THE WIFE HE COULDN’T KEEP

Chapter 3

The elevator doors closed, and Stella's composure shattered.

Her hands were shaking. Her breath came in short gasps. She pressed her back against the cold wall and squeezed her eyes shut.

Joshua.

Six years. Six years since she'd last seen his face. Six years since he'd looked at her with disgust and called her ordinary. Six years since she'd begged him to believe her.

And tonight, he'd looked at her like she was a stranger.

Good. Let him wonder. Let him suffer.

But the trembling in her hands told a different story.

The elevator opened onto her penthouse. She stepped into the quiet sanctuary she'd built. The nanny had left a note: Kids are asleep. They asked for you.

Stella walked to the nursery and pushed the door open.

Three small beds. Three sleeping children.

Aiden sprawled on his stomach, one arm dangling. Maya curled into a tight ball, clutching her stuffed rabbit. Leo sideways, one foot hanging off the bed, blankets kicked off.

Stella moved through the room, tucking each of them in, pressing soft kisses to their foreheads.

"I'm home, babies. Mama's home."

She retreated to her bedroom and closed the door.

Then she let herself fall apart.

The tears came hot and fast. She pressed her hand to her mouth, muffling the sobs. She hadn't cried over Joshua Sterling in years. She'd sworn she wouldn't. She'd built an empire. Raised three children. Become a woman he wouldn't recognize.

But tonight, seeing him again, she felt like that broken girl on the penthouse floor.

"You're an ordinary woman, Stella. I elevated you. And you threw it away."

His words still cut.

Stella walked to her closet and pulled out a small box from the top shelf. She'd kept it hidden for six years.

Inside were the photographs.

The originals. The ones her brother had sent her after the divorce. Confused as to why Joshua had accused him of having an affair.

Stella pulled them out. Her at the café. Alone. Her at the hotel lobby. Meeting a recruiter. Her phone, showing texts to her brother. Innocent texts. Loving texts.

Someone had doctored them. Someone had turned innocent meetings into evidence. Someone had destroyed her marriage.

And Joshua had believed it all.

She remembered the night he'd thrown the photographs on the table. She remembered the disgust in his eyes. She remembered begging him to just take a DNA test.

"I don't need a test to know you've betrayed me."

He hadn't listened. He hadn't even tried.

Stella closed the box and shoved it back on the shelf. Her hands were steady now. The tears had stopped.

She walked to her vanity and stared at her reflection. The Ice Queen stared back.

He doesn't get to come back. He doesn't get to apologize. He doesn't get to act like the last six years didn't happen.

Someone had framed her. Someone had destroyed her life.

And Joshua had let them.

Stella picked up her phone. She'd blocked his number the moment she'd seen it. He couldn't reach her.

But she hadn't forgotten who destroyed her marriage.

She'd been investigating for years. Quietly. Carefully. She had suspects. She had theories. She just needed proof.

And now Joshua was back. Digging. Demanding answers.

He'll find out about the children. He'll want to see them. He'll want to be their father.

Stella's jaw tightened. Over her dead body.

She dialed her brother's number.

"Stella? What's wrong?"

"I saw him tonight, Daniel. Joshua. He was at the hotel."

Daniel's voice tightened with anger. "What did he want?"

"I don't know. I walked out before he could say anything." She paused. "But he's going to come after me. He's going to dig. He's going to find out about the children."

"Stella"

"I won't let him near them." Her voice cracked. "He threw me away. He called me ordinary. He believed lies about me without even trying to hear the truth. He doesn't get to come back and play father."

Daniel was quiet. Then: "What are you going to do?"

Stella looked at her reflection again. The Ice Queen. The woman who'd built an empire. The woman who survived.

"I'm going to protect them. I'm going to protect my family. And I'm going to find out who destroyed my marriage."

"Stella"

"Someone framed me, Daniel. Someone wanted Joshua to believe I was cheating. Someone wanted my marriage to end. And I'm going to find out who."

Daniel's voice was soft and worried. "And what about Joshua? What if he finds out the truth?"

Stella's eyes hardened. "The truth doesn't matter. He made his choice six years ago. He chose a lie over me. That's not something you come back from."

She ended the call and stared at the ceiling.

Her phone buzzed. A message from security.

Mr. Sterling was seen outside the Celeste tonight. Left after twenty minutes. No further activity.

Stella deleted the message.

Joshua could dig all he wanted. He could hire investigators and demand answers. He could tear apart her empire looking for secrets.

He'd find nothing but walls.

Stella Hayes had spent six years building them. And no one, not even the father of her children, was going to tear them down.