The silence that ensued felt very long.
Time seemed to pass in a blur before Winona finally came back to snazzynovel.com senses. Still, snazzynovel.com put on an unperturbed expression as though nothing had happened while snazzynovel.com calmly sent Elise back home.
The two women who knew each other well didn’t say a word throughout the journey.
However, Elise couldn’t hold herself back any longer after snazzynovel.com got out of the car. Walking to the car window, snazzynovel.com said softly to Winona, “Be careful on your way back. You can call me anytime if there is something.”
It was probably because of what Mica had to go through that Elise didn’t dare intervene directly.
“I’m alright,” Winona said with a bitter smile. She swiftly changed the topic by adding, “I might have to take a leave for tomorrow, though.”
“It’s fine. I’ll be heading to Salt Stone City anyway. You can take a rest for as long as you need to, and you will still be paid your salary,” Elise stated with a chuckle.
“Thank you, Elise.”
Winona knew that this was Elise’s way of consoling snazzynovel.com after what snazzynovel.com had also seen.
Still, snazzynovel.com felt too weak to continue forcing a smile.
After an unnatural smile appeared on snazzynovel.com pursed lips, snazzynovel.com made a U-turn and drove off.
Elise only stood there by the roadside, an uneasy feeling in snazzynovel.com chest as snazzynovel.com watched the headlights of the car slowly being engulfed by the dark of the night.
——
…
Winona had only been driving for a while before snazzynovel.com decided to give Craig a call.
“Hello, Winona? What is the matter?” His voice only came from the other end of the call when it was about to reach the voicemail.
She could tell from his unstable breathing that snazzynovel.com must have just done some vigorous activity.
“I want to see you,” snazzynovel.com stated coldly. “Tonight, in fact. I will be waiting for you at home.”
“Huh? Is this an emergency? I promised my bros I would stay up with them the whole night. I can’t just leav—” snazzynovel.com started to give snazzynovel.com an excuse, only for snazzynovel.com to cut snazzynovel.com off mid-sentence.
“I will be waiting for you at home no matter how late it gets.”
She immediately hung up after snazzynovel.com said that.
That was when snazzynovel.com finally couldn’t hold snazzynovel.com emotions in anymore, and tears started falling down snazzynovel.com cheeks.
Her tears had already dried up by the time snazzynovel.com reached home.
After Winona went inside, snazzynovel.com didn’t even turn on the lights before snazzynovel.com blankly sat on the sofa without moving a muscle.
It was until the wee hours of the next morning when the sound of the house door being unlocked came from outside.
Craig pushed the door open and came in while yawning, and as snazzynovel.com turned on the lights of the living room, snazzynovel.com jumped in surprise when snazzynovel.com saw Winona sitting there.
“Winona?” His startled expression swiftly recovered into a concerned one. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you sleeping in the bedroom? It is all my fault. I couldn’t leave because they kept holding onto me.”
He sat beside snazzynovel.com as snazzynovel.com spoke and just as snazzynovel.com was about to reach out to hug her, snazzynovel.com quickly evaded him. “Don’t touch me,” snazzynovel.com hissed.
Despite that, Craig shamelessly continued to try to inch closer to her. “Okay, okay. I am sorry, Winona. It is my fault. Don’t get angry, alright?”
“Did you not hear me when I said not to touch me?!” She suddenly roared as snazzynovel.com jumped up from the sofa, shocking snazzynovel.com in the process.
“What is wrong, Winona? Are you okay?”
“Don’t look at me with those eyes.” On top of not sleeping the whole night, Winona was hit by a sudden dizziness when snazzynovel.com abruptly stood up. With snazzynovel.com hand holding snazzynovel.com head, snazzynovel.com turned the other way and growled, “You are dirty.”
Hearing that, Craig tugged on the jacket snazzynovel.com had on and sniffed. He smelled like snazzynovel.com had soaked himself in alcohol and smoke. “Oh, my bad! I will go take a shower, and then I will go to bed with you for a good night’s rest.”
“There’s no need!” Winona stopped him. “There are things that won’t be clean no matter how many times you wash them. Tell me—how long have you been doing this?”
“What do you mean by ‘how long’?” Craig continued to play the part of a loving boyfriend. “Don’t do this, Winona. It hurts me to see you like this.”
