The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1453

However, no matter what he did, Nora remained coolly indifferent toward him.

It wasn't until the Cameron family faced a crisis, and Nora was being ridiculed, that he stood firmly by her side. Had it not been for that, he suspected he might never have broken through her emotional walls.

After he finally won her heart, they shared two blissful years together. No one could have imagined that those two years would be all they had.

The memory brought a flicker of pain to Skyler's eyes.

Stella listened in silence. The Camerons wouldn't be foolish enough to lie about such things, and Skyler certainly had no reason to. She couldn't begin to imagine what her mother had endured, trapped between a hostile family and a complicated marriage, with enemies on all sides. She finally understood why Nora had felt she had no choice but to escape.

At that time, the Cameron family was in decline, dependent on others for survival. Not only would they have refused to let Nora divorce Skyler, but if she had sought refuge with them, they likely would have sent her right back to him.

Nora was such a proud woman. When she didn't love Skyler, she could watch his entanglement with his first love with detached indifference. If she didn't care, her heart remained untroubled. She wouldn't have even bothered dealing with the other woman if she hadn't been provoked repeatedly. But once she fell in love with Skyler, how could she possibly tolerate him living with another woman as man and wife for three years and having a child with her?

With her children as her only remaining tie, Nora had nothing left to lose. She was capable and could support herself; there was no need to suffer humiliation for the sake of wealth and status. So she ran, escaping a place that had become suffocating.

For the sake of her three sons, she had allowed Skyler to gradually strip away her power, returning her shares to the Williams family. It was her final act of a mother's love.

…

After signing the contract with Mr. Franco, Stella's major work commitments were temporarily concluded, giving her some time to rest.

But instead of relaxing, she filled her free time studying business or heading to an athletic club to learn combat and shooting skills.

Stella frowned slightly. "So all my training has been for nothing?"

"Not entirely," Joshua said. "It's effective against an ordinary person with no training. But against someone with even a little skill, you'd be in trouble. Jonathan, his brothers, and even Aurora have been training since they were children. You're starting late, Star. Unless you have a natural gift for it, it'll be nearly impossible to catch up, no matter how hard you work."

No one was perfect, and in this area, Stella knew she had no particular talent.

She caught the implication in his voice. "Are you saying I need an instructor with real-world combat experience?"

Joshua looked at her. "Star, what about me?"