Chapter 4
Winona’s complexion was deathly pale, and her fingernails dug deep crescents into her clenched palms. It hadn’t occurred to her that the whispers could have escalated to such an outrageous degree, nor that she would become such an utterly contemptible character in their version of events.
She had just turned to leave, only to find her path abruptly cut off by a cluster of prominent socialites.
“Where do you think you’re going, Mrs. Lowe? You know, the party has only just begun.”
“Why don’t you come have some fun with us, Mrs. Lowe?”
Their idea of “fun” involved someone throwing red wine on her dress, another “accidentally” bumping into her, and finally, someone explicitly shoving her into the swimming pool.
In an instant, the frigid pool water enveloped her. The biting sensation of the water invading her nose made her instinctively fight, and her fingers clawed frantically at the side to try to pull herself up. Yet, just as she was about to grasp the edge, a hand adorned with vivid red nail polish pressed firmly down on her head.
Winona gasped, “P-Please save me!”
“You should stop it with the begging! You ought to know that no one is coming for you! Do you know how many socialites and heiresses in our circle yearn for Joseph? He adored you, held you dearer than life itself, and this is how you repay him! You’re so utterly shameless! You ought to perish right here!”
In that instant, water rushed into Winona’s nose, and the suffocating sensation made her vision blur. Yet, what truly choked her was their vile accusations. How dare they accuse her of being promiscuous and disgraceful! How dare they assume that Joseph loved her more than life itself! It was nothing more than a joke—an absolute travesty of a joke!
“What in the world are you guys doing?”
It was then that a thunderous shout rang out, and the crushing weight on her head abruptly vanished.
In her obscured sight, Winona saw Joseph rushing toward her with wild abandon. It was then that a sudden urge to laugh out loud overcame her. She didn’t know what he was so frantic about. After all, it was all because of him that she was stuck in this predicament.
Joseph hauled her from the water before unleashing his fury on the crowd. “Have you all gone mad? How dare you lay a hand on my wife!”
“It was simply unbearable for us to witness her treachery against you, Mr. Lowe.”
Joseph, not bothering to correct their assumptions, coldly declared, “That’s enough! I’ll only ever love Winnie, and that’ll never change in this lifetime—even if she’s carrying a child belonging to the abductor!”
Amidst gasps praising Joseph’s unwavering devotion, he lifted the drenched Winona into his arms and carried her away from the crowd.
In the lounge, Joseph carefully dried Winona’s hair with a towel, gently saying, “I know you’ve had to put up with a lot because of me, Winnie. I’m really sorry about that.
“I can assure you that nothing like this will ever happen again. I hope you can bear with it until Queenie’s baby is born. I’ll immediately send her abroad after that, and then everything will go back to the way it used to be. How does that sound?”
It didn’t really matter to Winona, as she was well aware that they couldn’t possibly return to how things were in the past. She felt completely drained as she stated, “I’d like to return home now.”
Joseph was momentarily taken aback. “You see, the party hasn’t ended yet, so it wouldn’t be good for us to leave together. I’ll arrange for the chauffeur to take you home first. I’ll come back to be with you later, alright?”
When she heard that, she couldn’t help but question if it was genuinely bad for them to leave together or if it was because he simply couldn’t bear to leave Queenie alone at the party. She merely chuckled wryly, no longer having the energy to call out his pretense. She then got up to leave the party.
…
Having returned to the villa, Winona immediately set about packing her belongings, carefully clearing away every single trace of her life in that place. She had no idea how long she had been at it, but as soon as she closed the last suitcase, the front door swung open.
Joseph stood at the doorway, his eyes wide with disbelief at the sight of the packed suitcases strewn across the floor. He suddenly felt a wave of apprehension wash over him as he asked, “Why are you suddenly packing your things, Winnie? Where are you going?”
