The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Stella returned to the hospital room, carrying the takeout she'd picked up for Joshua.

"Sorry, I'm a bit late," she apologized.

Joshua set his phone aside and studied her face. “You seem to be in a good mood. Did something nice happen?"

Stella touched her own cheek, as if to check whether her emotions were that obvious. "Is it really that noticeable?"

He grinned. "Very."

Stella hesitated for a moment, but decided not to keep it from him-he'd find out about Rachel eventually, anyway.

"I got my hands on solid proof that Rachel's been faking her illness," she said quietly. "If this goes public, there's no way she'll be able to recover her reputation."

Joshua didn't even look surprised. Instead, he smiled. "Well, congratulations. You wanted to expose her, and now you've got exactly what you need."

Stella didn't mention that it was Foreman who'd provided the evidence. She trusted Joshua, but it didn't feel right to drag Foreman's name into this, not when it could make trouble for him.

a small nod and began unpacking

look, then started his meal with his

***

media was ablaze. Trending hashtags like "Rachel Fakes Her Illness,” “Rachel's Terminal Diagnosis Exposed,” and “Rachel the Fraud" shot up to

posted from Stella's account. She'd even written a lengthy post, laying out the tangled history

Stella's current level of fame and a massive online following, her

oblivious, was on the

for my concert are terrible. Even after

voice carrying

help me out again? Maybe get your team and some friends

hesitation, Joshua agreed. "Sure,

sigh of relief, a small smile spreading across her lips.

nothing more. Having gotten what she wanted, Rachel didn't feel like chatting with him any

rang again. This time it was the manager

you seen the news? The

Rachel frowned. "What's trending?"