Chapter 20
Winona was genuinely disappointed when she discovered that Joseph had gifted the necklace to Queenie. However, she masked her emotions with a smile and assured Joseph that she was fine with it.
Joseph, consumed by remorse, swiftly pulled her into a comforting hug, murmuring that he would craft an even more magnificent necklace for her subsequent birthday. He did eventually craft “True Love’s Heart“, but by then, its intended recipient was no longer by his side.
He took a deep breath after that and rapped on the car window, a sign for Kevin to lower it.
It whirred down immediately, and a man leaned in with a solicitous expression, saying, “Good evening, Mr. Lowe.”
Joseph handed the gift to the man, smiling as he said, “Thank you for your help.”
The Chapman family had invited many people to Winona’s birthday party, and Joseph happened to have an acquaintance among the guests who was still on good terms with him. Thus, he had enlisted the help of the man before him to bring his gift into the Chapman residence.
That man waved his hand, reiterating that it was of no inconvenience, then proceeded toward the Chapman residence with Joseph’s gift. Given the heavy influx of guests for the birthday party, the security screening process was somewhat relaxed that day. Once the contents of the gift were deemed harmless, the guards allowed the man to enter the venue.
Joseph, observing from afar, breathed a sigh of relief. He then slumped back into his seat and closed his eyes in a pretense of slumber.
In the grand hall of the Chapman residence, the birthday celebration had reached its peak. Having cut the birthday cake, Winona exchanged a few words with the guests before retreating to the study to open her birthday gifts. It had always been something she enjoyed doing the most, as the act of unwrapping gifts was quite thrilling in itself.
She meticulously unwrapped the gifts from the guests, setting aside her favorites on the table beside her. She then finally reached for and opened the gift from Joseph.
She had, in fact, noticed this oddly distinctive gift right away. Unlike the other gifts, which were beautifully wrapped and came with personalized notes, this one lacked a card and was packaged in a remarkably plain manner. It was precisely because of its unassuming appearance that it stood out to her.
Her breath hitched as soon as she unwrapped the gift. She was utterly shocked that such an ordinary box could contain such a magnificent gift. She then gently took the necklace out of the box after a prolonged moment of daze. A particular individual abruptly came to mind the moment she noticed the familiar craftsmanship.
It suddenly dawned on her the reason the Chapmans had encouraged her to minimize her outings. It turned out that Joseph had been lingering outside all along, waiting for her. It seemed like their concern stemmed from the fear that he would cause her further emotional distress and that she might make the same mistakes all over again.
It stood to reason that Joseph had followed her not long after her return to Havenport. Yet, the Chapman family had consistently kept him away, effectively keeping her in the dark about his presence in Havenport.
Winona couldn’t help but chuckle softly, though it held a trace of melancholy. Her relationship with Joseph had been on a downward spiral from the day he accepted Queenie’s child as his own. Then, by the time the divorce was finalized, their ties had been completely severed.
In the end, no action of his could ever persuade her to return to their past.
past the
Winona slowly got up while holding the necklace. She walked toward the balcony. Her gaze traveled from the sprawling front yard of the villa, distant main gate, then along the expansive asphalt road, before finally resting on the black car partially hidden beneath the shade of trees far away. She was absolutely certain that Joseph was sitting in that car.
!
Then, someone suddenly called out from behind her, asking, “What are you looking at, Winnie?”
Upon hearing Christian’s voice, Winona didn’t even bother to turn around. She merely held up the necklace and said, “I’d like you to help me return this to him later, Christian.”
Christian knew exactly who Winona was talking about. His face immediately fell as he hastily seized the necklace and thoroughly inspected it. He then moved to confront the household staff, intending to grill them.
Winona quickly stopped him, saying, “It’s alright, Christian. I’m perfectly fine now.‘”
Upon hearing that, Christian stopped in his tracks immediately. His gaze was filled with worry as he looked at Winona and said, “Winnie…”
Winona merely smiled and shook her head. She knew that Christian was concerned that the gift from Joseph might trigger painful memories and distress her, which explained his haste to confront Joseph on her behalf. She had long since moved on from him, though, so she said calmly, “I’m honestly fine, Christian. You just have to return the gift to him. There’s no need for anything else.”
Christian, appearing unconvinced, tentatively asked, “Have you truly moved on from him?”
“Yes, I have. I once harbored love, grievances, and even animosity toward him, but all of it has dissipated with the passage of time. It’d be ideal for us to go our separate ways and not bother each other again, as we’re nothing more than strangers at this point,” Winona firmly replied. Her lengthy statement was delivered with remarkable composure, her tone carrying a profound sense of release.
Christian’s eyes held a complicated expression as he regarded her for a long time. Eventually, he broke into a smile with her. In the meantime, his hand, hidden behind his back, surreptitiously stopped the recording on his phone.
