The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1976

The clock struck eleven.

Still, Stella had no intention of returning to the bedroom.

She couldn't focus on a single word of the documents spread before her.

Her mind was an absolute wreck. The whiplash of being violently dragged from a picturesque heaven straight into a hopeless hell was paralyzing.

A bone-deep exhaustion weighed her down.

She didn't want to go back. She couldn't face Joshua.

One look at his face, and she knew her resolve would crumble. She would foolishly cling to the toxic, naive hope that everything was fine.

Time blurred, and eventually, she slumped over the desk, drifting into a fitful slumber.

The sleep offered no peace; her mind was plagued by vivid, disjointed dreams.

Perhaps her subconscious was desperate for a miracle, because she dreamt of Joshua completely cured.

In the dream, the threat of a relapse was entirely eliminated.

She felt an overwhelming surge of euphoria.

Eager to celebrate with him, she rushed to find him—only to stumble into a lavish wedding where he stood at the altar with a breathtaking stranger.

He was slipping a diamond band onto the woman's finger.

Stella stood frozen in horror.

As if sensing her gaze, Joshua paused.

He turned, his gaze cutting effortlessly through the crowd to lock onto hers.

The usual warmth was gone. His eyes were completely void of recognition—cold and terrifyingly blank.

"Excuse me," he asked with polite confusion. "Who are you?"

Reality slammed into her. Joshua had gone through the hypnosis.

He was cured, but his love for her had been entirely erased. He was marrying someone else.

The nightmare was too vivid, too terrifying.

Stella gasped, her eyes snapping open as she dragged in desperate lungfuls of air.

"Star, did you have a nightmare?"

A smooth, familiar voice murmured near her ear.

Still reeling, she turned her head to find his devastatingly handsome face inches from hers.

Bathed in the warm glow of the desk lamp, his eyes overflowed with undeniable affection.

The suffocating panic in her chest began to recede.

The words sent her spiraling.

She knew he had been meticulously planning their nuptials.

He insisted on handling every detail himself.

He had even taken it upon himself to sketch out her gown.

"It's only the first option," he continued. "I'm still tweaking the designs for the others.

If you want, I can show you the sketches tonight."

But this time, her resolve held strong. She refused to cave.

"Put me down, Joshua," she commanded, her voice dropping a few degrees.

He stared at her in silence for several long seconds before slowly lowering her to her feet.

Taking in her frosty expression, he finally yielded.

"If you truly don't want to share a bed with me tonight, I'll take the guest room."

Her lips parted, but she swallowed the cruel rejection she had prepared.