Stella's emotions were all over the place. She sat there, staring at the paper. Grant had a vasectomy when he was eighteen and got it reversed when he was twenty-two, right before Haley was conceived. He went in for another vasectomy four months after Haley was born. But why did he do it? What was the purpose? And why didn't he tell her when they got married? Did he not want kids? Her head is swarming with questions. Questions she will never have answered. She flipped through a few pages, and her eyes widened. "He had ten DNA tests done." She said this as she looked over at Kelly, who gave her a pitying look. " Wait... " She rereads the paper. "All ten of them were done on Dylan and Joshua." She was confused beyond measure now.
"Damn, that doesn't sound right." Gabby said, with her what the hell expression.
"He basically cheated on me the whole nine years we were together." She said this as she read the dates of all the DNA tests he had done. "God, I was such a fool to think this man was my prince charming; I must have gotten the evil prince charming version. The one who cheats on you, belittles you, makes you feel like you're nothing and you'll never be good enough, and beats on you till you're crying out for him to stop..." She bites her lip hard, trying to hold her tears back.
Gabby's and Matt's eyes widened in shock. "That son of a bitch hit you?' Gabby asked; her tone was a surprised one, and her face was echoing in anger.
Stella looked over at her, giving her an empathic look. "Yeah, it happened a lot more times than I care to remember."
" Stella...
"Matt, it's fine; I don't want or need sympathy. I closed the door on that chapter of my life the day he died. I refuse to relive what he did to me." She said this as she interrupted Matt. She looks over at Kelly; he's the only one she's ever told about the abuse besides Jessica. Kelly gave her an encouraging smile, making her feel a little more at ease.
"I wish you had told me." Gabby said as she squeezed her friend's knee.
"I wish I had told you too; you would have gotten me away from him sooner than I did." Stella admitted.
"Damn right, and I would have Antonio beat his ass and lock him up for life." Gabby told her, and she gave her a small smile.
"Mama, did you forget about me?" Haley asked as she walked into the room.
Stella immediately wiped her eyes and closed the folder quickly. "No, baby, I didn't; I just got distracted. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, mama." She said this as she walked over to Kelly. "Where's Madison?"
"She is with her grandma; she was supposed to go to the movies with me, but grandma wanted to play beauty parlor or something like that." Kelly told her. "And that sounded more fun to Madison."
"I want to play beauty parlor with them." Haley tells Kelly, giving him a sad look.
God, she looks so much like her mom; she even has the same sad expression. How do you say no to that face? "I'm sure my mom won't mind; it's up to your mom though."
"Can I go, mama?" Haley asked, turning towards her mom.
Stella gave Kelly a confused look. "Are you sure your mom won't mind?"
"No, my mom is a lonely old lady; she enjoys the company." Kelly said, as he calls his mom.
"I can drop her off; I have an errand to run anyway." Matt suggested. Knowing Stella was trying to make sense of the new information she just received.
"My mom said it's fine, and Madison is excited for Haley to join them." Kelly said. looking at Stella.
Stella gave Kelly a thank-you look. She was actually glad Haley would be out of the house for a while as she proceeded to dig deeper into Grant's secrets and lies. She looks back at Haley. "Okay, you can go, behave, and mind your manners." Stella said as she hugged and kissed her daughter. "I love you, baby."
"I will, mama; I love you too. Come on, uncle Matt." Haley said as she grabbed Matt's hand, pulling him out the door.
Once the door closed, "Thank you, Kelly. I didn't want Haley to overhear something. That little girl thinks very highly of her dad." Stella tells him.
"No problem, anytime."
Stella opened the folder again. "He had ten DNA test done on Dylan and Joshua, all ten were negative." She laughed bitterly. "Which means the kids aren't his, but he was still sleeping with Jessica."
"How do you know he was sleeping with her?" Gabby asked.
"Common sense Gabby, why would he have a DNA test done if he wasn't sleeping with her? Something had to make him think that there was a chance that they were his."
