The Wife He Forgot to Marry (Winona and Yule) novel Chapter 630

If she lost Quentin, she had absolutely nothing left.

She couldn't stay home. Every second she spent in the Locke estate was agonizing, enduring her mother-in-law Willow’s relentless, vitriolic insults about her infertility. On top of that, Yulen had slashed her allowance to practically nothing.

And worse—she couldn't stomach the reality of Winona thriving as a celebrated genius while she rotted away as a pathetic, discarded housewife. If they ever crossed paths again, Winona would laugh in her face.

Swallowing her bitter resentment, she forced herself to clock in every day.

But being an assistant was a nightmare. She was used to wielding power; now, she was at the bottom of the food chain, constantly ordered around by researchers younger than her. The blow to her ego was suffocating.

Sensing Quentin pulling away—his texts becoming shorter, his excuses for not seeing her piling up—she realized her safety net was unraveling. With her husband completely abandoning her, Quentin was the only man left who would catch her when she fell.

Overnight, she flipped a switch. She stopped complaining. When they spoke, she forced herself to sound bright, resilient, and deeply grateful for the opportunity.

She gritted her teeth and survived the grueling workdays. She might be an assistant now, but she wouldn't be one forever. If she couldn't outsmart them with pure talent, she would use every underhanded corporate trick she knew to claw her way to the top. These socially awkward lab geeks wouldn't know what hit them. She would reclaim her luxurious life, no matter what it took.

When Willow found out she was working as a lowly assistant, the older woman had cackled over dinner, mocking her relentlessly.

Tallulah just stared blankly and chewed her food.

Her tolerance for humiliation had grown immensely. As long as she legally held the title of Mrs. Locke, no one could truly erase her.

*

"You're paying the bill, Mr. Bell," Killian laughed. "You can bring the whole lab for all we care."

Bryce had heard rumors of Winona’s brilliance and addressed her with profound respect, his tone bordering on reverent as they discussed biochemistry.

A few seats down, Tallulah felt like she was sitting on a bed of nails.

Bryce was a tyrant in the lab, constantly berating her for basic mistakes and calling her incompetent. Yet here he was, practically fawning over Winona, hanging on her every word.

It felt like a physical slap to the face. The humiliation burned in her chest.

Winona was probably internally gloating, right? Winona was the star prodigy of Mr. Harper's elite lab, while Tallulah had been reduced to fetching coffee.