A Wedding Night Gone Terribly Wrong novel Chapter 97

Iris looked absolutely devastated, her eyes welling with tears.

Kian clenched his fists.

This was all Winifred's fault. Once again, that toxic woman was causing chaos, deliberately interfering with Iris and Holden's happiness. She was a menace. Wherever Winifred went, disaster followed.

Just wait, Kian thought angrily. I am going to expose her true colors and get her thrown out of Leland's life.

Inside the office, Winifred was oblivious to Kian's impending crusade.

She sat across from Leland. The contracts rested on the coffee table between them, completely untouched.

Leland had been silent for a long time. Finally, he looked at her with absolute conviction. "You've been married before. I've thought about this for two days and two nights, and I just need to know one thing: would you be open to marrying again?" He pointed to himself. "Marry me. Please, marry me."

He had digested her past and was fully prepared to commit. Winifred didn't doubt his sincerity.

Her expression remained perfectly calm as she looked deep into his eyes. It was time to drop the rest of the truth.

"I have two children. A son and a daughter. They're two years old."

"W-What?"

Leland's calm, elegant composure shattered. He bolted upright, staring at her in shock. He leaned heavily over the coffee table, his eyes turning red, a look of profound agony crossing his face.

"Don't you think... you're being too cruel to me?"

"You didn't even ask if I was willing to be a father," he murmured. "You’re so capable, so beautiful... don't you have the courage to let yourself find a good man?"

Tears instantly pricked her eyes. It wasn't a lack of confidence or courage. It was the complete obliteration of her desire to love a man.

The sudden wave of grief was entirely tied to her past. The agonizing betrayal of the man she had loved for fifteen years—the man she had watched grow from a boy to an adult, the man she once thought was the safest harbor in the world. Even after three years, the memories still cut like jagged glass.

Leland quickly grabbed a tissue. "Did I trigger a bad memory? I'm so sorry."

Winifred swallowed hard over the lump in her throat. "Mr. Lockwood, if you want to work together, please... let's keep romance off the table for now. My life is chaotic right now. I don't have the emotional bandwidth for anything else. I just need some peace."

Leland looked at her with deep affection. "I don't know what you've been through, and I won't force you to talk about it. But I need you to know... not all men are the same. You can trust me."