The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Rachel Pearce didn't bother chasing after Haynes O'Brien; she seemed lost in her own thoughts, but no one really noticed her.

After leaving the gym, Stella Cameron decided to head straight home instead of making any detours-she wanted to avoid any further encounters with Haynes. When they passed by a supermarket, Stella stopped to pick up some groceries. As her assistant, Joshua naturally went along.

Haynes, who had been tailing them in his car, saw them get out and followed them inside.

When they left, Rachel tried to hitch a ride with Haynes, but he turned her down. For once, the usually persistent Rachel didn't insist; she simply walked away on her own.

Inside the supermarket, Haynes spotted Stella pushing a cart, carefully selecting vegetables.

Joshua wasn't hovering at her side; instead, he was walking behind Stella with Keen O'Brien.

Keen was beaming, telling Joshua something exciting-every now and then exclaiming, "That's awesome!" or "Really?" The difference between this lively, exuberant boy and the well-behaved, steady child Keen usually was around Haynes was striking.

Watching his own son chat so comfortably with another man, Haynes felt a pang of something he didn't expect. For the first time, he truly understood what it was like to see your child bonding with someone you can't stand.

He recalled how, in the past, he'd accused Stella of being petty and jealous, unable to accept anyone else caring for their child. Now, standing in her shoes, he finally understood exactly how she must have felt back then.

If Stella had been as friendly with Rachel as Keen was now with Joshua, he doubted he could have handled it as calmly-he'd probably have stormed right

over.

Haynes closed his eyes for a moment, a wave of regret washing over him. He realized just how much he'd neglected because of Rachel.

He didn't approach or interrupt, just quietly followed Stella and the others as they shopped.

Stella was focused, methodically picking out vegetables. From where Haynes stood, he could only see delicate curve of her cheek,

luminous in the sunlight enest

through the window. For a

moment, he felt his long-numb heart skip a beat.

Sensing his gaze, Stella looked up in his direction. When she saw Haynes, her brow furrowed slightly. She'd known all along he was following them.

Annoyed, but with no grounds to chase him off-the supermarket wasn't her turf— Stella simply ignored him and went back to choosing produce.

Keen, engrossed in conversation with Joshua, didn't even notice Haynes trailing them.

The vegetables Stella picked were crisp and fresh, catching the attention of a friendly woman stocking shelves nearby.

"You clearly know your way around the produce aisle," the woman remarked with a smile. “You always pick the best ones. I bet you cook at home a lot, right? You know exactly which parts taste the best."

Stella smiled back. "Yes, I do most of the cooking myself. That way, the meals always turn out just the way I like."

Haynes watched them chat, eyes softening. He'd never once gone grocery shopping with Stella, never accompanied her on these little errands. He had no idea there was so much to learn about picking vegetables.

Keen overheard their conversation and turned to look. "Wait, you can't just grab any vegetable off the shelf?"

The woman laughed. "Of course not!

Good produce tastes so much better. And there's so much more to cooking than people think-the timing, the heat, the seasoning, the way you combine things... It's a real art." sŵnovel

Keen whispered, “I had no idea cooking at home was so much work for Mom."

The woman nodded. "Taking care of the O'Brien family is no walk in thenoveldrama

park, you know. It's often harder than having a job. If people had the choice, not many would trade a career for staying at home with the kids."