"True, but why would Jessica tell you that the boys were his? Why lie about that? Then come here begging you for forgiveness, knowing that you two would have been better off if she never lied to you in the first place; it just doesn't make sense to me." Gabby asked.
"Oh, I know, there is something off about that whole situation, but best believe I will definitely be asking my little sister soon." Stella replied.
"He was also giving her money." Kelly said.As he looked at Stella. "Which would have made sense if the boys were his, but the fact that he knew they weren't and he was still giving her money doesn't make sense."
Stella gave him a confused look. "Grant didn't really have money; his gigs weren't big money deals. He was broke all the time."
Kelly arched his eyebrow. As he thought about what he saw in Grant's financial papers. Stella didn't know about the money.
"I thought Grant bought the house you guys lived in with his earnings from the band," Gabby asked, and she too was confused.
Stella sighed. "I brought the house; that was my house. My so-called father's parents had money; they had a trust fund set up for my oldest sister and me since birth, but we couldn't touch it till we were twenty-one. So I took my money and bought a house. Never added Grant to the house title. I loved him, but I didn't trust him completely."
"Jessica didn't have a trust fund." Gabby questioned.
"My grandparents died like a year or two before Jessica was born. So there was never a trust fund set up for her."
"Stella, you should look at his financial records. You're in for a real surprise." Kelly tells her, he was kind of worried about her reaction and was hoping she didn't get upset with him.
Stella gave him a curious look. She turned the pages to the financial records. "This can't be right; this must be a misprint; maybe they messed up the names or something. There's no way this is correct."
"What does it say?" Gabby asked.
"Grant was a millionaire," Stella said as she stared at the paper. "I paid for everything with my trust money. I brought the house we lived in, I brought my car and Grant's car, and I paid all the bills. He always said the gigs weren't paying much, and after splitting the money from the gigs with the other members of the band, he said he was always broke." Her confusion was at an all-time high, now mixed with a little rage.
"What the hell? you never knew?" Gabby asked her as she sat down beside her. "That bastard."
"No, I didn't know." She was shocked and felt betrayed. "He's been gone for four years; where's the money? Who got the money?" There are so many questions surrounding her.
Kelly closed his eyes, wishing he hadn't read the file already. "Everything went to Jessica."
Stella's mouth dropped, and she glared at Kelly. "What?"
"Go ahead four or five pages, and you will see his will, and in the will, everything, including everything in the bank account, was left to Jessica. Even a house and a house in New Jersey, which Jessica sold last year."
Stella skips ahead looking for the will, which she reads over and over once she finds it. Her mind was spinning out of control in anger.
Matt had walked into the room and noticed the looks on all their faces. He sits down beside Severide and doesn't say a word. He watches as Stella rubs her head. "No wonder Jessica's never had a job her entire life; she didn't need the money; she's a fucking millionaire. This is a fucking joke." She said it bitterly.
"He had a will but didn't leave his wife or his biological daughter anything that doesn't make no damn sense." Gabby said..
"None of this whole situation makes sense; my sister was sleeping with my husband probably the whole time we were together. She lied and said that both her sons were his; he had a DNA test done on both boys, revealing that they didn't belong to him. He's a millionaire and never told his wife anything. The bastard didn't leave his wife anything in the will or his daughter either. He left all his money and two houses that he owned that his wife knew nothing about to his mistress, who happens to be the wife's sister. She laughs sarcastically. "I feel like I'm living in one of those damn daytime soap operas." She shakes her head. " Unfucking believable."
Gabby rubs her back, trying to comfort her. "This is one messed-up situation."
"It's just so overwhelming; all this new information is making me hate Grant more than I already did."
"I know, girl."
"I really didn't want to know about any of this. I was better off not knowing about any of this bullshit." She said, as she took the folder and threw it on the coffee table.
