The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 485

Haynes fell silent for a few seconds before finally speaking. “Maybe,” he said, “you just slipped and fell by accident.”

Stella hadn’t intended to waste more words on him, but right now, she was oddly curious—just how far would Haynes go, how absurd a story could he spin, just to defend Rachel?

“So what are you saying?” Stella asked. “That you can’t even tell whether I was pushed or whether I fell on my own?”

Haynes met her gaze, his voice low and steady. “Maybe, when you slipped, Rachel tried to grab you and pull you up, but you mistook her intention. In a moment of panic, it’s not impossible to get things confused.”

At that moment, Stella almost had to admire Haynes’s imagination. There was truly nothing he wouldn’t invent if it meant clearing Rachel’s name.

While they argued, Jasper had already pulled Rachel from the water. She hadn’t been under long, so she was still conscious, but the moment she was back on solid ground, her whole body trembled as she broke into sobs.

“Haynie,” Rachel cried, clutching at him, “Ms. Cameron kicked me into the lake right in front of you all. Does she want me dead that badly?”

Jasper, wiping water from his face, scowled. “I swear, I’m going to see that murderer behind bars by the end of today!”

Stella stood her ground, utterly calm, showing not a trace of panic.

Jasper sneered at her composure. “Go ahead, act all calm now. When you’re sitting in a police cell, let’s see if you can still keep up that act.”