Chapter 280
Chapter 280
Seeing Chris react like that, Winter let out a soft, bitter laugh.
He had guessed it right away.
He didn’t even try to explain.
“Why?” she murmured.
Chris looked at the hand braced against the foot of the bed. Her fingers were trembling. Something dark and unreadable settled in his eyes.
“I didn’t want to marry you p>
So that was the answer.
It wasn’t all that different from what she had already suspected.
Winter nodded, almost as if she had finally gotten the answer she needed. Then she turned and walked out of the room. Her hand had barely touched the doorknob when Chris caught her by the wrist.
His fingertips were cool.
“The doctor said you need to rest p>
“I’m going home.” Winter’s face was calm, but there was something almost unhinged beneath the surface. “I scattered my parents’ ashes into the ocean. You can’t use them against me anymore p>
Chris looked at her pale face, his eyes dark.
“I wasn’t going to threaten you. Stay here. I’ll leave p>
With that, he let go of her wrist, opened the door, and walked out.
A little while later, Gavin came in with a cup of hot ginger tea and set it on the nightstand before quietly leaving the room.
Winter looked at the tea. The dull pain low in her abdomen was still there. She rarely had cramps this bad. In the end, she decided not to make herself suffer more than she already was, so she picked up the cup and took a few sips.
A doctor came in with a nurse to check on her. His tone was gentle and respectful.
“Mrs. Xander p>
Winter corrected him. “Doctor, my last name is Scott p>
The doctor froze for a second. Then, remembering Chris’s instructions before leaving, he quickly changed course.
“Ms. Scott, how are you feeling now p>
“My lower abdomen hurts. It comes in waves p>
The doctor nodded. “You don’t usually get cramps this bad, do you? And this cycle has been a little unusual p>
Winter nodded and told him what had been off about it.
“I see,” the doctor said. “It may be related to stress, exhaustion, and the strain your body has been under lately.
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I’ll prescribe something to help regulate things. Take it for a while, and then come back for a follow-up p>
“All right. Thank you, doctor p>
The black Bentley moved steadily down the road.
In the back seat, Chris lit a cigarette. He lowered the window, and cool air rushed into the car, making his expression look even colder.
Before Mrs. Xander Sr. died, she had forced him to divorce Winter. She had held on, waiting for his answer.
It was only after he leaned down and told her, “We were never legally married,” that she finally let go.
Chris stubbed out the cigarette and opened his phone. His finger stopped on Winter’s name in his contacts. His grip tightened around the phone for a moment, then loosened again.
“Have someone call Wendy from her department p>
From the driver’s seat, Gavin nodded. “Yes, sir p>
Wendy arrived at the hospital not long after. The moment she saw Winter sitting on the bed with such poor color, she hurried over.
“Look at you. Why do you look this awful p>
She wrapped Winter’s cold hand in both of hers, and the warmth made Winter feel strangely grounded. Winter gave her a faint smile.
“What are you doing here p>
“They told me you passed out from period cramps. How did it get this bad p>
Winter naturally assumed the message had come from the two coworkers who had been with her at the event.
“The doctor said I just need to take better care of myself. It should get better after that,” Winter said with a small smile,
Wendy looked at her and felt a pang of heartache.
“Come home with me. My mom is amazing. When I used to get bad cramps, she was the one who fixed me right up p>
Winter shook her head. “No. You were still a kid back then. I’m already in my twenties. I can take care of myself p>
Just as the words left her mouth, there was a knock at the door.
Winter and Wendy both looked over.
A tall man in a baseball cap and face mask stepped into the room. Tall, broad-shouldered, and imposing, he looked intimidating enough that Wendy immediately stepped in front of Winter.
“Who are you? Get out p>
Winter quickly caught her arm. “It’s okay. She’s my girl p>
Wendy stared at her. “Since when is your girl built like that p>
Then the man pulled off his cap and mask.
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Wendy froze.
Her face flushed bright red in an instant.
“Oh my God. It’s William Zeller p>
She stared at the very real William standing in front of her, then looked back at Winter and pointed at him.
“William is your girl p>
Winter shrugged. “Girl, bestie, sister, whatever. Don’t get hung up on the label p>
William set his cap and mask aside and strode over to the bed. He pressed a hand to Winter’s forehead, then touched his own, his face tight with worry. Wendy could only stand there staring.
After checking Winter over, he finally smiled at Wendy.
“So you’re a fan p>
Wendy nodded hard.
Later, while William took the cup to make her another hot drink, Wendy leaned in and asked, “So he really is your girl p>
Winter gave her a look. “What, you think I’m making it up? What kind of fan doubts her own idol p>
Wendy shook her head. “That’s not what I mean. I’m not doubting who he is. I’m saying he obviously cares about you a lot. I always thought he was straight. Are you sure he’s not into you p>
Winter rolled her eyes. “You said that, not me. If William heard you, he’d definitely say I’m full of myself p>
Ever since the night Skyla exposed her own whereabouts and angered Chris, she hadn’t seen him again.
She got what she wanted and moved back into the villa in Westbury, but Chris never came. The flowering tree in the yard was still there. She had texted him to ask if it could be cut down, but he never replied.
So the tree stayed.
She tried to go out and find him herself, but the bodyguards stopped her.
“Ms. Jasper, Mr. Xander said your health is fragile and that you should stay in. Flu season has been especially bad lately p>
Skyla still remembered that day. Winter had fired at her, and after Chris stopped her, he had effectively placed Skyla under house arrest in front of everyone by making sure she couldn’t leave.
But hadn’t the Zeller family already agreed not to pursue the matter?
So why was she still being kept inside?
She called Chris again and again, but he didn’t answer once.
That afternoon, Skyla was sitting in the yard in the sun when her phone suddenly buzzed with a fifteen-second
video.
In the video, Chris was carrying someone in his arms, striding away.
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He was always calm and in control, never in a rush. The speed of his steps alone showed how anxious he was about the person he was holding.
It only took a glimpse of the woman’s profile for Skyla to recognize her.
It was Winter.
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Florence
A passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.