Chapter 16
Joseph had received a comprehensive list from Kevin on his phone prior to his arrival, detailing every event Winona was expected to attend. This evening’s cocktail party was especially significant, as Winona was scheduled to attend and deliver a speech as a special guest.
He raised his wrist, glancing at his watch. Two hours had already passed since the start of the cocktail party, and yet, Winona was nowhere to be seen. He even began to question the reliability of the list Kevin had provided. Having that thought in mind, he grabbed his phone and walked out to the balcony to call Kevin.
When he pulled the balcony door shut, the entire venue suddenly erupted in a flurry of activity. Winona had arrived.
As the host’s celebrated guest, she immediately became the center of attention at the entire party. The guests crowded around her, raising their champagne flutes in salutations. She returned their greetings with a pleasant smile and a nod before allowing the attendant to lead her upstairs.
It was then that the sealed balcony door slowly yielded to a firm hand. Joseph’s eyes immediately caught the flash of red at the far end of the crowd. It took only that one glance for the phone in his hand to slip from his grasp and hit the floor with a resounding thud.
Upon hearing the sudden noise from the other end of the phone call, Kevin, who had been meticulously detailing his report, immediately panicked. “Mr. Lowe? What’s going on, Mr. Lowe?”
Joseph, however, was deaf to Kevin’s frantic calls. His entire focus was now solely on Winona. Having not seen her for the past few months, he thought that Winona had changed considerably. What was once a gentle and docile woman had become someone cold and aloof. Yet, her eyes and that particular smile were exactly as he remembered them.
His pent–up longing erupted like a deluge, saturating every inch of his being. His hands grew clammy, his throat felt tight, and a relentless clamor in his mind urged him to charge forward to pull her into his arms. He had waited so long for this moment, so he thought that this’was the perfect opportunity to reunite with her and pour his feelings out to her.
His voice of reason cut through desires, though, telling him that he shouldn’t behave in such a way. His previous deeds had already caused Winona enough disappointment, so he was completely at a loss as to what he could say to reclaim her attention.
He remained rooted to the spot as his fists clenched at his sides. It wasn’t until Winona’s silhouette was on the verge of vanishing through the distant doorway that he finally threw caution to the wind and bolted forward, yelling, “Winnie!”
He was unfortunately one step too late, though, as the massive door slammed shut just as he yelled out her name.
He failed to make Winona glance back. Instead, it simply drew everyone’s attention to him. Their gazes were filled with revulsion and contempt, making him feel utterly exposed. Their faces contorted with disgust, as if he were something vile and worthless.
“Who on earth let him in here?”
“How can he still have the cheek to come looking for Ms. Chapman after his misdeeds? Has he no shame at all?”
“I still can’t figure out what it was about him that Ms. Chapman saw back then that actually made her willing to marry someone like that.”
It was a near–perfect replay of the time Winona was cornered by onlookers back then. Joseph’s sudden appearance acted like a match to tinder, setting off the crowd’s fury, and soon, everyone was openly gesturing and gossiping about him.
Although he had grown up surrounded by such scenes, Joseph still found it unbearable in that moment. Their cutting remarks were like a barrage of poisoned arrows, each one stabbing into his chest and leaving him gasping in excruciating pain.
He then suddenly recalled the moment his gaze met Winona’s, as she lay disheveled and soaking wet on the ground. He couldn’t help but wonder if her anguish and devastation at that time had been even greater than his current torment.
The crowd’s furious gazes and discontented gestures drove him back, driving him relentlessly toward the edge. At that moment, Joseph missed his footing and fell into the pool, the frigid water closing around him. His fall, however, went unnoticed and unmocked, as the onlookers simply turned and left the scene.
He thrashed in the water for what felt like ages, swallowing a good deal of it before he finally hauled himself out of the pool. He then lay on the poolside, gasping heavily for air like a fish suffocating on dry land.
Just then, the crowd ahead buzzed with renewed excitement. It appeared that Winona was being deferentially escorted back downstairs by the host of the cocktail party.
“Winnie!” Joseph yelled. His feeble shouts were unfortunately drowned out by the chorus of flattery from the crowd.
Winona, being completely oblivious to his shouts, ultimately walked directly out of the main entrance.
“Winnie!” Joseph shouted again, feeling a surge of inexplicable panic and dread grip him as he watched her determined retreat. He struggled with all his might to get back on his feet, but just as he was about to give chase, a forceful current of air rushed toward his face.
