Chapter 27
Winter nodded and left the hospital room.
The elevator doors had just closed when Skyla appeared from around the corner, seated in a wheelchair pushed by her caregiver. She stared at the glowing red numbers of the elevator display, her expression unreadable and deep in thought.
After leaving the hospital, Winter drove with no real destination in mind.
Truth be told, she didn’t have to rely on Jimmy to help her go abroad. The Xander family or the Zeller family could make it happen. In Liono City, and even across the country, those two families carried weight in nearly every field.
If Mrs. Xander Sr. stepped in, the matter would be settled instantly. But Winter didn’t want her to know. If she found out, she would definitely stop her. Winter hadn’t even figured out how to bring up the divorce yet.
William was not an option either. He would never agree to let her go somewhere that dangerous. Worse, he might threaten to cut ties with her. He always did that when he got emotional, and she was too tired now to deal with it.
As long as she kept it from them, once the time came, they would not be able to stop her.
Two months.
She did not know how long it would take Chris to respond so they could file the paperwork. There was still a mandatory thirty–day waiting period anyway. But Chris was probably more eager to finalize the divorce than she was. There was no point in dwelling on it.
So she kept driving, weaving aimlessly through the city.
As familiar buildings passed by, Winter let out a quiet sigh.
She was born and raised in Liono City. To leave the place she had called home for over twenty years for three years or even longer, was not something she felt completely ready for. She was reluctant to admit it, but the attachment was there.
Without realizing it, she turned into Westbury.
The neighborhood where she had once lived with her parents.
After the family went bankrupt, her father had sold the house. It had changed hands long ago. A few years back, when she came to look at it, the place had been empty.
That house held all her warmest memories with her parents.
There were her childhood drawings on the walls. Her tiny handprints. Stickers she had plastered everywhere. Her father had built her a treehouse in the yard with his own hands just to make her happy. The three of them had decorated it together.
Her mother had even woven a hammock and hung it beneath the treehouse. Winter would lie in her arms, listening to stories, while her father gently rocked the hammock.
Just thinking about it used to warm her heart.
But today, no matter how she tried, the emptiness would not go away.
Suddenly, she slammed on the brakes.
Her gaze locked onto a small house in the distance, its lights glowing warmly. Her heart began to race.
Someone lived there now?
+25 Bonus
She knew the house had been sold years ago and no longer belonged to her. She had no right to intrude on someone else’s life. And yet, she found herself wanting to know who lived there now.
She turned off the engine and sat quietly in the car, waiting. It was still early, and the family might not have gone to bed yet. Someone could come out, or come home.
Time passed, second by second.
She had no intention of staying long. Watching someone else’s life like this felt intrusive.
Just as she was about to start the car and leave, a black sedan turned onto the street and pulled up in front of the house.
The car came to a stop.
A tall woman with a sturdy build stepped out of the passenger seat. Winter felt a faint sense of recognition.
The driver got out as well and opened the trunk. He took out a folding wheelchair and set it on the ground with practiced ease.
The woman opened the rear door and carefully lifted someone out, placing them into the wheelchair.
Winter’s hands tightened on the steering wheel and froze.
Comments
ப
Florence
A passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.