out a heavy sigh and decided against it.
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