The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 631

Haynes clearly hadn’t expected the truth to be quite like this. He froze for a moment, then turned to Stella, his face clouded with uncertainty and confusion.

Stella met his gaze, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Mr. O’Brien, you’re not going to tell me you think I faked this security footage just to frame Rachel, are you?”

Haynes was silent for several seconds before finally speaking. “I’m sorry. That time… I misunderstood you.”

But Stella didn’t even bother to acknowledge him. Instead, she turned to Neville.

“Mr. Connolly, wouldn’t Rachel’s actions be considered attempted murder? If we called the police, what would happen?”

Neville chuckled lightly. “She’d be looking at a minimum of three years.”

Stella arched an eyebrow. “But Ms. Pearce does seem to lead a charmed life. Not only does she have a terminal illness, she’s also been diagnosed with depression. I doubt any prison could hold her for long.”

Neville offered a suggestion with a shrug. “With that kind of instability and violent behavior, she’d be a danger to the public if released. Better to have her committed to a psychiatric hospital.”

He glanced at Haynes. “Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. O’Brien?”

Haynes’s eyes darkened as he looked at Stella. “I’ll make things right with you regarding Rachel. How do you want to proceed?”

The moment he said that, Stella understood—even if this changed how he saw Rachel, he hadn’t given up on her. He still intended to clean up her mess.

Stella regarded Haynes with a half-smile. “Tell me, Mr. O’Brien, are you still planning to steal my special guest?”

He fell silent for a moment. “No one’s taking your guest from you. Not anymore.”

Stella heard the real message in his words: he was done pulling strings for Rachel.