The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Abby looked like she wanted to say something more, but her eyes suddenly landed on Joshua sitting nearby.

She stood up. "Star, can we talk outside for a minute?"

Stella nodded, and the two of them stepped out into the hallway.

Once the hospital room door was closed, Abby lowered her voice and tried to reason with Stella. "Star, I know you're furious about all of this. Anyone would be. But you also know what kind of power Haynes holds at Neo-Vespera. Even with Neville's help, even if we manage to leak the dirt on Rachel, it'll all be swept under the rug in no time. They'll be on guard, and if we try anything else before Rachel's concert, it's going to be almost impossible to pull off."

She glanced back toward the room, her tone softening. "I know you can't stand to see the people you care about getting hurt. But holding back for a few days won't make a difference. In the meantime, maybe we can deal with all those nasty rumors about Joshua. Let's track down the women who started them and have our lawyer hit them with a lawsuit."

Stella shook her head. "Joshua's lost his memory. We don't know what's true or false anymore."

Abby let out a long sigh. "You're right."

Stella continued, "And now with Haynes fanning the flames, it's going to be almost impossible to put this fire out."

but Joshua's hearing was sharp—he

the bomb about Rachel ahead of schedule? She wanted to strike back at Haynes for him, to get revenge on

in a long while,

this what it feels like to have someone

little, why Rachel would go to such desperate lengths, even hurting herself, just to win Haynes's attention. This

room, Abby eventually gave in

to silence her so easily. If Stella exposed Rachet under her own name, it'd cause an explosion-but it would also be a huge risk for

account? Everyone knows I'm

the fall-Stella wouldn't be dragged down

her head. "Abby, the difference in our accounts is night and day. Even the fan counts don't compare. Haynes might be able

frowned, unconvinced. "But it's just too risky. What

her on

far