The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1994

Stella stood frozen, allowing Joshua to hold her. She didn't pull away, but she didn't return the embrace either. She remained as lifeless as a mannequin.

After a long moment, she finally spoke. "I kept my end of the bargain. Now you can leave."

His arms tightened around her instinctively. He hesitated before slowly pulling back.

"Okay. I'll come see you again tomorrow."

Stella lowered her eyelashes, masking the turmoil in her eyes.

"Don't bother," she said, her voice completely devoid of emotion. "This is the last time I'm seeing you, Joshua. I've decided to get back together with Haynes. Please, stop looking for me."

"I don't believe you, Star," he said immediately.

She lifted her chin, meeting his dark, bottomless gaze.

"Haynes knows he messed up, and he promised me he wouldn't make the same mistakes. I grew up in a broken home, Joshua. I know better than anyone how agonizing it is. I want to give Keen a complete family."

She paused, making sure he caught every word.

"I'm past the age of chasing romance. My only priority right now is raising my son. Otherwise, what was the point of taking back the Williams family?"

"I don't believe it," Joshua repeated stubbornly. "You're lying to me."

"I might use Haynes to lie to you. I might use anyone else," she replied coldly. "But do you really think I'd use Keen as a pawn?"

A chaotic light fractured the calmness in Joshua's eyes.

Refusing to look at him any longer, Stella turned to walk away.

Joshua lunged forward, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "Star, you can't leave me. If you can't bear to part with Keen, we'll just bring him to live with us. I can—"

"No one can replace a child's biological father, Joshua," she cut in sharply.

...

The weekend arrived quickly.

Haynes cleared his entire schedule to attend the family event with Keen. While Stella had orchestrated the activity entirely to crush Joshua's hopes, if Joshua didn't show up, she figured it would serve as a genuine make-up day for the event she'd missed with Keen.

Since leaving two days prior, Joshua hadn't tried to contact her. No calls, no texts. Yet, Haynes's intel confirmed he was still in Novaris.

Stella had no idea if he had finally given up.

The drive to the school was completely uneventful. No drama. No sign of Joshua's car. It felt like the suffocating calm before a storm.

They spent the entire morning playing games with Keen on the campus. Still no sign of Joshua.

Stella began to wonder if she had been overly paranoid, assuming the absolute worst of him.