The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1997

Keen nodded meekly. "I know, Dad."

The ride home was completely silent. Stella didn't utter a single word.

Once back at the house, Haynes coaxed Keen upstairs before turning to her. "You knew he wasn't going to hurt Keen... Why go to such extremes?"

Stella offered no explanation, simply turning on her heel and heading up the stairs.

...

A full week passed without a glimpse of Joshua. No calls, no texts. It seemed the brutal slap had finally shattered him, driving him away for good.

Abby called to inform Stella about a crucial contract that required her immediate presence back in Solmaris. Seeing that Joshua had seemingly backed off, Stella decided it was time to return.

The week had been eerily quiet. At first, Stella remained on high alert, paranoid that Joshua was just waiting for her to drop her guard before striking. But time proved her wrong. Wherever she went, the shadows remained empty.

Meanwhile, Haynes finally received intelligence regarding Callie O'Brien's whereabouts.

She had been dumped in a remote border country. Her limbs were intact, but her living conditions were a waking nightmare. She had been sold off as a servant to a wealthy, tyrannical household.

The life of a servant there wasn't just sweeping floors. She was expected to cook elaborate feasts and perform backbreaking manual labor from dawn till dusk. If the food was subpar, she starved. If the chores weren't perfect, she was beaten. She wasn't allowed to sleep until every task was completed.

For someone like Callie, who had grown up pampered and had never worked a day in her life, it was absolute physical and psychological torture.

When Haynes heard the report, his dark eyes remained unfathomable. His reaction was shockingly indifferent.

"Understood," was all he said.

Stella studied his stoic face. "Are you not going to send a team to extract her?"

He met her gaze, his eyes pooling with an inky depth. "Is this how she and my mother used to torment you?"

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