The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Chapter 512

After all, all these years she'd been left to fend for herself, never once enjoying even the slightest advantage of the Williams family name.

Back when the incident with Sherman happened, if Stella had just admitted to it on the spot, he might have thought she was bold enough to face the consequences—he would have respected that, maybe even admired her. Who knows, he might have even let her off the hook.

But she'd done it and then refused to own up, and that single act had left him profoundly disappointed.

Other than her face, she hadn't inherited an ounce of her mother's brilliance.

After Stella left the Williams estate, he found himself wondering if, perhaps, he'd held her to too high a standard.

She wasn't like her mother, after all. She hadn't grown up surrounded by privilege, nor received the finest education money could buy.

He already had a remarkable daughter; there was no need to expect Stella to match her mother's excellence.

But now, watching the girl on stage, he saw-just for a moment-a flicker of Nora's spirit in her.

Maybe... she wasn't as disappointing as he'd always imagined.

faded—at least, not until the music started. As the violin's melody filled the hall, the smile slipped from her lips, replaced by

playing—she hadn't expected it to

along the way, Aurora had convinced herself Stella simply wasn't particularly skilled-certainly

she'd been wrong. Stella's technique was exceptional. In fact... it was every bit as good as

with sharp features wandered

himself what was so special about the woman who kept getting the upper hand over Rachel-what kind of charm she possessed that

all he'd seen was a performance by a man, a woman, and a child. It was

him some expertise. He could tell the

play it

feeling he'd had the very first time he heard that music-no one had ever managed to bring it

told him that kind of transcendent inspiration was rare-something you might encounter once in a lifetime, if you were lucky. She couldn't recreate that moment, no matter how hard she

understood. Still, he couldn't help

he'd searched for someone who could recapture that elusive feeling in their

though, as

in the melody a certain

The tone