The Wife He Forgot to Marry (Winona and Yule) novel Chapter 219

"I'm fine. It just hurt for a second, but it's much better now."

Stefan's dark, intense gaze remained fixed on her ankle.

As she sat there, the hem of her dress rode up to her knees, revealing slender, flawless legs that looked like they were carved from luminous porcelain.

Her ankle was already angry and swollen. It looked terrible.

"I'm taking you to the hospital to get that checked out."

"No, really, it's fine. It doesn't even hurt anymore."

She just had very fair, sensitive skin, so any minor bump or bruise always looked far more horrific than it actually was.

"Are you sure?"

She offered a small hum of confirmation.

"Alright."

She thought he was going to step back and let her stand. Instead, he simply leaned in and scooped her up into his arms again.

Her hands instinctively flew up to clasp around his neck.

"Stefan."

"I'm taking you home," his voice was a low, rough rumble against her ear. "You need to ice it and put some ointment on it."

His broad hand supported her waist with an authoritative dominance that left absolutely no room for argument.

From a private booth on the second floor, Ophelia watched Stefan carry Winona out the door. The sheer force of her grip snapped her fork perfectly in half.

Stefan... seemed to actually have feelings for that woman.

*

Back at her apartment, Stefan laid her down gently on the sofa.

It wasn't his first time patching her up, so he easily located the first-aid kit.

Once again, it was her foot that needed tending.

He crouched down in front of her, lifting her injured ankle and resting it carefully on his thigh.

Unlike last time, his movements were excruciatingly slow.

When his long, calloused fingers accidentally brushed against the soft, sensitive skin of her calf, Winona jolted slightly. She gripped the fabric of the sofa, her mouth suddenly completely dry.

He didn't seem to notice her reaction, continuing to methodically massage the medicated ointment into her skin.

It felt like an eternity before he finally lowered her foot and packed up the supplies.

"Try to stay off it as much as possible. It's probably best to skip the shower tonight."

Winona nodded, her voice coming out embarrassingly breathy. "Okay."

He poured her a glass of water, topped up Biscuit's food and water bowls, and then stood up, his expression entirely unreadable. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah."

The moment the door clicked shut behind him, she let out a massive breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. Her entire body felt like it was burning up.

Once inside her booked room, she locked the door, lay down, and closed her eyes. She had no idea how much time had passed before the room's landline suddenly rang.

Groggy, she reached over and picked up the receiver.

"Ms. Jowett, there is a woman named Rhea in the lobby asking for you."

Rhea was here.

Winona sat up, quickly smoothed down her hair, and opened the door to head down.

The second the door swung open, a large hand clamped violently over her mouth, dragging her backward into the room.

The door slammed shut.

Before she could even process what was happening, two massive men threw her onto the bed and shoved a thick cloth into her mouth as a gag.

"Winona. Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for you here?"

She instantly recognized the voice of the man standing over her.

It was Lachlan.

Winona thrashed wildly, but Lachlan gave her no quarter. He and his bodyguard quickly produced a set of thick zip-ties and strapped her wrists securely to the heavy wooden headboard. Immobilized, she could do nothing but glare at him with absolute venom.

Lachlan had been waiting for this exact moment for a very long time.

Last night, Ophelia had tracked him down and helped him plot exactly how to get Winona into his clutches.

He had no idea how Ophelia's information was so flawlessly accurate, but sure enough, Winona had walked right into the very hotel where he had set his trap.