The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Before, all she wanted was to push Stella out of the picture-nothing more, nothing too cruel.

But now, because of Stella, Haynes was growing colder by the day. Rachel was running out of patience.

No matter what, she'd have to get rid of Stella first.

Lost in her thoughts, Rachel was jolted back to reality by Joshua Gardner's quiet, almost haunting voice.

“I've wrapped up all my projects. For the time being, I'll be staying here at Neo- Vespera to help you out.

Rachel, you really ought to focus more on your music, not on men.

Frankly, your playing now is a far cry from when I first heard you.

It's just a man, after all. If you want, I could find you any stunning gentleman you like. Why are you so fixated on Haynes?

He's divorced, and he even has a kid. What's so irresistible about him?"

Rachel had heard this spiel from Joshua more times than she could count.

But instead of feeling pleased, all she felt was a cold, creeping fear.

Joshua Gardner was simply too good to her. Whatever she wanted, he would make it happen without hesitation, without boundaries.

If she asked him to kill someone, he'd probably do it with a smile.

At first, she'd basked in his devotion. She knew he'd mistaken her for someone else, but she never corrected him.

But over time, Rachel realized something was off-deeply, disturbingly off about Joshua Gardner.

Never mind the fact that he was mentally unstable, his moods swinging wildly from one moment to the next.

What truly unsettled her was how he could be so endlessly devoted to her. All because, by chance, he'd overheard her playing "Moonlight" in the garden, and decided she was some sort of salvation-his lifeline in the darkness.

He'd do anything for her, no matter how outrageous.

If Joshua had been in love with her, maybe it would've made some

sense. But the fact that he offered to find her another man showed clearly whatever he felt for her it wasn't love. Or at least, not love as she understood it.

And after witnessing the lengths Joshua would go to, Rachel only grew more afraid of him.

This man was a threat-dangerous in ways she couldn't fully comprehend.

If he ever discovered the truth, if he realized she'd been lying to him, life would become a living hell.

The worst part? Rachel still didn't know who had actually played "Moonlight" in the garden that day.

"Moonlight" was the signature piece

of a woman named Raven, a member of the Neo-Vespera

University Hall of Fame. It was her magnum opus, but Raven had never

revealed her face; all Rachel knew was that she was a woman. Nothing more. noveldrama

The piece had become wildly

popular, even adopted as the go-to

piece for competitions at the

university. Rachel adored

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"Moonlight" too, so she'd often

practiced it in the garden.

But Joshua had stumbled across someone's performance-not hers-and convinced himself she was the one.

At first, Rachel assumed he must have meant her. He'd said he loved her violin playing and wanted to hear her perform "Moonlight" again.

But when she obliged, Joshua's face fell with disappointment.

He told her that her playing just didn't sound quite like what he'd heard that day.

Rachel didn't dwell on it; after all, everyone has off days and moments of brilliance.

But when Joshua produced a single earring something he'd found after the performance-she realized he'd mistaken her for someone else entirely.

Still, she said nothing.

Back then, Joshua seemed perfectly normal: powerful, dazzlingly handsome, and endlessly attentive.

It was easy to let herself be swept up in the fantasy.

But when she discovered just how abnormal, how dangerous he truly was, all that was left was fear.