The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 2

Haynes furrowed his brow and quickly muttered, "I'll be right there," before striding out the door, not even sparing Stella a second glance.

Stella watched his retreating figure with a blank expression. She'd lost count of how many times Haynes had rushed out late at night because of one of Rachel's "emergency" calls.-

...

The following morning, Stella was all packed up and ready to leave. As she passed by Keen's room, she hesitated for a moment. After a brief pause, she checked in on Keen before leaving.

Keen had been born prematurely, and as a result, he'd always been a bit frail. Stella had always looked after him personally, not trusting anyone else with the task. He took after Haynes in looks and, to some extent, in temperament—cool and distant.

It was the weekend, so Keen wasn't at school. He was in his room working on his homework.

When Stella walked in, he greeted her, "Morning, Mom," before focusing on his books again.

Stella looked at Keen, whose profile closely resembled Haynes, and spoke softly, "Keen, I'm leaving. Take care of yourself."

Without raising his gaze, Keen replied casually, "Okay."

Since Rachel had come into their lives, Keen had grown more distant from her.

Rachel had once posted a video on social media. In it, Keen was munching on an ice cream, his words muffled and indistinct.

"I love hanging out with Rachel. I get to eat all sorts of yummy stuff," he said.

Rachel asked, "Is your mom not nice to you?"