The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

When Stella found out Neville's birthday was coming up, she spent a long time thinking before finally deciding to make him a gift with her own hands.

Neville had helped her so much. If it hadn't been for him, she would have been cornered by Haynes' endless pressure, left with nowhere to go and forced to sleep on the streets. There was no way she could have gone through her divorce so smoothly without Neville's support.

She was deeply grateful to him.

Neville glanced down at the keychain in his hand, his dark eyes as deep and unfathomable as the sea.

He looked at her, lips curled in a gentle smile, his voice low and warm.

"Thank you. I really like your gift.”

The way he looked at her was too intense, too soft, sending a shiver down her

spine. It was not the way you'd look at a friend.

Stella's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively avoided his gaze.

She stood up. "It's getting late. We should head back."

But as soon as she got to her feet, a hand closed firmly around her wrist.

looked up at

intent. "Don't go. I brought something

didn't say anything inappropriate, so Stella let

her a small gift box.

box from him. It wasn't very big or heavy,

unwrapped the packaging to

it, a delicate, finely crafted bracelet came into

flashy or ostentatious-simple, elegant, exquisitely made. Tiny black diamonds were set in the chain, catching the

It was his masterpiece, his final work-the kind of piece you heard about but never actually

after she'd won her competition and taken Neville and the others out for dinner. Abby had said the "Forever" bracelet would look incredible with Stella's Nocturne performance. Stella had admitted she loved it, but it was destined for an auction she

actually get

could tell at a glance that this was

her head. "I can't accept this. You should

raised an

valuable," she

e matter how valuable. Gifts aren't about the price tag-they're about the thought behind them. If a cheap gift can

breath grew uneven. "That's not what

back gifts," he