Kelly looks down at the floor. He didn't want to cause her any more drama or spring on anymore craziness on her. He just wanted to help her get some answers. "I'm sorry." He said as he stood up. "I didn't want to upset you anymore than you already are. I just wanted to help. "
Stella looks over at him. "What made you look into Grant's background? I didn't ask you to."
Kelly sighed. "No, you didn't, and it wasn't actually me."
Stella arched her eyebrow. "What does that mean? It wasn't actually you?"
Kelly looked at Matt and Gabby before looking back at Stella. "I told my mom about the whole Jessica situation awhile ago. I was just asking her opinion on how to tell Haley about her cousins being her half brothers. I was hoping to get some answers for you. " He paused and tried to read her eyes to see if she was upset with him. When she doesn't say anything, he continues. "My mom apparently told my dad. I don't know why I jumped all over her today when I found out. I never really let my dad into my personal life. But my mom thinks the man walks on water. But anyways, I guess she told him what I told her, and he took it upon himself to do a background check on you."
Stella's eyes widen. "He ran a background check on me? What the hell for? I'm not a criminal."
"Don't take it personally," Matt told her. "Before Severide had Madison, he moved in when me and Gabby when we just started dating,his dad ran a background check on us."
"Were you guys not pissed off about it?" Stella asked, glaring at Kelly.
"Oh, we were offended, big time. Gabby cussed his ass out at the firehouse one night when he did one of his pop-up visits."
Kelly smiled and said, "Yeah she had him so scared he stayed away from Chicago for two years."
Gabby shrugged. "He deserved it."
"Benny Severide is a man who gets what he wants when he wants it. He knows people in high places and can get any information on anyone at any time. I never ask how, because I honestly don't want to know, just in case it is something illegal. I don't trust the man. " Kelly tells her.
Stella could tell that his dad was a touchy subject, and she wants to know more about his relationship with his dad. But she knows now is not the time. "So what exactly did he find in my background?" She asked Kelly in a sarcastic tone. " I have nothing to be ashamed of, I've never done anything."
"Nothing really; I mean, he told my mom about the fire you were in and losing your mom and sister. Living with your grandpa, and that you had three scholarship offers but turned them down. And... he said...
"He said what?" Stella asked, giving him an icy stare.
Kelly thought for a moment, knowing this was going to piss her off. "It doesn't really matter what he said, the man talks out his ass a lot "
"It does matter; I want to know what he said." She was angry now.
" He said that you had a trust fund that you inherited from your grandparents. And that he figured you had a history of using drugs."
"What the hell gave him that assumption? Doesn't he know that he shouldn't assume shit, and he should definitely do some fact checking before he runs his mouth and makes up false accusations?"
Kelly hated the way she was looking at him, like it was all his fault. " I will set the man straight when I call him."
"Why would he say that?"
Kelly shrugs and sighs loudly. "He said that you went through 200,000 dollars very quickly, and only crack heads can speed through money like that in under two years." Kelly gave her a sympathy smile. "My dad is a jackass, Stella; no one listens to a damn thing he says. The man loves chaos."
Stella shakes her head. "Well, tell your jackass of a father. At twenty-one, when I received the money, I bought a house, a car for myself, a car for my husband, and a car for my sister. I brought everything my sister needed for her baby she was having, and between my part-time job income, the money I was making while I was completing my firefighter training, and the money I did have left over,I paid all the bills in my house, brought all the groceries, and brought all the non-grocery items we needed. And I brought all the furniture for the house, too. I did everything on my own, without a dime from my husband or my sister, who was living with us. I couldn't ask her for money because she was only fifteen. I did everything solo; not a dime of my hard-earned money or the trust money brought any kind of drugs. I've never done drugs; he should have noticed that in the background check he ran, and I honestly don't give a damn what he thinks about me." She takes a deep breath and stands up. "Tell your father to kiss my ass when you talk to him too." She walks out of the room.
Once she was out of the room. "That would have been awesome to watch her go off on Benny." Gabby said it in a teasing tone.
"Yes, that would have been interesting to see Benny's face." Matt agreed with his wife.
