When My Star Went Away

Stella Hart loved Ashton Voss with nothing left of her dignity. The heir to a century-old jewelry empire blamed Stella for the fire seven years ago—convinced she ignored his screams to save a stranger instead. For three years Ashton punished her: handing her 100 divorce papers, and 100 times Stella begged not to be left. On the 101st letter, Stella stopped begging. Not after Ashton forced her, allergic as she was, to drink alcohol in front of his friends. Not after her stepsister destroyed her late mother's locket. And not after Ashton's slap damaged the hearing aid she had worn since her father's blow robbed her of her hearing at 19. Draped in a blood-red gown, Stella signed the letter—then walked into the arms of Ethan Morrow, the Silicon Valley tycoon who had quietly funded her late mother's cancer research for years. Ashton only realized when it was all too late. He begged, drank himself into oblivion, even tried to destroy Stella's reputation so no other man could have her. But you can't destroy a woman who has already walked away—you can only watch her shine in a place you can no longer reach. For three years Ashton thought Stella was worthless. Now, he must spend the rest of his life figuring out where his star went.