Winona took a hot shower and towelled her hair dry while replying to messages on her phone.
She didn't bother unpacking. She was ready to walk out the door at a moment's notice, fully aware that this house would never feel like a home to her.
Still, being back within these walls stirred up a wave of bitter nostalgia.
She had loved Zachary for ten years, following him around like a pathetic, loyal puppy. When she was eighteen, she had genuinely believed she would die if she couldn't marry him. She had even copied a scene from a movie, walking up a mountain to a remote temple to pray for their marriage.
She had forced herself up over a thousand stone steps.
Desperate to spend her life with him, she had dumped thousands of dollars in cash into the donation box, hoping to prove her devotion to the universe.
She had tied a ribbon with both their names to the highest branch of the wishing tree, and reverently handed him the blessed amulet she had prayed for.
Less than a week later, that very same amulet was dangling from Sienna's purse.
"Sisi is fragile," Zachary had told her. "The blessing will do her some good."
Winona had been so stupid back then. She actually beat herself up, wondering if she was being too selfish.
Her love for Zachary had completely blinded her, making her swallow every ounce of humiliation.
Winona took a deep breath. During her three years abroad, she had obsessively checked Sienna's social media, torturing herself with pictures of Sienna and Zachary looking like the perfect couple. Of course it hurt. But the pain eventually turned into a burning sense of shame, making her realize just how pathetic her devotion had been.
After three years of forcing herself to detox from him, she had absolutely zero expectations left.
She was only here to sign the papers and leave.
Right on cue, a knock echoed at the door. Thinking it was Logan, she swung it open, only to find Sienna standing in the hallway.
Sienna was wearing a low-cut silk nightgown, putting on a perfectly innocent face. "I'm going to bring Zach some hangover tea soon. Winona, do you want me to wake you up for breakfast tomorrow? By the way... are the walls in this house soundproof?"
In the past, every time Sienna tried a stunt like this, Winona would furiously try to defend herself. But next to Sienna's silent, victimized tears, Winona's loud outrage always made her look like the bad guy.



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