The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

He'd deliberately stalled right there, just to see if Stella would abandon him and make a run for it alone.

If their roles were reversed, whether or not he'd save her would depend entirely on his mood.

But most likely? He wouldn't.

He was never the type to go out of his way for others.

Blood loss was catching up to Joshua, and a wave of dizziness washed over him.

Still, he made no move to ask for help.

A strange thought drifted into his mind.

If he died here, would that mean his luck had finally run out?

Or, if by chance someone came to his rescue, did that mean the devil truly looks after his own?

He was lost in these pointless musings when three figures slowly came into view.

Joshua's pupils flickered slightly.

Stella was approaching with two unfamiliar middle-aged men.

"Gentlemen, this is my friend," she said, her voice steady. "If you can get him safely to the hospital, I'll give each of you ten thousand dollars as a thank you."

For the average person, carrying an injured man to the hospital in exchange for that kind of money was a no-brainer-hesitating even a second would feel disrespectful to the cash.

The two men snapped to attention, their attitude suddenly as courteous as five- star hotel staff.

"Don't worry, miss," one of them said quickly. "We'll get your friend to the hospital as fast as possible."

The other chimed in right away, "We'll run every red light if we have to getting him there comes first."

Stella had flagged down cars for ages before finally finding someone willing to stop.

Not wanting to lose her only chance at help, she'd blurted out the reward.

The men had looked doubtful at first, but when Stella let them record her promising payment on video, their concerns vanished.

One of the stronger men hoisted Joshua onto his back and carried him to the car.

Stella was about to climb in after him when Joshua seemed to remember something.noveldrama

"Ms. Cameron, let these gentlemen

take me to the hospital," he said, his voice weak but insistent. "You-

should hurry back to the

competition. If you leave now, you

should still make it."

Stella always arrived at the venue two hours early, just in case something went wrong on the way.

Even after everything that had just happened, there was still time.

Stella looked at Joshua's pale face "You're still worrying about the

.n

Competition at a time like this? Since

when is a trophy more important than a life?"

He looked alert now, but when that car came barreling toward them, he'd turned

the wheel and shielded her from the brunt of the impact.

Who knew if his injuries were internal?

A person's life was worth far more than any competition.

If Joshua ended up seriously hurt because of her, she'd never forgive herself.

Joshua tried to say something else, but Stella cut him off.

"Stop talking. Just rest."

She turned to the two men in front. "Excuse me, could I borrow your phone?" One of them handed it over.

Stella dialed Abby. "Abby, it's me-Stella. Joshua and I were in a car accident. We're headed to the hospital now. Can you come?"

Abby didn't waste a second asking questions. She found out which hospital and hung up, already on her way.

The competition venue was too far from the hospital-she'd have to hurry.

At the hospital, Stella helped the medical staff wheel Joshua to the emergency

room.

Halfway down the corridor, Joshua,

who'd had his eyes closed this whole time, suddenly opened them and finally asked the question that

had been haunting him since the accident.

"Weren't you scared?"