The Wife He Forgot to Marry (Winona and Yule) novel Chapter 291

Seeing his furrowed brow, Winona Jowett could tell he was sleeping fitfully. She hesitated for a moment but ultimately stayed seated on the edge of the bed, unable to bring herself to leave just yet.

Faced with Stefan Goddard in such a vulnerable state, her resolve was genuinely wavering.

However, the memory of Maeve Mallory's crazed, unhinged behavior sent a lingering chill down her spine. Maeve was a ticking time bomb, fully capable of hurting Winona and her family at any given moment. Winona couldn't afford to take that gamble.

Steeling her heart once more, Winona gently pulled her hand free from Stefan's grasp. She stood up and walked out of the bedroom.

In the living room, Biscuit was gnawing on a plush toy. Seeing her head for the door, the puppy looked up at her with big, soulful eyes. Winona walked over, crouched down, and gave the dog an affectionate pat on the head. "I'm heading out. I'll come visit you again when I get the chance."

With that, she cast one final glance toward the bedroom before standing up and leaving the apartment.

*

The next morning, Stefan woke up, the events of the previous night slowly piecing themselves together in his mind. Winona had brought him home and even made sure he drank some hangover remedy.

He picked up his phone and sent her a text: "Thank you for looking after me last night."

Winona's reply came shortly after: "You're welcome, Mr. Goddard."

Seeing her still addressing him with such formal distance told him everything he needed to know about where they stood.

Setting his phone aside, Stefan got out of bed and got ready for the day. He left his apartment a full hour earlier than usual. At this time, he wouldn't run into Winona in the hallway. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable.

His bodyguard gave him a brief report: "Ms. Mallory came by last night. Ms. Jowett had us send her away."

Stefan's expression darkened. "Understood."

Once he was in his car, he received a phone call from Maeve. This time, he didn't decline it.

Maeve's voice pitched up in delight. "Stefan, you finally answered my call! I wanted to come take care of you last night, but Winona insisted on kicking me out. Do you have a headache? How about I bring breakfast to your office this morning?"

Maeve's eyes welled with tears. She furiously wiped at them, still refusing to back down. "You used to say you were going to marry me! Does that promise mean nothing?"

"If that incident hadn't happened, we might have managed a polite, arranged marriage for our families' sake," Stefan said coldly. "But after what you did, there is zero possibility of that ever happening."

Without giving her another glance, he turned and walked toward the elevators.

Maeve stared at the ruined breakfast on the ground, a toxic mix of grievance and rage boiling inside her. Just then, her mother called, her voice soft and coddling.

"Maeve, sweetheart, did you take your medication today?"

Maeve snapped. She screamed into the phone, "I'm not sick! Why should I take medication?! It's because you all keep saying I'm sick that Stefan thinks there's something wrong with me! It's your fault he doesn't love me! I hate you!"

Stefan's driver, seeing her throw yet another unhinged tantrum, quietly parked the car and left, making a point to instruct the security guards to keep a close eye on the garage and absolutely forbid Maeve Mallory from entering the building.