The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Mr. Burton let out a heavy sigh. "Alright."

Strictly speaking, the news about Stella shouldn't be told to her first—it should go

to her family. But in the room, everyone present was a friend. As for Haynes...

well, he was more of an ex-husband now, hardly family anymore.

To keep it from Stella, in front of all her friends, felt almost disrespectful. He

sighed again. "Alright," he said.

If Mr. Burton said he could save someone, he could. If he said there was no hope,

then there really was none.

He turned to Stella, his voice gentle but grave. "Stella, the best I can promise isnoveldrama

that your hands will look normal again—the bones will set properly, and you

shouldn't feel pain when it rains. In your daily life, no one will even notice

anything's wrong. You'll be able to work and live as usual. But..."

He paused, exhaling deeply, the weight of it all clear on his face.

"Your fingers won't be as nimble as they once were. Playing music will be very

difficult. Even painting will be affected. Especially... your left hand."

Stella had smashed her own right hand—she'd stopped short of destroying it

completely, leaving herself at least some use. But her left hand... that had been

crushed by Leonard himself. The damage was so severe it was nearly beyond

repair. If it hadn't been for Mr. Burton performing the surgery himself, she might

have been left with permanent, crippling damage.

Abby's tears started falling again. Star was so gifted, a prodigy with the violin—

more talented than even Harry, the celebrated violinist, and perhaps even more

gifted than the legendary Nora had been in her prime. Stella was born for music.

And now, her future—her lifelong passion—had been destroyed. It was a loss

worse than death.

Abby looked instinctively at Stella.

Stella seemed stunned, her face pale, but she managed to keep her composure.

She turned to Mr. Burton. "Thank you, Mr. Burton. I'll leave it to you."

Mr. Burton looked at her with deep regret. Such a tragedy.

"The sooner your surgery, the better," he said at last. "I'll have everything

prepared so we can operate first thing in the morning."

A surgery like Stella's required

careful planning and a lot of

preparation. Tomorrow morning

was the earliest possible.

With another sigh, Mr. Burton left the room, unable to bear staying any longer.

After he was gone, Stella turned to Haynes and the others. "Could you all give

Abby and me a moment alone?"

They quietly filed out.

Abby leaned over the bed, voice trembling. "Star, I—"

"Abby, don't blame yourself." Stella

cut her off gently. "None of this is

your fault. If we need to blame

someone, it should be the person

who did this to me, not another

victim."

She tried for a wry smile. "Honestly, I was worried I'd never be able to take care of

myself again."

Abby wiped her tears. "Then I'll take care of you for the rest of your life!"

Stella reached out and squeezed

Abby's hand. "Come on now, you

need to stop crying. You're still

recovering from nearly drowning,

remember? You should rest too."

Abby shook her head. "I'm fine, I'm not tired."

Stella knew Abby was wracked with guilt and didn't push her to leave. Instead,

she changed the subject.

"By the way, where are Joshua and Foreman? Did they head home?"

Abby sniffed. "I think Foreman's still handling some things. As for Joshua..."

She hesitated, her expression a little odd.