Light In Darkness {Second book in the series of Eternal Love}

4. Heartsick

Perhaps this is what the stories meant when they called somebody heartsick. Your heart and your stomach and your whole insides felt empty and hollow and aching.

~Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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"Stella can join school from tomorrow. She is a cute little girl. Even though she is shy I can still picture her making friends here easily. Just look at her, Ms. Jones." Mrs. Colton, the Principal of the play way Blossoms Paradise, pointed towards Stella with a smile.

Stacey grinned as Stella giggled and squealed when the little children of the play way chased her and tried to tickle her. She stuck out her tongue and jumped a little while saying, "Cannot catch me."

"She seems happy which is really a huge relief to me. As she is a shy girl so she does not get really well with the crowd but she is happy here. Please take care of her, Mrs. Colton."

"You do not have to worry about that, Ms. Jones."

"Come on Stella, we have to go back now. Grandpa Nathan is waiting for you." Stacey said to Stella who waved at her new friends and grasped her mother's hand with a smile. After bidding farewell to Mrs. Colton, both of them left for Nathan's mansion where Stella was going to have a sleepover as Nathan said he needed to spend sometime with his granddaughter.

"Grandpa Nat here." Stella squealed as she spotted Nathan who was already waiting for them.

"Hello, my beautiful girls." Nathan hugged both of them, receiving hugs back.

"Heyaaa  grandpa." Stella kissed Nathan's cheek who chuckled at her.

"Let us get you both inside."

"Grandpa, I big girl now. I go school." Stella excitedly hugged Nathan who laughed at her.

"Really? My little girl is not little anymore, I guess. Who will play with me now? I will be alone." Nathan pretended to be hurt by pouting at Stella. She hugged him again and shook her head.

"We play grandpa. Promise." Stella held out her pinky, looking at Nathan with wide violet eyes. Nathan gave her a light chuckle and wrapped his large pinky around her small one and nodded his head.

"So do you like your new school, Stella?"

"Yes." She squealed again and jumped off Nathan's lap. Stacey smiled at her daughter who was now munching her sandwich whilst watching cartoons.

"Thank you for talking to Mrs. Colton, Uncle Nat. Stella was really happy there." Stacey said to Nathan with a grateful smile.

"No big deal, Stacey. I love spoiling her. And tell me how is your work going on."

"Work is perfect and I am really enjoying my job. Due to coming fashion show it can get a little stressful at times but it is nothing that I cannot handle." Stacey fidgeted with her fingers and bit her lower lip as she avoided Nathan's intense gaze.

"Okay so what is it? Something is definitely bothering you."

"Huh?" Stacey looked at Nathan with furrowed brows.

"Don't 'huh' me, young lady. Tell me what happened." Nathan placed his cup of tea on the table. 

"It has been two weeks since I started working and your son is just something else. I mean how do I put this?" Stacey ran a shaky hand through her hair and let out a frustrated sigh. Then she took a deep breath and looked at Nathan with tired eyes which lacked their natural shine.

"I want to talk to him and apologize. I know the way I left things was not at all good and it has effected both of us. I just want him to open up to me but I am scared because I know he will never appreciate me invading his privacy. But on the top of that somewhere in the depths of my heart I know I will not like whatever he will tell me." Stacey let out a few tears stream down her cheeks whilst Nathan hugged her tightly.