The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

The blood in his veins was boiling again.

It had been a long, long time since he'd felt such a violent urge to kill.

"Joshua, Joshua?"

A familiar woman's voice, cool and clear as a mountain stream, washed over him and extinguished the dangerous spark just as it flared to life.

Joshua blinked, brought back to himself.

Stella was watching him closely. "What were you thinking about? You looked miles away."

Only then did Joshua realize Neville and Abby were gone. Neville had left, and Abby had gone to see him off.

He shook his head. "...It's nothing."

Stella said, "I spoke to Dr. Burton yesterday. About your insomnia."

She hesitated, choosing her words. "He thinks your insomnia is psychological. If you can resolve the underlying issues, you might be able to sleep again."

Stella put it gently, but when Dr. Burton spoke to her, he hadn't been so tactful.

"This young man's dealing with some serious psychological issues. I can treat the body, but the mind-that's not my area."

Stella had promised she'd find a way to help Joshua with his insomnia. She suspected that was the real reason he'd decided to stay by her side all those months ago: he wanted to be cured.

She'd spent time researching treatments. Music therapy was one of the most effective remedies for sleeplessness.

But...

Stella glanced down at her hands, a shadow flickering in her eyes.

She could never play the violin again.

From a dark corner of her heart, bitterness crept quietly in, swelling until it filled her chest. She'd never hated anyone this much. Not even Haynes. Not even Rachel.

Hate and love-both were such a waste of emotion.

But Leonard was different.

He'd destroyed her one hope of starting over.

Joshua's voice broke through her spiral.

"It won't be easy."

Stella snapped out of it, shaking off the turmoil. She turned to him, catching the briefest flash of self-mockery and disgust on his face.

It startled her.

That look didn't fit Joshua's usual

easy confidence. But then

again-who said cheerful, sunlit

vel

people couldn't have their own shadows? Maybe there was

something lodged deep inside him, something he couldn't shake.

She softened her voice, her tone warm and gentle, like a confidante. "Joshua, did something happen to you? Something that hurt you?: can talk to me, if you want.

Sometimes it helps, just save ou

MS

loud."

His long lashes fluttered, almost shyly. "What about you?"

it out

Joshua didn't talk about his past. Even after regaining his memories, he'd rarely mentioned anything personal. To this day, people knew little about him beyond his

name.

Most of the time, he was just a silent observer-calm, unflappable, never losing his composure, no matter what happened.

Abby was curious about Joshua's history. Stella was, too.

But Stella never pushed. If someone didn't want to talk, she respected that.

She smiled. "Me? My past isn't much of a secret. If it weren't for Rachel, I'd probably still be trapped in anoveldrama

miserable marriage. Strange as in et

sounds, I should thank her. She forced me to start over, to live a different life."

Joshua spoke up suddenly. "Have you ever thought about falling in love again?"