The Wife He Forgot to Marry (Winona and Yule) novel Chapter 447

"If this were a few years ago, I might have married her out of a sense of obligation because she saved your life. I would have accepted a completely sterile, dutiful marriage. But now, I refuse."

"Why is it suddenly impossible now?" Margaret demanded.

Stefan gave a faint, dismissive smile. "Because now I know what it actually feels like to love someone. I love Winona. If I had never met her, it wouldn't have mattered who held the title of Mrs. Goddard. But she exists. And because she exists, there is no one else for me."

Ophelia felt like the floor had dropped out from under her.

Was this really the Stefan she knew?

He had been aloof and guarded since childhood. Outside of his immediate family, he was untouchable and profoundly distant.

She never imagined he was even capable of falling in love.

And why did it have to be Winona?

Her eyes burned, a heavy, suffocating ache settling in her throat.

She had been completely infatuated with him since she was a teenager. Realizing she couldn't have him, she settled for the next best thing and got engaged to Evander, just to remain in Stefan's orbit.

When Evander passed away, she thought she finally had her chance. Now she realized it had all been a pathetic delusion.

Margaret let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Do you honestly believe love is enough to sustain a marriage in a family like ours? Love is the most fragile, useless thing in the world. Shared interests are the only things that last."

She had been young once. She had been foolish, too. If she could go back in time, she never would have made the idiotic mistake of eloping for love.

She refused to let her son make the same catastrophic error.

"Listen to me, Stefan. I have lived through this. Ophelia is the absolute perfect match for you."

Margaret stared at him, absolutely horrified.

"Is that really how you see me?" she whispered, clutching her chest as if she had been physically struck. "After everything I've sacrificed for you?"

Ophelia looked equally devastated. "Stefan, I never wanted to change you... I..."

She tried to stand up to reach for him, but suddenly remembering she was supposed to be disabled, she dramatically collapsed onto the floor, hoping to trigger his protective instincts.

Stefan looked down at her crumpled form with zero empathy.

"Stefan! She fell!" Margaret shrieked. "Are you really not going to help her up?"

His dark eyes saw through the entire pathetic performance. Picking up his napkin, he elegantly dabbed his mouth and stood up. "I've made my position clear. Enjoy your meal. There are plenty of bodyguards and staff outside who can help her."