When Two Winters Met (Henrietta and Yosef) novel Chapter 341

Henrietta’s expression turned to ice. “What’s there for me to be afraid of? I’m simply not interested. What’s the point of digging up the past? Don’t try to use history to manipulate me; I’m not falling for it. I’ll say this one last time: either get out on your own, or wait for the police to escort you out.”

Joaquin wasn't threatened in the slightest, his smug confidence unshaken.

“No rush,” he said. “I’ll leave on my own. But Henrietta, don't be so stubborn, and don't put on such a brave face. You’re afraid. If you weren’t, why wouldn’t you dare to ask him yourself?”

Henrietta remained silent, her cold gaze locked on him.

He continued, “Yosef is the perfect gentleman. He seems approachable once you get close, but in reality, you can never truly enter his heart, his world. Aren’t you two husband and wife? What are you so afraid of?”

“I know what you're afraid of. You're afraid of shattering this perfect, beautiful facade you have, so you don't dare to ask him to his face. You're scared he’ll suddenly turn on you if you do. That’s why you’re avoiding it.”

Joaquin stared intently at Henrietta, trying to find a flicker of panic or fear in her face, in her eyes.

But he was disappointed again.

Though her face was cold, her expression was calm, and her eyes showed no sign of panic.

In truth, Henrietta was seriously considering his words.

Was she… really afraid?

Was she avoiding it?

If… if she wasn’t avoiding it, why hadn't she asked Yosef directly?

Perhaps Joaquin was right.

She didn't want to break the beautiful, perfect peace they’d always had, that sense of mutual respect.

But so what if she was?

She still remembered clearly the original purpose of their marriage and the things they had said to each other.

Her temper flared again, but Joaquin just laughed and nodded. “Fine. Let’s see how long you can keep this up. A marriage of convenience is just that—you’re a couple, but not a real one.”

“A couple in a marriage of convenience treats each other with polite distance, putting on a show while living separate lives. Any affection is just superficial. It’s nothing like marrying for love, for a real emotional connection. Right, Ms. Sargent?”

Henrietta didn't reply. Joaquin, however, stood up. “It would have been better if I had just kept visiting you in your office every day. At least I’ve liked you for years, waited for you, but in the end, you didn’t choose me. Instead, you chose a man who… never had a single shred of feeling for you from the very beginning.”

As Joaquin spoke, his smile grew more mocking. “And speaking of feelings, he probably felt more for my sister. They dated for half a year, after all. He even proposed to her twice.”

At that last sentence, Henrietta’s eyes widened slightly.

“Ms. Sargent,” Joaquin said, “my words may be harsh, but it seems you’ve just jumped from one pit into another.”

Henrietta took a deep breath and finally spoke. “So what if it was twice? Your sister didn’t marry him in the end, did she?”

Joaquin laughed again. “It’s not that my sister wanted to marry him and couldn't. It’s that my sister rejected him twice. He… was the one who failed to win her hand.”