The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

"Maybe it's just some overblown misunderstanding-someone thinking they saw the wrong person or something dramatic like that? But honestly, none of that matters. As long as they have an agenda, they'll slip up sooner or later.

Whoever loses their patience first is the loser. All we have to do is wait."

When Rachel returned to the field, she saw Joshua already challenging Keen to a horseback riding contest.

Joshua's skill with horses-and archery, too—was in a league far beyond Simone's.

Keen was absolutely enthralled. His adoration for Joshua was written all over his face, impossible to miss.

Watching this, Rachel felt a flicker of alarm in her chest.

She'd spent so much time and effort winning Keen over, slowly getting him to like her. Yet Joshua, after meeting Keen only a few times, had completely won the boy's admiration in record time.

And then there was the matter of Joshua deliberately sending her over to greet Aurora earlier. What had that been about? Was he suspicious of something, or was it just a casual gesture?

With Joshua, Rachel knew better than to rely on luck. She wanted to ask him directly, but he kept busy with Keen all afternoon, never giving her a chance to approach.

Rachel grew restless, so unsettled that she couldn't even bring herself to bother with Haynes as usual.

Haynes, she could always pester him later. But without Joshua's support, she'd be cutting off her own arm-no, both arms.

be dangerous, but the help he gave her was real and tangible. Without him, there's no way she could

noticed Rachel hadn't come to flirt with Haynes. Instead, Rachel seemed laser-focused on getting closer to

arched an eyebrow. "Looks like your precious Rachel

glued to Joshua. As for her motives... who could

eager to charm, never quite accepting or rejecting anyone—maybe she just wanted to

sight of this and

away from Stella. But now, watching Rachel's antics, he had

clung to him, which led to

clearly up to something

Stella.

not...

the moment the

his mind, Haynes

be too

if Rachel

couldn't use hergust

solve his own problems.

Rachel needed someone to look after her, Jasper would be the obvious choice -not some mysterious newcomer

obsessing over him. Noticing Haynes lost