The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Chapter 455

Rachel shot Stella a sharp, steely glance, her eyes glinting with cold determination.

"I'd rather have nothing at all than let a murderer walk away free!"

Haynes's brow furrowed involuntarily.

"Rachel, you need to calm down."

"How am I supposed to calm down when you're the one who got hurt?" Rachel's eyes were rimmed red, her voice trembling with raw emotion.

"Rachel..." Haynes parted his lips as if to say more, but Rachel, overtaken by her feelings, cut him off.

She fixed him with a grave look. "Haynie, we can always find another studio. If we need a new composer, we'll ask your old mentor for help. I can endure whatever comes my way—but the one thing I'll never accept is you getting hurt."

Stella stood a few paces away, watching the deeply emotional exchange between the two. A sly smile curled on her lips, her tone icy as she interjected.

"Ms. Pearce, if you give up on everything now, doesn't that make all of Haynes's sacrifices for you meaningless? Even that knife wound-just for nothing. Are you really willing to throw it all away?"

for nothing. I'll make sure you pay for what you've done. And for Haynie's

simply stung by her earlier taunt—she'd rather risk

soft laugh. "Too bad what you want doesn't really matter. What matters is what Mr. O'Brien

Haynes, only to find his dark, unreadable gaze fixed on

in Rachel's chest. "Haynie, you don't actually want to let Stella off

around the cornery and we don't even know if you're healthy enough

a faint, triumphant

willing to put up with

Rachel's "illness" had

a deep breath, her

"I won't accept this."

low and steady

volne

once said

for music was