The Wife He Forgot to Marry novel Chapter 78

Could it be that he never saw her breakup text? That would explain why he kept saying she was just throwing a tantrum. It would also explain why he thought he could coax her back into their sham of a marriage. Suddenly, it all made sense.

In a way, it was for the best. For Helena's sake, she couldn't afford to burn this bridge just yet.

*

Later that night, Yulen returned to the bedroom and found Winona seemingly fast asleep. He couldn't resist gently stroking her hair.

Winona didn’t stir, and he watched her in the quiet darkness.

They had been fighting so much lately, though he couldn't pinpoint what she was angry about. Still, as long as she was willing to come back, that was all that mattered. He might be fond of Tallulah, but he had no intention of letting Winona go. She belonged to him, and she was meant to stay by his side.

Yulen saw nothing wrong with this line of thinking. After all, in his world, it wasn’t unusual for a successful man to have more than one woman in his life.

His phone vibrated with a text from Tallulah. Not wanting the screen’s light to disturb Winona, he quietly slipped out of the room.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Winona’s eyes slowly opened. She hadn't been asleep at all. She had only pretended to be asleep because she couldn’t bear talking to him. He disgusted her so much she had nothing left to say. Lying in this bed felt disgusting, but for Helena, she had to endure it for now.

*

The next morning, Winona went downstairs for breakfast.

“I have a tennis match with Victor Clark today to discuss a partnership,” Yulen said. “Do you want to come with me?”

He had never taken her to business functions before, likely because he felt her family background wasn't impressive enough.

Winona didn’t want to go, but the thought of staying in this suffocating house was even worse, so she nodded. “Alright.”

At the tennis club, Winona saw Victor accompanied by two young, scantily clad women.

Victor’s eyes lit up when he saw her. “New girlfriend?” he asked Yulen.

“My wife, Winona Jowett,” Yulen replied, his voice firm.

Victor blinked. He was sure he’d seen Yulen with Tallulah before, and hadn’t he introduced Tallulah as his wife last time? A knowing, suggestive smile quickly spread across his face. He understood. The term “wife” was probably just a pet name for a lover. He would see but not say.

Though Winona’s foot had healed, it was still too soon for her to play tennis. She sat with Victor’s companions, watching the men on the court.

When one of the women went to the restroom, the other leaned over. “I’m Lyra. How did you and Mr. Locke meet?”