The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1243

They had eaten breakfast together.

She had been gone for lunch, and Harold was supposed to have been there with him, yet Joshua hadn't eaten.

As Joshua's friend, Harold had already gone above and beyond by bringing him lunch; she couldn't possibly ask him to force Joshua to eat it.

"Josh," Stella began, hesitating for a moment. "I'm going to be very busy for a while, so I might not have as much time to come to the hospital. While I'm away, would it be okay if Harold came to keep you company? Don't worry, I'll triple his pay."

Joshua's eyebrow arched, and a strange, unreadable smile touched his lips. It was a smile, but it carried an unnerving chill. "Neville needs your help with something?" he asked sharply.

His insight caught Stella off guard. Before she could think better of it, she answered frankly, "Yes. His grandmother doesn't have much time left, and she's been worried about him getting married. Marvin and Neville spent all their time recently going on blind dates, but none of them worked out. Neville doesn't want to settle for just anyone, so he asked me to pretend to be his fiancée."

Joshua's gaze fell to the beautiful, glistening bracelet on Stella's wrist. "And you agreed?"

"Yes," she said. "Neville helped me so much in the past, and I've never been able to repay him."

He looked at her. "What if he needed to get married? Would you agree to that, too?"

Stella shook her head. "He wouldn't ask that of me." Her tone was firm, her expression certain. It was a trust that came from the heart.

In truth, Joshua knew his question was pointless. Of course Stella would help Neville if he asked. Wasn't it her loyalty and sense of honor that had drawn him to her in the first place? It was strange how people sometimes knew the answer but still tortured themselves by asking the question.

Staring out at the setting sun, Stella spoke softly. "I met Neville and Marvin when I was at my lowest point, when I felt completely hopeless. Maybe what they did for me was a small thing to them, just a simple favor. But for me, it was like seeing a ray of light in a dark abyss, a rope to pull myself out. Joshua, you once told me that in your darkest moment, you heard a piece of music, and that the person who played it was different to you."

Without Neville's help back then, with Jasper Wilkinson and Rachel relentlessly pressuring her, she might have ended up like Candida Fletcher, homeless and alone. She would have had no choice but to break down and admit she was wrong, just like she had in the past. Under their oppression, she would have never had the chance to start over.

"So, is he different to you, too?" Joshua asked.

"Yes," Stella said. "He is different."

"And do you love him?"