The Wife He Forgot to Marry (Winona and Yule) novel Chapter 393

Winona froze, staring at him in total confusion. She was the one who had ended up in the hospital. Why on earth was he the one throwing a fit?

Seeing that she truly didn't get it, Stefan let out a sharp breath. "Why didn't you tell me you were sick the second it happened?"

"Because it was just a fever. It wasn't life-threatening. All I needed was some medicine and sleep—"

"What are we to each other?" Stefan interrupted, his voice dropping, carrying a bitter edge. "Why didn't it cross your mind to reach out to me for help? Is it because you don't trust me?"

"No, that's not it at all!" Winona said quickly. "I just didn't want to be a burden over something so minor."

"Why shouldn't you 'burden' me? We're together, aren't we? Why do you insist on keeping this invisible wall between us?"

His relentless pushing was making her head ache. Too exhausted to argue, she threw her hands up. "Fine. Got it. Next time I catch a cold, you'll be the first to know."

But her surrender sounded like a total brush-off to Stefan, and his mood remained fiercely dark.

For the rest of the day, Stefan spoke to her exactly twice: once to tell her to eat, and once to tell her to take her pills. Otherwise, the apartment was blanketed in a heavy, suffocating silence.

Winona didn't know how to bridge the gap, so she kept her mouth shut. Was he giving her the silent treatment over this? In her eyes, she was just trying to be considerate.

By the next day, she was back to normal and headed to the Goddard Group offices.

During her lunch break, she texted Rhea to vent about the situation. *I don't get why he's so furious. I was just trying not to interrupt his trip. Wasn't I being thoughtful?*

Rhea, however, saw it entirely differently. *Honestly, Win? That's incredibly sweet of him. He was terrified. Knowing you were sick and trying to tough it out alone drove him crazy because he cares about you. If it means that much to him, just let him be the hero next time.*

Winona sighed, accepting the logic. *Yeah, I guess I'll try.*

Winona's stomach dropped. Her aunt Helena had warned her she would be scrubbing in for a massive multi-day surgery and wouldn't be reachable.

Panic set in. She was hours away from Riverton. Out of options, she called Stefan, begging him to send one of his assistants to check on Greta until she could get back.

Stefan was in the middle of a board meeting. Hearing the panic in her voice, he stood up. "I'll go to the school myself. Don't panic, and do not try to drive back alone—the weather and roads around Banyantown are a mess right now. Wait until the conference is over and ride back with Nolan."

Winona was stunned. He was running a massive corporation, infinitely busier than she was, yet he didn't hesitate to drop everything for Greta.

A wave of guilt washed over her.

He really did care about her, deeply. No wonder he had been so hurt by her pushing him away when she was sick.