The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 490

Before, all she wanted was to push Stella out of the picture—nothing more, nothing too cruel.

But now, because of Stella, Haynes was growing colder by the day. Rachel was running out of patience.

No matter what, she’d have to get rid of Stella first.

Lost in her thoughts, Rachel was jolted back to reality by Joshua Gardner’s quiet, almost haunting voice.

“I’ve wrapped up all my projects. For the time being, I’ll be staying here at Neo-Vespera to help you out.

Rachel, you really ought to focus more on your music, not on men.

Frankly, your playing now is a far cry from when I first heard you.

It’s just a man, after all. If you want, I could find you any stunning gentleman you like. Why are you so fixated on Haynes?

He’s divorced, and he even has a kid. What’s so irresistible about him?”

Rachel had heard this spiel from Joshua more times than she could count.

But instead of feeling pleased, all she felt was a cold, creeping fear.

Joshua Gardner was simply too good to her. Whatever she wanted, he would make it happen—without hesitation, without boundaries.

If she asked him to kill someone, he’d probably do it with a smile.

At first, she’d basked in his devotion. She knew he’d mistaken her for someone else, but she never corrected him.

But over time, Rachel realized something was off—deeply, disturbingly off about Joshua Gardner.

Never mind the fact that he was mentally unstable, his moods swinging wildly from one moment to the next.

What truly unsettled her was how he could be so endlessly devoted to her. All because, by chance, he’d overheard her playing “Moonlight” in the garden, and decided she was some sort of salvation—his lifeline in the darkness.