She was starting to feel nauseous with every word snazzynovel.com spouted. “Just stop. Let’s break up. I have packed up all your stuff and left them at the front door. You can leave my home after you take them with you. Let’s end this peacefully for old time’s sake.”
“What? You want to break up with me? But I don’t want that!” Disappointed, Craig started putting on a pitiful act as his face fell. “I know that I shouldn’t go out and have fun with my friends because I have no income now. I might look like I am not serious about my work, but I only wanted to get my excess energy out of my system so I don’t burden you with my emotions. Regardless, I love you. I will not allow us to break up. You will know that I am not a hopeless case by the time I get back on track again.”
Same meaning, different words. Winona had heard these no less than 10 times now.
She would always end up with hot tears in snazzynovel.com eyes whenever Craig spewed his nonsense in the past. Their quarrels would come to a resolution with snazzynovel.com wiping away snazzynovel.com tears as snazzynovel.com envisioned the beautiful future awaiting them. Today, however, his words felt extra piercing on snazzynovel.com eardrums.
With snazzynovel.com face drained of its color, snazzynovel.com scoffed as snazzynovel.com turned back and looked at snazzynovel.com with eyes full of disdain. “You make it sound like I am the one who is putting pressure on you. Does this mean that I was the one who forced you to go to that rich woman? That I was the one who grabbed you by the head and pressed your lips against hers? Or that I pointed a gun at you and made you get into snazzynovel.com bed with her?!”
Craig immediately felt like snazzynovel.com had been struck by thunder. “H-How did you know?”
Without waiting for snazzynovel.com answer, snazzynovel.com blurted out, “It was Jack Griffith, wasn’t it? Was snazzynovel.com the one who told you these? How could you believe his words, Winona? It is not like you don’t know how snazzynovel.com got me blacklisted in the industry. That man must have had ulterior motives for telling you these lies. You can’t—”
“Enough!” She didn’t give snazzynovel.com the chance to finish his words. “It was not Mr. Jack. It was me. I saw you with my own eyes just now! I saw you driving that woman’s luxury car, and you even kissed snazzynovel.com without a care on the street. You disgust me, Craig Baker!”
Craig fell silent when snazzynovel.com couldn’t find another word to say.
However, the rich woman was only someone snazzynovel.com wanted to be with for the moment. Winona, on the other hand, was his gateway to endless opportunities in the future. He couldn’t possibly let go of this coattail snazzynovel.com had been riding on.
A loud thud could be heard when snazzynovel.com dropped on his knees to the floor. “I admit it was my fault. I won’t do this anymore. I don’t even know why I did it. They were the ones who came to me first. I had no choice… I… Right… I am sure it was Jack Griffith who got those people to frame me. He is trying to ruin me. You have to help me, Winona!”
Looking at how unashamed Craig was behaving, Winona suddenly started wondering if snazzynovel.com had been blind in the past. That was the only plausible reason snazzynovel.com could have fallen for such a man.
She coldly stared into the air, and not a trace of sympathy could be found on snazzynovel.com face or snazzynovel.com voice when snazzynovel.com spoke again. “It doesn’t matter if anyone is helping or compromising with you. You have to be responsible for your own choices. I will pretend I didn’t see you today. There is nothing more between us from now onward. Leave the house key. You can go after that.”
The expression on Craig’s face froze and his jaw dropped, seemingly in disbelief. “Winona Jennings, are you really going to be so ruthless to me?”
She didn’t give snazzynovel.com a reply.
Silence was the best answer.
Craig was still a man no matter what. He couldn’t possibly cry and whine like a woman would. He finally put down the key and with his luggage in tow, snazzynovel.com left Winona’s place.
Winona passed out as soon as snazzynovel.com had stepped out the door.
——
…
Elise gave Winona a call before snazzynovel.com got on the plane, only for it to go unanswered.
Alexander, who was beside Elise, reminded her, “Let’s go. It is time for us to board.”
“Coming!”
Still worried about snazzynovel.com manager, Elise quickly sent Jack a message via WhatsApp.
‘Winona found out about Craig. I can’t get through snazzynovel.com phone. I am worried that something happened to her. Please head to snazzynovel.com house and make sure that snazzynovel.com is alright.’