The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

"Friends don't need to keep score," Stella said quietly.

She was deeply grateful to Neville. But this gratitude, she realized, was different from what she felt for anyone else. She had met Neville at her lowest-when she was lost and desperate, when Rachel and Jasper had set her up and Haynes had looked the other way. Without Neville's help, she doubted she could have made it through.

During those dark days, Neville had done so much for her-not just offering financial support, but lending a hand whenever she needed it. Now that Stella was back on her feet, she'd taken the money Neville had once given her and put every penny into Marvin's college fund.noveldrama

Neville didn't argue. His voice was low and steady. "I'm glad you see it that way. If you ever need anything from me, just say the word. No need to stand on ceremony."

He added, with a hint of a laugh, "You've refused my money and you're helping me take care of Marvin. Seems like I owe you now, Star. You do know, friendships go both ways."

Stella suddenly remembered something and turned to Neville. "That video of Rachel pushing me-how did you get it?"

She wasn't surprised Neville had managed to recover the audio, but she hadn't expected there to be a video as well.

Neville replied, "As soon as you handed me your phone, I had someone check if there were any security cameras in the area. Unfortunately, Rachel's good at picking her spots. The cameras nearby were either broken or didn't exist. Later, when we were looking for eyewitnesses, we stumbled on someone who'd been flying a drone nearby. The video came from that drone."

Stella felt a rush of warmth. She knew how much effort it must have taken to track down every clue, but Neville had done it for her-without hesitation.

She remembered, too, how Neville had always managed to produce video evidence whenever Rachel tried to frame her, using it to embarrass Haynes time and again.

Stella opened her mouth to thank him, but Neville cut her off before she could speak.

"Star, I don't want to hear another thank you."

She hesitated, then said, "If you liked the painting at the gala, I could always paint another for you."

She'd based the original painting on a photo Abby had taken, and she was pretty sure Abby still had the file. Painting another wouldn't be hard.

Neville's eyes softened into a deeper smile. "I'd like that."

He continued, "You've got competitions coming up, and a concert to prepare for. I'll keep Marvin with me for now. Once you're through this busy stretch, I'll send him over again."

Ever since Neville had taken Marvin home last time, he hadn't brought him back, Stella had thought Neville wanted to spend more time with his son, but now she realized he simply didn't want Marvin to be a

distraction for her.

She glanced at Neville, catching the gentle lines of his handsome profile in the shifting light. Her feelings were a tangled mix. The only way she could ever repay Neville was by looking after Marvin. Now that

Marvin was with his father, Stella felt

like she owed Neville more than

ever.

After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "Mr. Connolly, that video of Rachel setting

me up... did you show it to Haynes on purpose?"

AN

Given everything that had happened today, they hardly had time to revisit Rachel's old schemes. If Neville had really wanted to take Rachel down, it would have made more sense to save all the evidence and expose her just before her concert, when the damage would be irreversible.

Neville had to know that.

Neville's fingers paused on the steering wheel. Then he let out a quiet laugh.

"Star, I should've known I couldn't keep anything from you."