As soon as Jonathan got in the car, his phone started ringing. A rushed voice came from the other end.
"Jonathan, Linnea got drunk at the bar. She’s crying and refusing to leave. We don’t know what else to do. Please come over and check on her."
Jonathan’s expression changed instantly. Without waiting for Winona to finish fastening her seatbelt, he slammed his foot on the gas and the car shot forward.
Winona cried out in pain and only then did Jonathan realize what he had done. His tone softened.
"Winona, something happened to my sister. We need to go pick her up. She’s drunk and alone at the bar ... it’s not safe."
Winona held tightly onto the car handle, her face turning pale.
"Then wasn’t the person who just called you a human being?"
Jonathan was caught off guard, then snapped angrily,
"Those people aren’t her family. Why would they bother truly looking after her?"
Racing through nine traffic lights nonstop, Jonathan cut a trip that should have taken half an hour down to just 10 minutes.
As soon as the car came to a stop outside the bar, Jonathan dashed out.
"Winona, it wasn’t safe inside. You shouldn’t go in ... just wait for us out here."
She watched Jonathan’s urgent figure and was about to get out and wait for a moment, but then noticed his phone had been left behind.
After a moment’s thought, she picked up the phone and hurried inside.
After finding out exactly which private room Linnea was in, she arrived at the door.
The door to the room was slightly open and the noises from inside came through clearly.
"Jonathan really was deeply attached to Sol. He showed up immediately after just one call."
"Of course. When Sol came back last month, the first proof Jonathan gave was sending someone to hurt Winona and cause her to lose the baby ... just to prove he didn’t love her at all and that his heart belonged only to Linnea."
"That poor girl... she probably still thought their love was real until now."
"Ah, Jonathan really was loyal. From the moment he first fell in love in his youth, he loved Linnea. Now that Linnea divorced and returned home, the first thing he did was to show her that his love had never wavered. Just now, the way he rushed in was truly frightening ... he simply grabbed Linnea and left."
The crowd talked excitedly, completely unaware that someone was still standing outside the private room.
Winona’s mind went blank and a ringing buzz filled her ears.
What they said was overwhelming and echoed over and over in her mind. The car accident... it had been planned by Jonathan. The child... he had made sure she lost it on purpose.
Winona’s fingertips trembled uncontrollably and she could hardly stay standing.
She couldn’t bear to hear any more and ran out of the bar. She stood alone by the roadside, feeling like an empty shell.
She inhaled deeply and flagged down a taxi.
Back at the villa, Winona slowly started packing.
The photos of the two of them on the wall, the matching mugs on the nightstand, the clothes in the wardrobe, the expensive jewelry.
She packed them one after another and placed them into a big box.
Every single item carried traces of Jonathan and none of them deserved a place in her luggage when she left.
Right after she finished putting them upstairs, her dad called her.
"Winona, were you really coming to Europe to be with Mom and Dad? Could you really let go of Jonathan, the man you loved so much?"
Winona looked around the empty room, took a deep breath and forced a smile as she said, "I honestly don’t have feelings for him anymore. And I miss both of you so much. Just a few more days and I’ll be there. Once I arrive, we’ll travel the world together!"
***
After she hung up, she saw Jonathan standing at the door, looking confused.
"Who were you just talking to? Who were you going to be with?"
Before she answered, he noticed the change in the room.
"Why did you suddenly clean up the room? Didn’t like it anymore?"
Winona answered calmly, "I was talking to my parents. They said they wanted me to stay with them. I saw those things were a bit old, so I threw them away."
The man smiled indifferently, reached out to rub her head and spoke casually, "Alright, when things aren’t busy anymore, I’ll accompany you to see your parents. If you threw those things away, then so be it. I’ll buy you new ones. It’s no big deal."
Winona said nothing. She was about to go wash up when Jonathan grabbed her. She looked up at him in confusion.
Jonathan looked conflicted. He studied her expression for a long time before deciding to speak.
"Winona, my sister got drunk. She wasn’t in a good state to go home, so I brought her back. She was only used to my bed at home. Tonight, can you move to the guest room to sleep?"
Although it was a question, his tone left no room for compromise.
Winona stared at him in shock, her voice rising.
"Jonathan, are you asking me to give our room to your sister?"
The man's eyes shifted uncomfortably, his tone turning cold as she pressed for an answer.
"It’s just for one night, Winona. When did you become so petty? She’s my sister! She’s also your family. Are you really this selfish toward your own family?!"
Seeing the displeasure on his face, she finally gave in.
"Fine."
Maybe because the bed was unfamiliar, Winona couldn’t fall asleep and got up to get a glass of water.
Just as she walked to the living room, she heard an unbearable sound. She raised her eyes and saw two entangled figures on the sofa, stuck together like glue.
"Crash!" The glass slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor.
Winona stared at the two figures on the couch in shock, a wave of disgust rising within her.
The two on the sofa finally noticed her. Jonathan’s first reaction was to cover Linnea with his body before looking her way.
"Winona, listen to me. Linnea was drunk and unconscious. I was just trying to carry her upstairs. Don’t misunderstand."
Winona said nothing and silently turned to leave. Jonathan tried to stop her, but Linnea grabbed his arm and held him back.
He lowered his head and looked at Linnea in his arms, finally holding back the urge to chase after her.
Winona was shocked and didn’t see the stairs clearly; she stumbled and fell.
"Ah ... "
Before losing consciousness, she saw Jonathan rushing toward her, panic written all over his face.
