"He doesn't meet the first condition, but the second..." Winona's tear-streaked face was full of despair. "How could a man as proud as him ever agree to marry into someone else's family and give up his pride? It's impossible. And I asked around—he's the only son in his family."
Riley felt this was indeed a difficult problem. "So what are your plans now?"
Winona looked utterly lost. "I don't know. I only realized how much I truly liked him after he left. Now that he's gone, I feel like the sky over the campus isn't even blue anymore."
Riley pondered in silence for a moment. "Why don't you discuss it with your parents and see if they'll send you abroad to study?"
Winona immediately shook her head. "No. My mom can't bear to be apart from me. Losing my sister was too big of a blow to her. I can't leave Statenbury."
Riley had almost forgotten about that. Winona's mother had already lost one daughter and suffered from an extreme lack of security. She could only feel at ease keeping this daughter right under her nose.
Now Riley was truly at a loss for ideas.
Winona was in a terrible mood and refused to go back to school. She said going back and knowing he wasn't there would only make her feel worse.
Riley decided to let her stay at the hospital for the day.
When she got off work, Winona went home with Riley.
During dinner, Winona looked at Riley with pitiful eyes. "Riley, can I sleep over at your place tonight?"
Riley knew Winona wasn't ready to face reality yet. "Sure."
"Can I sleep in the same bed as you?"
Faced with Winona's damp, pleading eyes, Riley simply couldn't bear to refuse. She just wanted to accommodate her. "Okay."
Winona put down her fork and hugged Riley's arm, her eyes welling up again and her voice thick with unshed tears. "Riley, why are you so good to me? I'm so lucky to have you."
Riley gently stroked Winona's head. She knew how fragile her emotions were right now. "Eat your dinner. After we finish, I'll take you for a walk downstairs to help digest."
"Can we bring Alora along? I love her so much."
Chubby, smelling of baby powder, with tiny hands and feet, and big dark eyes that darted around adorably—she was incredibly healing to be around.
"Yeah, we'll bring her."
Winona's melancholic mood vanished for a brief moment, and she obediently picked up her fork to eat.
Night fell.
Winona took a shower and sat cross-legged on the bed. She pulled out her phone and initiated a video call with Sebastian. She wanted to show off that she got to sleep with Riley tonight.
Barely a few seconds after it rang, he declined the call.
He actually rejected her video call.
Winona immediately sent a text: [I'm at Riley's house.]
Less than two seconds after the message went through, a video call came in from his end.
Winona was speechless.
The double standard was glaringly obvious. Wasn't that taking things a bit too far?
She had a temper too, you know!
With an air of great dignity, Winona tapped the red decline button.
So satisfying!
She was probably the first person in history with the guts to hang up on Sebastian St. John.
Why did it feel so triumphant?
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