Kelly sighed and walked to the kitchen. He saw her leaning over the counter. With her head in her hands, he hears her crying. Now he feels awful, why didn't he just throw away that damn folder? He wants to tell her about something else his dad discovered about her background. But she's upset enough now, so he decides to wait.
He slowly walked over to her and said, " Stella I'm sorry." She looks up at him, tears falling from her beautiful hazelnut eyes. "I didn't..." He started, but she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Kelly was a bit surprised but didn't question it. He hugged her back just as tightly. "I just wanted to help connect some of the dots for you. I didn't think how upset or hurt you would be. I was...
She pulled back, locking her sad brown eyes with his sorry blue eyes. She pecks his lips to silence him. "I'm not upset with you." She tells him in an appreciative tone. "Now, your father, on the other hand I would like to punch him in the face." She tells him in a joking but serious tone.
Kelly gave her a mournful smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't ask him to run a background check on you; I swear I didn't." He tells her this as he rests his forehead against hers. " He does shit like this all the time."
"I believe you." She runs her finger along his jawline. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier; I didn't mean any of it."
"I know, I was out of line. I shouldn't have added my two cents. You were right. Haley is your daughter, and you know what's best for her. If the situation were reversed, I would have reacted the same way. "
She gives him a small peck and says, "On the bright side of all this drama, I don't have to break Haley's heart now. Her dad is just her dad, no one else's." Kelly watches as she closes her eyes. "I need a favor." She asked him as she opened her eyes.
" Anything."
She steps back just a tad, her arms wrapped around his neck. "Even though I don't approve of what your dad did, I feel like he invaded my privacy."
"Repeatedly, I apologize; he has always done shit like that. He ran one on Christina too when we first started dating, and he has run one on her every year since she left."
Stella's eyes widen. " Seriously? Why would he do that?"
Kelly sighed. "He says he does it for Madison, in case one day when she is older and wants to reach out to her mom, we will know where she is."
"That makes some sense."
"It does?"
"Yes, the day is going to come when she asks you if she can look for her. She's going to be curious about who she is and why she walked away from her. Just normal questions that all kids have about a missing parent in their lives."
Kelly's eyes glazed over, like he was in deep thought.
"What's wrong?" She asked, noticing the look in his eyes.
"It's nothing." He tells her "I am here for you to help you piece together all this craziness you are dealing with."
"I know we agree to keep what's going on between us a secret until the girls know. But we are a couple, right?" She asked, giving him a questionable look.
Kelly was actually surprised that she was asking if they were a couple or not. "Yes, we agree to be a secret lovers couple." He told her with a huge smile.
Stella laughs. "Since we are a couple, it means we are a team. Which means we are honest with each other and we lean on each other; we are each other's listening ear when the other needs to vent. Right?"
" Right."
"You are amazing when you listen to me vent about all my issues and dramatic things I'm going through. And I appreciate you." She says this as she kisses him sweetly. She pulls back and says "How about we put my drama on the back burner for a minute? And you tell me what's going on with you."
"Stella, it's really nothing."
" Kelly I can tell something is bothering you that has nothing to do with my situation. So please talk to me; let me be there for you."
He kisses her forehead and says, "I'm just trying to figure out some stuff."
"What do you mean? What stuff?"
"My dad did his annual background check on Christina a few weeks ago. And he told my mom that she got married at the end of last year and had a baby six months ago." He paused. "I don't have any feelings for her; I've been over her for years. It's just..."
"It's just what?" She asked in a concerned voice. She hated how troubled he looked.
"She married a man and had a baby with this man, only knowing him for less than a year. She is posting all those happy moments on her social media pages, and she looks really happy. It's not fair."
Stella's concern turned to worry; why did it sound like he was jealous of Christina being happy? "What's not fair?" She asked curiously. Afraid of his response. She removed her hands from around his neck and tensed up in his arms. Something that didn't go unnoticed by Kelly.
