Our Accidental Forever
Chapter 111: Dangerous Obsession

Chapter 111: Dangerous Obsession

By the end of the meal, I couldn’t stop smiling. Any lingering tension I’d felt earlier was gone, replaced by a warmth I hadn’t expected.

After dinner, Mrs. Weston led us to the sitting room for tea. The conversation continued, touching on lighter topics, my mother’s work, the estate’s history, and Mrs. Weston’s excitement about becoming a great-grandmother.

"Make sure you’re taking care of yourself, Ella," she said at one point, her tone gentle but firm. "That baby is already very loved."

I nodded, touched by her words. "I will. Thank you."

Eventually, it was time to leave. As we stood by the door, Mrs. Weston surprised me yet again. She hugged my mother warmly, thanking her for coming, and then turned to me.

"Take care of yourself, dear," she said, wrapping me in a soft embrace. When she pulled back, she placed a light kiss on my cheek. "And take care of my great-grandchild."

I nodded, my throat tight with emotion. "I will."

As we walked back to the car, I felt a sense of peace I hadn’t expected. Tonight had gone better than I could have iimagine.

Arec glanced at me as we drove away, a knowing smile on his face. "See? Told you it would be fine."

I shook my head, laughing softly. "You were right."

"Say that again?" he teased.

"Don’t push your luck," I replied, though my smile never wavered.

---

Joanne’s POV:

Joanne’s fingers trembled as she scrolled through the pictures again. Her perfectly manicured nails tapped against the glass screen, but her attention was fixated on the content. There it was, proof of everything going wrong, of everything slipping further out of her control.

The dim light of the room flickered from the screen of Joanne’s phone as she sat at her desk, hunched forward, her eyes glued to the picture in her phone.

In the photos, Ella stood glowing beside Arec, her smile radiant and carefree. Ella’s mother stood on her other side, looking every bit as content as her daughter. And then, there was Mrs. Weston. The same Mrs. Weston who had once been as cold and unwelcoming as a marble statue when it came to Ella, stepped into the frame, her usual cold demeanor melting away as she hugged Ella’s mother with surprising affection.

She was the picture of warmth. Joanne felt her jaw tighten as she stared at the video now playing on her screen.

The old woman embracing Ella’s mother with an almost shocking familiarity, her lips curving into a genuine smile. Then came the final blow: Mrs. Weston leaning in to kiss Ella on the cheek, her hand resting gently on Ella’s shoulder.

Joanne slammed her phone down on the desk, her breathing uneven. The happy, picture-perfect scene replayed in her mind, and her anger boiled over.

"That traitorous woman," Joanne hissed through gritted teeth. Her voice cracked with fury. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as her chest rose and fell with rapid breaths.

She stood abruptly, pacing the room, her thoughts spiraling. How could this have happened?

Joanne’s mind replayed the conversations she’d once had with Ella. Ella had told her, spoken of how cold Mrs. Weston had been toward her, how unwelcoming she’d seemed.

Joanne had taken comfort in those words, imagining that at least one person in Arec’s family had seen through Ella’s façade. But now, this?

A complete reversal. Mrs. Weston, of all people, had embraced Ella’s mother, welcomed her into the family as if she’d belonged there all along. Joanne’s mind raced with questions. How did she pull this off? Was it the baby?

"This doesn’t make sense," Joanne muttered, shaking her head as if to dispel the scene playing out on her phone.

Her hands trembled again as she picked up her phone. She tapped on the video, watching it again, even though it made her stomach churn. "She lied to me," Joanne muttered bitterly. Her voice rose, a mix of disbelief and fury. "Ella lied to me. She told me Mrs. Weston didn’t accept her! That they didn’t get along!"

Her breath hitched as a new, darker thought entered her mind. What if this had been the plan all along? What if Ella had been manipulating everyone, even her?

"No," Joanne whispered to herself, shaking her head violently as if to dispel the thought. But it persisted, gnawing at her, fueling the fire of resentment that had been building since she found out about Ella.

"I’ll make them all pay," she muttered under her breath, her voice low and venomous. "Arec is mine. Mine." The words came out unsteady at first, then again, louder, more forceful. "He belongs with me, not her. I was here first. I’ve always been here."

She paced the room again, her mind spinning with plans. Her thoughts shifted to Mrs. Weston’s sudden change of heart, her uncharacteristic warmth toward Ella. How could someone so shrewd and sharp be swayed so easily? Joanne couldn’t fathom it.

Her pacing stopped abruptly as another idea struck her. What if this wasn’t about Ella at all? What if Mrs. Weston was only playing along for the sake of the baby? The thought gave Joanne a sliver of hope. Perhaps this newfound acceptance was just an act, and Mrs. Weston’s true feelings about Ella hadn’t changed.

"Yes," she murmured, gripping the back of her chair for support. "That must be it. She doesn’t actually like her. She’s just tolerating her for the child’s sake."

Her lips curled into a bitter smile at the thought. But the smile quickly faded as another pang of jealousy hit her. Even if Mrs. Weston was pretending, it didn’t change the fact that Ella was standing where Joanne should have been. Ella had everything, Arec’s love, his family’s acceptance, even a child on the way.

Joanne’s stomach twisted, and she felt a wave of nausea. She couldn’t let this continue. Ella didn’t deserve any of it. That should have been me.

A knock on the door startled her out of her spiraling thoughts. She froze, her heart pounding as her brother Grant’s voice came through the door.

"Joanne? Are you alright in there?"

She took a moment to compose herself, running her hands through her hair and smoothing her dress. "I’m fine!" she called out, forcing a cheery tone into her voice. "Just watching something on my phone."

There was a pause, then the sound of his footsteps retreating down the hall. Joanne let out a shaky breath and sank back into her chair.

She stared at her phone, the screen now dark, but the images from the video were still vivid in her mind. She picked it up again, unlocking it and scrolling back to the photos and videos. Her anger flared once more as she watched Mrs. Weston’s affectionate gestures toward Ella and her mother.

Her grip tightened on the phone, and she whispered darkly, "They’ll see. They’ll all see. Ella won’t keep this charade up forever."

Her lips curled into a twisted smile as a plan began to form in her mind. She wasn’t going to sit idly by and let Ella take everything she wanted. "Let’s see how perfect you are when everything falls apart."