The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Joshua was silent for a few seconds before finally saying, "No, actually... I'm kind of happy about it."

But even as he said it, Stella couldn't spot the slightest trace of joy on his face.

It was his private matter, and Stella knew she shouldn't pry. Still, after everything Joshua had done to help her, she couldn't just pretend not to care.

She hesitated, then asked, "Joshua, did you remember something?"

There seemed to be only one explanation for his sudden shift in mood: he must have remembered something important.

His hands, steady on the steering wheel, tensed just a little.

"You could say that."

Stella glanced at him. "Do you want to talk about it? Maybe I could offer some advice... Of course, if you'd rather not, I understand."

Silence fell between them, thick and unmoving.

Stella assumed he didn't want to share, so she let the subject drop. She turned her gaze outside, watching the scenery blur past, her mind wandering to thoughts of the upcoming international competition.

voice-clear and cool as a mountain spring-broke the hush inside the

found the person I'd been searching for all

flickered in and out of

mind, the image

Stella said gently, "That sounds like good news. Why

swallow up all the light, and even Joshua's voice, usually warm

been looking for was just someone I used to pin my hopes on. Honestly it was just me, reaching for something to hold onto. There was

suffocating-dark, hopelenovel.ne

was

apart, barely holding myself together. I could feel it: I was either about to lose my mind, or I wasn't going to make it at all. Sometimes, I just wanted to burn everything to the

Stella didn't

share of darkness. Maybe not as extreme as Joshua's, but enough to know what it was like to stand on

feel qualified to judge him. If she'd gone through what he

voice was soft, almost like a caring older sister's.

"Then, I met someone

ed

time, he'd been barely holding back the urge

the