The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 1992

Stella's tone was flat. "To be honest, I didn't go to Novaris to visit Keen. I went to avoid you. Joshua, you're suffocating me. I had no choice but to run."

Through the receiver, she heard his heavy, rapid breathing. Worried he was just stalling for time, she didn't say another word and hung up.

She immediately instructed the pilot for takeoff.

With a deafening roar, the private jet ascended into the sky.

Outside, heavy clouds gathered, mirroring the dense gloom weighing on Stella's heart.

Just as the plane lifted off, she spotted a familiar silhouette on the tarmac. Dressed entirely in black, he stood out starkly against the empty expanse of the airport, looking as though he were the only person left in the world.

As the plane climbed higher, his figure shrank, eventually becoming a tiny speck before vanishing completely.

In that moment, Stella felt a sudden, hollow emptiness in her chest.

...

Upon landing in Neo-Vespera, Stella was immediately picked up by Haynes's men.

She suspected it wouldn't be long before Joshua followed her. Sure enough, shortly after arriving at Haynes's estate, she received word that Joshua's flight had just touched down.

Keen was overjoyed to see her.

"You mentioned earlier that the house was burglarized and a lot of things were stolen," Stella said. "What exactly did you lose?"

"I'll show you, Mom," Keen replied.

Haynes's deep voice drifted from the doorway. "Star, you're here."

Stella turned to face him. "I'm sorry for imposing on you again."

Looking at his handsome, stoic features, Stella suddenly realized that all their past grievances, the intense love and bitter hatred, no longer seemed to matter.

"Thank you, Haynes," she said sincerely.

A rare smile touched his lips. "We married before we even knew each other. Now, we finally have a chance to start over."

Stella remained quiet for a moment before replying softly, "No matter how perfect the replacements are, even if they look exactly the same... we can never go back to the way things were."