Chapter 18
Having sensed Winona’s somber mood, Christian, with a decisive gesture, sent her and their parents off to Miranda’s hometown, Shadowbrook, for a much–needed change of pace. He had initially planned for Dakota to join them as well, but since she was feeling under the weather, she had to stay behind to rest.
Christian, for his part, naturally stayed behind to look after Dakota and, by extension, prevent Joseph from reaching Winona.
In the meantime, Kevin’s delayed intel meant that Joseph persisted in his old strategy of trying to intercept Winona by appearing at every possible social gathering.
He spent his first attempt enduring the cold in the square all night. He not only failed to see Winona for the fireworks but also got soaked in the rain. Unsurprisingly, he fell ill. Yet, this time, Winona, who would carefully tend to him and wipe off his sweat through the night, was no longer by his side.
His second attempt led him to a bar, the kind of place he utterly loathed. It was a cocktail bar, but every patron had to take at least three shots of hard liquor before entering. Joseph hadn’t touched alcohol since the stomach bleeding he suffered from drinking on Queenie’s behalf. He had even gotten rid of all the alcohol in the Lowe residence.
Yet, at this moment, Joshua drank it all without hesitation. He then gritted his teeth against the searing pain in his stomach as he painstakingly made his way into the bar, only to find that Winona was nowhere to be seen.
His third attempt brought him to the seaside, where he was nearly dragged into the depths of the sea by the surging tide. His fourth attempt took him to the highest peak in Havensport, where he nearly succumbed to hypothermia and froze to death.
Having scoured the entire city without finding a trace of her, Joseph finally understood that Winona wasn’t even in Havenport. He then leveraged his connections to discover that she and her parents had gone to Shadowbrook.
He ultimately failed to make it there, though, as every single ticket–whether for flights, high–speed trains, or even buses–to Shadowbrook was completely sold out, and the next available tickets weren’t for another three days.
Although he was aware that it was a deliberate ploy by the Chapman family to string him along, he found himself without recourse. He considered driving to Shadowbrook. But since the two places were more than 600 miles apart, he estimated that Winona would have already started her return journey by the time he reached his destination.
Just as Joseph was fretting over his dilemma, Winona, miles away in Shadowbrook, was having a good time with her parents.
Having just finished catching up with old friends in the area, Miranda eagerly dragged Winona down a narrow alley to find a seasoned tailor for a custom cap–sleeved bodycon dress.
Winona initially intended to try it later. But Miranda ushered her into the fitting room, stating that any necessary tailoring could be done right then and there if she tried on the dress.
In front of the fitting room mirror, Winona, with her hair neatly pulled back in a simple bun, looked radiant in a soft white cap–sleeved bodycon dress. The dress featured understated jasmine patterns and intricate white borders along the neckline, cuffs, and hem, accentuating her fresh and elegant demeanor.
It would have looked even better if not for those few scars on her fair, slender calves, which were remnants from her abduction incident.
Having been handed an agonizing ultimatum by the abductor, Joseph hesitated briefly before ultimately choosing to save Queenie, his childhood sweetheart. The captor ultimately didn’t let Winona go unscathed, as he shoved her down a hillside, leaving scars on her legs as a grim reminder. Thus, Winona had made a point of wearing long sleeves and pants after returning to the Chapman residence. It was a deliberate effort to keep her scars hidden from her parents and spare them any grief.
Having thought up until this point, she couldn’t help but let out a deep and weary sigh, thinking that she could no longer hide them from her parents. As she expected, the moment she opened the fitting room door, her parents immediately noticed the scars on her legs. Their eyes immediately welled up with tears, yet neither of them mentioned anything about the scars, choosing instead to shower her with compliments on her appearance.
It was well into the night when Winona was drifting off to sleep. Suddenly, she overheard Miranda’s voice from outside, speaking into the phone. “I don’t give a damn if those two went to prison or not. I just want to seek retribution for Winnie!”
Miranda kept her voice down, but Winona could still clearly perceive the quaver and indignation within her tone.
Miranda continued, “Your father and I would like you to see to it that they are properly ‘taken care of,‘ Christian! You should let them taste the agony Winnie had to endure!”
