Crossroads Confessions by Deirdre Augus

Chapter 302 

This Christmas Eve seemed destined to be dull, or rather, depressing. 

Stephanie felt as if a stone was weighing on her chest. She longed to push it away, to breathe deeply and freely, but it remained, leaving her nerves strained and anxious. 

“Alright… I understand,” Stephanie sighed. 

Molly had originally asked her to meet at Eastwall Plaza for some shopping, but instead of seeing her friend, Stephanie received a call saying that something had come up and Molly had to cancel. 

“It’s okay. I haven’t been out in a while anyway. I’ll just walk around the plaza by myself and head back later.” Stephanie held her phone, thought for a moment, and asked curiously, “Molly, who did you run into? Is it Chloe messing with you again?” 

“No. L.. I can handle it myself. Molly sounded a bit guilty. 

“You don’t have to be polite with someone like Chloe. If you’re bullied, bully back!” Stephanie advised earnestly before hanging up the phone. 

She didn’t really have anything to buy. Eastwall Plaza was bustling with Christmas promotions. The crowds were mostly families and lovey–dovey couples. There were even several stalls selling roses on the steps nearby. 

Stephanie didn’t enter the mall and just wandered outside. 

Winter nights came early. It was only around 4 PM, but the sky was already beginning to darken. Soon, the colorful neon lights of the city flickered on, adding a touch of romantic beauty to this Christmas Eve. 

As she moved through the crowd, especially watching families and couples happily passing by, she felt a pang of loneliness. 

in her chest. 

There were some memories she always tried to forget, to ignore, to avoid even thinking about. 

Even if she struggled to remember, it was pointless. 

She had long grown tired of running through the labyrinth of the abyss, never finding a way out. That feeling of despair, she 

hated it.. 

But it was undeniably there. 

Suddenly, she heard a baby’s cry. It was as if the sound had some magical power. Stephanie jolted awake, immediately turning to look behind her. 

As night approached, the night market outside the plaza began to set up. Vendors selling barbecues, ice cream, and balloons were busy, and the place was getting more and more people. 

She ran towards the faint cries, her pace quickening, her breath growing short. 

As Stephanie weaved through the rows of stalls, her arm accidentally bumped into a balloon vendor. The vendor was clearly caught off guard, letting out a cry as his grip loosened., sending a bundle of fifty or sixty colorful balloons soaring into the sky 

So many colorful balloons ascending at once turned the darkening sky into a breathtaking spectacle. 

“Hey, you owe me for those balloons!” It took a full minute for the vendor to react before he chased after Stephanie for compensation 

Stephanie ran fast. With Christmas music playing on a loop throughout the plaza and the general noise of the crowl. 

didn’t notice the trouble she had caused. She kept running until she reached a row of trees in a quieter corner. 

This was a rest area in the plaza, with many wooden benches under the shade of the trees. Beside one of the benches were two baby strollers, abandoned and alone. 

The surroundings were deserted, with no other passersby in sight. 

Stephanie slowed her pace, her gaze fixed on the light blue luxury baby strollers about a few feet ahead. 

Her first thought was that the babies‘ parents must be well–off. She knew this brand of stroller was expensive because the Wellingtons had chosen the same model for her twins 

Stephanie slowly approached the strollers, her footsteps surprisingly gentle. She had never been a particularly tender or caring woman. 

Which was why she could never be a good mother, 

Her mind raced with scattered thoughts, especially as the cries from the two strollers grew louder. The babies seemed scared, wailing loudly. 

Who would leave two such young babies in such a secluded place?‘ she thought. 

These children’s families must not be responsible parents, just like her…losing their own children. 

Her mind buzzed with a surge of thoughts, and she quickened her pace, wanting to run straight over and see the babies with 

her own eyes. 

Suddenly, she felt an overwhelming urge, a desire to rush over. 

“Ma’am, you made my balloons fly away! You have to pay me for them, a man called out, and a stranger grabbed her shoulder. 

Stephanie turned around in surprise. She didn’t recognize him. 

The man, however, angrily pointed to the darkening sky. “Those balloons, it was you… You made them all fly away! Don’t try to get away with that.” 

“I made your balloons fly away?” Stephanie blinked, puzzled. 

“If you don’t believe me, we can go ask the vendors over there. The barbecue guy saw it clearly too. You were running blindly and bumped into me, making all the balloons in my hand fly away! The balloon vendor, afraid she wouldn’t compensate 

him, held her shoulder tightly, refusing to let go. 

Stephanie didn’t like to be touched by strangers. She swiftly shrugged off her left shoulder and firmly pushed against the man’s chest, breaking free from his grasp. 

“You think you can run?” the man shouted. “There was over sixty balloons! I’m just trying to make a living… It’s Christmas Eve tonight, and I can sell each balloon for two dollars, which means you have to pay me 120 dollars, or I’ll call the cops.” 

Stephanie was getting annoyed by his yelling. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t pay you.” 

She immediately reached into her purse for cash, but she was used to electronic payments and only had a little over 60 dollars in her wallet. The vendor was naturally unhappy and insisted she needed to pay the full amount immediately. 

So they both took out their phones. Stephanie fumbled with her Venom for a bit and paid the remaining 60 dollars. After confirming the payment, the vendor grumbled, “You need to be more careful when you walk. There are so many people here today. If you bumped into a child or an elderly person, it wouldn’t be a simple matter of paying for it.” Then, he finally turned and left. 

Stephanie watched thatman leave and sighed. She had just lost money for no good reason. 

When she turned back. Stephanie was shocked to find that the two baby strollers were gone. 

“They’re gone?” she frowned and carefully scanned her surroundings. 

This area was secluded, and this year’s winter seemed particularly cold. The wind carried a chill, and few people passed by this row of trees. Now, with only the flashing lights on the trees, it felt even more desolate. 

She had mistaken it just now? 

Stephanie was unwilling to accept it, though she didn’t know why she was being so stubborn. 

She meticulously searched the area again, crouched down, and turned on her phone’s flashlight. She noticed several depressions in the grass at her feet. 

“This is where the strollers were just now.” The wheels had left several depressions in the grass. 

So, it wasn’t her imagination. 

There really had been two baby strollers parked there, but in the few minutes she had turned away, they had been pushed 

away. 

“Who?!” Stephanie suddenly realized something and turned her head vigilantly to her left.