The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 559

Before Haynes could speak, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway, growing louder by the second.

“Haynie! Pick Rachel!”

Jasper Wilkinson came hobbling in, clearly having rushed over—though how he’d even heard what was happening was anyone’s guess.

Haynes frowned. “What are you doing here?”

Jasper’s face was drawn with anxiety. “If I hadn’t come, Rachel would be doomed today! Haynie, you have to pick Rachel!”

“Rachel’s wish isn’t fulfilled. She’s only got a few months left—it can’t end for her like this!”

He’d barely managed to get out of bed this morning, still sore from the beating Galen Wilkinson had given him the night before. He’d intended to stay home and recover, but then Foreman had called: Rachel’s been kidnapped.

That was all Jasper needed to hear. He’d rushed over as fast as he could, terrified that if he arrived even a moment too late, Rachel would already be dead.

Haynes’s voice was cool, rational, cutting through the tension. “If she only has a few months left, why not pick someone who actually has a future?”

Jasper stared at him, stunned, unable to believe what he’d just heard.

Was this really Haynes talking? Hadn’t he always favored Rachel above everyone else?

Haynes continued, “Rachel’s terminally ill—she’s running out of time. Let her last hope go to someone who still stands a chance. Rachel’s always been selfless; I’m sure she’d understand.”

He turned to Rachel. “Isn’t that right, Rachel?”

For a split second, Rachel’s carefully crafted mask of vulnerability cracked. She managed a weak, forced smile. “...Haynie’s right. There’s no point saving me now.”

She turned to look at Keen, who was still frozen in shock.

Jasper opened his mouth, struggling for words. “Didn’t the kidnapper just say you had to choose? If you pick Rachel, won’t that be enough...?”

His voice trailed off as he realized how flimsy the argument sounded.

But soon enough, he rallied. “Years ago, I risked my life to draw your pursuers away—if Rachel hadn’t saved me, I’d be long dead. We owe her everything, Haynie! This is our chance to repay that debt. You’re not going to back out now, are you?”

Haynes’s tone was ice. “And what about everything I’ve done for her these past years? What does that count for?”

Jasper’s gaze flickered, searching for an answer. “All I know is, you have to choose Rachel today…”

Haynes cut him off, voice sharp as glass. “You want me to stand in front of Keen and choose someone who’s only got a few months left, over his own mother? Jasper, listen to yourself. Isn’t that insane?”

Stella, listening from the sidelines, couldn’t help the flicker of surprise in her eyes.