Her Hidden Hero from the Unwritten Page novel Chapter 41

He felt a little out of his element, frowning slightly as he began to type.

X: [Why not copy it?]

Melancholy Sweetie: [Because I already finished it.]

Herbert paused.

X: [Oh.]

He felt uncomfortable, so his attitude naturally cooled.

Whenever he replied with a simple "Yeah" or "Oh," Winona would patiently coax him for ages.

So Herbert habitually played hard to get in front of her.

He tossed his lit-up phone aside and pulled out a math Olympiad workbook. There was a national math competition in December exclusive to seniors, and he was determined to win an award for Brighton International Academy.

After completing a major problem, he confidently checked his phone, but the faint smile on his lips froze.

Winona, surprisingly, hadn't replied at all!

-

When Winona saw that "Oh," she just exited the chat.

She happily booted up a game and started playing.

She and Seth lived on the second floor, while Stella Jenkins and Clarence Lennox had the upstairs to themselves.

Clarence had just showered. Standing by the window, he slowly smoked a cigarette, recalling the sight of his daughter crying with her head down. He bit the filter, let out a long sigh, crushed the cigarette, and tossed it into the ashtray.

He turned and walked out.

Currently, he was sleeping in the study.

It was separated from the master bedroom by a walk-in closet.

He stood at the bedroom door for a few seconds, lost in thought. With the hallway light behind him, his entire face was cast in shadow.

After a few agonizing moments, he seemed to finally make a decision and pushed the door open.

With that, he turned and left.

Stella stared at his retreating back in silence. As the door clicked shut, she turned back to the altar, a single tear slipping from the corner of her eye.

She believed her sins were too heavy; anyone who got close to her was doomed to suffer.

-

Early the next morning.

Seth was up early. He was almost done with his breakfast by the time Winona came downstairs.

She usually couldn't be bothered to tie her hair up. Since it was naturally smooth, she'd just let it fall nicely over her shoulders. Today, surprisingly, she had styled it into a messy bun, pinning a rhinestone clip on the side with great interest. Humming a little tune, she cheerfully pulled out the chair next to him.

"Martha, I'd love a cup of hot milk," she said, her tone lively and playful, looking incredibly energetic.

"Right away," Martha quickly replied.

Seth, a sausage dangling from his mouth, widened his narrow eyes and stared blankly at his sister.