He took her arms and put them back around his neck. He then wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. "Whatever you're thinking, stop it," he tells her before kissing her softly. "I'm not hung up on Christina; the only connection I have with her is Madison. Christina is my past; my future lies with you."
"I like the sound of that." She tells him as they kiss again. "You still didn't tell me what's not fair." She says as the kiss breaks.
He nods slowly. "What's not fair is that Christina said she wasn't mom material; that's why she walked away from us. Her walking away from me hurt at first, but I got over it. I will never get over her walking away from Madison." He took a deep breath. "I always told Madison that her mom loved her, but she wasn't mom material yet. She would look at me with those beautiful innocent blue eyes and say, When will she be ready to be my mom, Daddy?" Tears gazed into his eyes.
Stella's eyes teared up as she watched him slowly fall apart.
" I told her, one day, baby girl, one day. Stella, I told her that because I truly believed one day Christina was going to have a change of heart and want to be part of her daughter's life. Here we are, almost seven years later, and she still hasn't reached out to her. And I'm so pissed off; she has another family; she has a son, who she is posting on her social media telling the world how lucky she is and how much she loves her little boy." He exhaled loudly. "What about her daughter? Why doesn't she love her daughter? What is wrong with Madison that her own mom can't love her? It's not fair, Stella; it's just not fair. Madison doesn't deserve that." He cries.
Stella's heart broke for him. She pulls him into a hug and lets him cry as she whispers smooth words in his ear. "I know it's not fair, Kelly." She kisses the side of his head. "There is nothing wrong with Madison; it's her mom's loss; she's missing out on a wonderful experience watching her baby girl grow up. Madison is a beautiful, smart, intelligent, amazing little girl, and she's going to grow into a beautiful, successful woman because she is surrounded by people who love her, support her, and will have her back no matter what she faces in life."
Kelly pulls back. "Thank you." He whispers.
"You don't have to thank me, Kelly, even though I've only known her a couple months. I love that little girl, and I'll do anything for her."
"You're pretty awesome, you know that?" He tells her as he caresses her cheek.
"I've been told a time or two." She jokes.
"Same goes for Haley; I love your daughter, and I'll do anything for her and for her mother."
Stella swears her heart skipped a beat at his words. "Let's make a pack. I promise to be there for Madison whenever she needs a mother figure or a woman's opinion. If you promise to be there for Haley as a father figure when she needs one."
It was Kelly's heart that skipped a beat now. " Deal..." He whispered against her lips before he captured her lips in a sincere kiss.
"Your kisses make me feel better." She tells him as the kiss breaks.
"Same," he tells her as he gives her a few more quick pecks. "So what is this favor you need?"
"I was wondering if you could... call your dad for me." She asked in a curious voice.
Kelly's smile dropped. "Umm... Why?" He didn't want to go to him for anything.
"I know you don't like asking him for anything, and I completely understand if you don't want to. But I was hoping he could help me find Grant's brothers."
Kelly furrowed his brows. "Grant's brothers?"
Stella sighed. "He has three brothers." I've only met two of them, Justin and Brandon. They lived in Springfield growing up, but after they graduated, they left Springfield. I don't know the third brother; his name is Nicholas. They called him the outcast of the family. I just thought that maybe they could help me fill in some of the blank spaces, but I have no clue where they are. I never even notified them that Grant had died. Because I had no way of getting hold of them. "
Kelly nods as he thinks about what she said. "Do you think it's a bad idea?" She asks him after a moment of silence.
"No, I think it could help. I will call my dad just for you." He tells her this as he kisses her forehead.
"Thank you." She told him as she hugged him tightly.
Calling his dad is the last thing he wants to do, but helping Stella figure out all this mess and helping her make peace with it would definitely be worth it.
Gabby walked into the kitchen, smiling at the two lovers holding each other. "Guys, I hate to interrupt, because you two look so cute together. But... you've got a visitor, Stella."
"Who?" Stella asked as she pulled away from Kelly, giving Gabby a confused look.
