The Four Dolls Who Replaced My Family Chapter 05

The Four Dolls Who Replaced My Family Chapter 05

The Sterlings’ living room hadn’t been this loud in weeks.

Bella’s acceptance letter sat in the center of the coffee table.

Mrs. Sterling kept reading it, beaming like she couldn’t help herself.

“Our Bella really pulled it off. All that hard work this year paid off.”

Even Mr. Sterling was smiling, scrolling through hotel venues on his phone.

“Both girls are heading to college. We should go all out.”

“Invite everyone. Family, friends. Make it a real celebration.”

Tristan was on the couch, texting.

“I asked around. The ballroom at the Starlight Hotel looks good, but availability is tight.”

Julian was there too.

His phone was open to his thread with Eleanor.

The last thing in the thread was his own message.

[I’ll come get you when it’s time.]

No reply.

He frowned, his thumb hovering over the keyboard, when a notification slid down from the top of his screen.

[Eleanor left the group.]

The room went silent, as if someone had hit pause.

The smile froze on Mrs. Sterling’s face.

“Why did Eleanor leave the chat?”

Tristan blinked, then scowled.

“What is she throwing a fit about now?”

Mr. Sterling had been looking at menus, but his expression hardened.

“The party hasn’t even happened yet, and she’s already pulling this? Who does she think she’s proving a point to?”

Mrs. Sterling’s jaw tightened. She grabbed her phone and called Eleanor.

Call after call. No answer.

Mrs. Sterling’s face tightened with anger.

“Unbelievable.”

“We’re giving her a chance to be part of this, and she ignores us?”

Bella was curled up in the corner of the sofa, arms around her knees, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Is Eleanor still mad at me?”

“Maybe… I shouldn’t go to the party.”

Every head in the room turned.

Mrs. Sterling dropped her phone and moved to Bella’s side.

“Don’t be ridiculous. This party is about you. Of course you’re part of it.”

Tristan shook his head.

“That’s Eleanor’s problem, not yours. Don’t blame yourself for this.”

Julian pressed his lips together.

He almost said it, that maybe Eleanor was just upset.

But Bella’s eyes were already filling with tears, and the words died before he could say them.

All he said was,

“Yeah. Eleanor took it too far this time.”

Bella looked down, blinking hard.

“Eleanor’s never liked me.”

“Does she think it’s my fault she isn’t going to Kingsport?”

Mrs. Sterling’s expression hardened.

“She’s so smart. She’ll be fine wherever she goes.”

“Don’t let her get to you. She’s always been like this, can’t stand not getting her way.”

No one in the room questioned it.

Even though, for the past seventeen years, the one making sacrifices and biting her tongue had always been Eleanor.

But to them,

Eleanor was the selfish one. The one making everything harder than it had to be.

Mr. Sterling set his phone on the table, stone-faced.

“Forget about her.”

“Give her a couple of days. She’ll come around.”

Tristan nodded.

“She’s always been stubborn. It’s nothing new.”

“Julian will go get her, and she’ll come running back. She always does.”

Julian glanced up at the sound of his name.

He looked at the empty thread on his screen, and a knot of unease tightened in his chest.

This wasn’t like Eleanor.

Before, no matter how upset she was, she always texted back.

This time, there was nothing.

He stared at the screen until he couldn’t stand it, then typed one more message.

[Eleanor, stop this. Just talk to me.]

The text bubble instantly turned green, without a ‘Delivered’ status below it.

He went still.

Tristan leaned over, and his expression shifted.

“Green bubble? She blocked you?”

Mrs. Sterling’s head snapped toward him.

“She blocked Julian too? What is she trying to prove?”

Mr. Sterling set his coffee cup down hard.

“Fine. Let her.”

“I want to see how long she can last on her own.”

The words had barely left his mouth when the doorbell rang.

Mrs. Sterling went to answer it. The second she saw who was standing there, she froze.