The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 803

Among the infamous Devil’s Trilogy, *The Gaze* was known as the most difficult piece of all—a reputation earned from the very first bars. Unlike most compositions, which built up layer by layer, allowing musicians to ease in and find their footing, *The Gaze* hurled the performer straight into its most punishing passages without mercy.

For ordinary violinists, even the opening was a mountain too steep to climb, let alone the challenge of making it through the entire piece. The judges were already bracing themselves for Stella to falter right from the start.

But to their shock, Stella navigated those treacherous opening measures with astonishing ease. She made the hellish passages sound almost mundane, as if *The Gaze* were nothing more than a pleasant, straightforward melody.

Her movements betrayed no effort or strain. Each phrase flowed from her hands as smoothly as water gliding over polished stone.

In the audience, Mr. Walden and his students watched, dumbfounded. They knew that some pieces could be played on many instruments, but even those most familiar with other disciplines—like Rena and her companions—found *The Gaze* daunting. Even if one survived the brutal introduction, the rest of the piece was no gentler.

How could Stella make it seem so effortless? Was she just pretending? Or was Nocturne Stella truly that gifted?

Backstage in the green room, Harry watched the performance on the monitor, momentarily stunned. But soon, he composed himself. The opening may have been torturous, but there were violinists who could get through it. The true nightmare of *The Gaze* lay ahead, in the surging climax and the delicate conclusion. That stretch demanded not just flawless technique, but a deep well of musical instinct—a mastery of fingering and pressure, where every nuance mattered. Too tight or too loose, too much or too little, and the entire piece would unravel.

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