Gabby rolled her eyes. "It's Jessica.'"
"What the hell?" Stella said, she has every intention to confront her about everything, but she just didn't have the energy to do it tonight.
Kelly gave her a supportive smile. "It's your choice, babe." He tells her as he grabs her hands.
"That's right, Stella, if you want, I will be happy to kick her ungrateful, selfish ass out of my house." Gabby chimed in.
Stella leaned her head into Kelly's chest and closed her eyes. It was one of those now or never moments. She pulls back, giving him a kindhearted smile. "It's time we clear the air; I'm tired of all the lies. I want everything out in the open. "
"Just breathe, go in there, and be completely honest with her. You will feel better after everything is out in the open." Kelly tells her. He kisses the top of her head.
"I can do this." She stated this even though she was a tad bit nervous.
"Yes, you can." Kelly tells her, "You got this."
Stella gave him a warm-hearted smile. "Come with me."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I need you." Stella tells him in an admiring tone.
"You got me." He tells her in a loving tone. The couple shared a little kiss.
"Let's do this." Stella says as she takes a deep breath, preparing for the unnecessary drama and lies her sister will throw at her. "Come, Gabby, I need you with me too."
Stella walked into the room holding Kelly's hand; her grip tightened on his hand once she saw her sister.
"Hey Stella," Jessica said nervously. "Are you two a couple now?" She motioned between Kelly and Stella after noticing the handholding.
Gabby walked over to where Matt was sitting and sat down.
"Why are you here?" Stella asked, ignoring her question.
"I'm here to talk to my sister; it's time to talk Stella. I'm not going anywhere till we talk, like I said when I first got here."
"You are right about that; we are definitely going to talk. Everything will be revealed; no more secrets, Jess." Stella tells her, giving her an icy glare.
Jessica was surprised that Stella wasn't trying to get out of talking about stuff. "I'm glad to hear that you want to talk now. Can we talk alone?"
"No, I have no secrets from my family."
"I'm your family, Stella."
"You're my blood, Jess, and I can't chance that. But I decided I'm in control of who is actually my real family, and these three," she motioned to Kelly, Gabby, and Matt. "And my daughter and Kelly's daughter are my family from this day forward."
Jessica wasn't expecting her to say that. "Well, my boys deserve to know Haley; they are her brothers."
Stella looked at Kelly, who gave her hand a tight squeeze and then gave her a supportive smile. She took a deep breath before turning her attention back to Jessica. "First off, I don't blame Dylan and Joshua for the mess their mom created, and I will always be there for my nephews, and I want them to be apart of Haley's family since they are her only cousins. But ..
"They are her half brothers." Jessica interrupted Stella.
"Can you show me proof that they are her half brothers?"
Jessica's eyes widened. "Show you proof? How in the hell can I do that, Stella? Grant is dead."
"Apparently they have ways to provide DNA from a deceased person."
" What? You have got to be joking?" Jessica said it in an infuriating tone. "I know who my son's father is, and I'm sorry you are still living in a denial bubble. You've known for almost eight months now; it's time to face reality, Stella."
"I will face reality when you can prove to me that Grant is their father."
"You can't be actually considering doing this, Stella. That's freaking ridiculous."
"Oh, I'm definitely doing it; all I have to do is call the medical examiner and sign some papers." Stella tells her, giving her a mysterious smile.
Jessica was pale as a ghost and looked like she was about to pass out. "You don't have the right to do anything."
Stella laughed sarcastically. "Honey, are you forgetting I was married to him when he died? As his wife, I do have that right; we looked it up already."
Jessica ran her hand through her hair; she noticed the look of satisfaction on Stella's and Kelly's faces; she noticed Gabby and Matt looking at her with their cocky smiles; But the words that left her mouth next shocked them all."You don't have the right to request a DNA sample from Grant records." She took a deep breath. Giving a devilish grin she says. "And the reason I know this is because you and Grant were never legally married."