Chapter 22
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Joseph was ultimately unable to get a single word in with Winona, even as the art exhibition drew to a close.
∙12
He was just about to follow after her when his phone suddenly rang. His caller ID displayed “Dad” on the screen. So he eventually answered it.
Neither Joseph nor Isaac spoke immediately, each silently listening to the other’s breath.
It was Isaac, from the other end of the line, who finally broke the silence, saying, “Your time is almost up, Joseph. Are you still unwilling to return to Brightwood?”
Joseph’s relationship with Isaac had always been somewhat distant, as Isaac’s absence during his childhood had left them with little to bond over. Moreover, Isaac’s rigid nature meant that he rarely made an effort to connect with his son. Thus, their estrangement eventually deepened.
Upon hearing Isaac take the initiative to ask him a question, Joseph felt a flicker of unfamiliarity. He remained silent for quite a while before replying,” I’ll return to Brightwood, but not before I find the answer I’m looking for.”
He just wanted to know if Winona still loved him and if she was willing to give him a chance.
Isaac sighed for the very first time when he heard that. He asked, “What are your thoughts now, then?”
If Isaac, who wasn’t directly involved in the situation, understood the truth, then Joseph surely did too.
Yet, Joseph remained silent, merely hanging up the phone and turning his gaze outward. He spotted Winona in the distance, bidding farewell to the final visitor. visitor. He also noticed a car further down the road, hurtling at high speed directly toward her.
His phone immediately slipped from his grasp, though he had no time to worry about it. He sprinted toward Winona, yelling,,“Get out of the way!”
Winona instinctively glanced over her shoulder when she heard that. Her smile immediately vanished, replaced by a look of sheer terror. Her body, however, was already paralyzed due to the overwhelming fear, rendering her completely immobile.
Yet, just before the car could hit her, a powerful shove from behind propelled her out of harm’s way. In a heartbeat, blood splashed through the air, painting her world crimson and causing her mind to go completely numb for a moment.
She tried to turn to see who had saved her, but her vision suddenly failed her as she slipped into unconsciousness.
In the hospital ward, Joseph suddenly jolted awake, as if waking up from a nightmare, yelling, “Winnie!”
A second later, he abruptly sat up in the hospital bed with his eyes wide open, breathing heavily. It took a while before his breathing evened out. That was when he realized that he was in a hospital. He then suddenly recalled the car accident, prompting him to instinctively move to get out of bed to check on Winona.
He was, however, intercepted by the nurse entering the hospital ward to change his dressing. “You should stay still, Mr. Lowe! You’ll pull your stitches, otherwise!”
Joseph, however, wouldn’t heed the advice, still intent on leaving the hospital ward.
In the midst of their deadlock, a man, standing in the doorway, said calmly, “You don’t have to check on her. She’s doing perfectly well at the moment.”
It wasn’t long before Joseph and Christian were the only ones left in the hospital ward
Upon noticing Joseph’s gaze repeatedly straying to the doorway behind him, Christian scoffed and said, “You shouldn’t even bother looking anymore, Joseph. Do you honestly expect Winnie to come and thank you after what you’ve done? That’s exactly why I didn’t tell her that you were the one who
saved her.”
Just as expected, Joseph’s spirits visibly plummeted the instant Christian finished speaking. He thought what Christian said made sense, thinking that after everything that had transpired, there was no reason for her to pay him a visit.
Christian, however, paid no mind to Joseph’s expression. He merely pulled out his phone and said, “You should stop fooling yourself into thinking that Winnie will ever return to your side, Joseph. She’s already made up her mind.”
Having said that, he proceeded to play the recording on his phone.
