The Wife He Forgot to Marry (Winona and Yule) novel Chapter 577

Stefan smiled warmly and handed Greta a beautifully wrapped welcome gift.

Greta's eyes widened in delight as she took it. "Oh wow, I get presents just for opening the door?"

"It's my first official visit," Stefan said smoothly. "It's only right I bring a little something for everyone."

Winona suddenly thought back to the very first time Yulen had come to this house. She had been the one to buy all the gifts, and he had sat on the couch looking thoroughly bored for twenty minutes before making an excuse to leave. Over the years, whenever she wanted to visit her family, Yulen would always claim he was "too busy," acting as if spending an hour with her relatives was pure torture. Eventually, she had just stopped asking him to come.

Nikita's voice echoed from the living room. "Stefan is here! Come in, come in!"

Winona had braced herself for Nikita to be at least mildly critical of him. To her utter shock, Nikita instantly melted the second Stefan walked into the room.

It made sense, really. Stripped of his intimidating corporate background, Stefan was effortlessly charming, incredibly handsome, and possessed a natural, quiet elegance that made older generations adore him on sight.

Over tea, Nikita asked him a few standard questions about his background. "Does your family know about Winona? Are they supportive?"

"Very supportive," Stefan answered without missing a beat. "My grandmother actually mentioned she'd love to come visit you in person soon."

Nikita beamed. "That's wonderful to hear."

Back when Winona was married to Yulen, Nikita had always felt an agonizing inferiority complex regarding the wealth gap between their families. She had constantly pressured Winona to just "be a good, obedient wife" and endure whatever the Lockes threw at her.

But after watching both Winona and Helena suffer through toxic, soul-crushing marriages, Nikita's entire worldview had violently shifted. Not every man deserved blind loyalty. If a man was garbage, he deserved to be taken out to the trash.

She looked Stefan dead in the eye. "Stefan, my Winona is fiercely loved in this house. If she joins your family, she is not being sold off. If you don't treat her like absolute gold, I will pack her bags and bring her back here myself."

Stefan met her gaze with quiet intensity. "I promise you, I will spend the rest of my life taking care of her."

Sitting quietly on the sofa, Winona felt a sudden, sharp ache in her throat, her eyes burning with unshed tears.

Throughout dinner, Nikita watched with immense satisfaction as Stefan constantly served Winona the best cuts of meat and made sure her water glass was never empty.

When the meal was over, Stefan immediately stood up to clear the dishes. He even offered to wash them.

"Oh, please don't worry about that!" Helena laughed, waving him off. "Just throw everything in the dishwasher."

Winona gave up, shaking her head as she turned to organize the top shelf of the closet. She was genuinely surprised to find that Nikita had kept her old jump ropes, board games, and even a battered shuttlecock.

Stefan leaned against the doorframe, watching her. "My grandmother is exactly the same. She has an entire storage room at the estate dedicated exclusively to my old action figures and school projects."

"Is hoarding childhood memories just a universal grandparent trait?" Winona smiled.

***

Meanwhile, Yulen hadn't stepped foot in the hospital since his blowout fight with Tallulah.

Going back to the family estate was equally miserable, as he had to deal with his mother's erratic mood swings and endless screaming about both Tallulah and Winona.

Suffocating under the weight of his own life, Yulen had simply packed a bag and moved into one of his penthouses in the city.

Sometimes he deeply craved the warmth of coming home to a woman who would cook for him and rub his shoulders. Other times, the sheer emotional instability of the women in his life made him want to drive his car into a wall. If only they could just shut up, look pretty, and cater to his needs without constantly complaining.

After working late at the office, he took his sports car out for a mindless drive through the city.