We’re obviously not on the same page. I’m unhappy with how he deals with the issue and his attitude, but he’s disgruntled that his feelings are not reciprocated. He looks dejected and heartbroken.
Deep down, Winnie knew what Xavier said was true.
Her feelings for him were not as strong, and his aggressive response burdened her as if a weight had just landed on her heart.
She was at a loss for words as a sense of suffocation washed over her.
Despite all the rough storms Winnie had been through, never before had she felt such a choking sensation.
The uneasiness drove her to shake Xavier’s hands off, but despite feeling her repulsion, the man clenched his grip tighter around her shoulders.
He dared not let her go, for he had a feeling that if he let her free that day, he would never be able to stay by her side anymore.
The tightness on Winnie’s chest intensified as Xavier clung to her, and she looked at him with a frown.
“Let me go first. We’ll talk somewhere else.”
When he saw the frown on her brows, he finally relented.
“I have nothing else to say,” Xavier noted, his voice hoarse and his eyes red.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lied and talked to you like that. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Would you go home with me? I can follow you home, too. It doesn’t make a difference.”
“Xavier!” Winnie had never seen him giving in like that before.
To her, he had always been a proud and confident—or even arrogant and assertive man. Although there were times when he would talk gently to her, his change of attitude made Winnie see him in a new light. She suddenly felt attracted to him, but she did not know how to react because she had never seen him speak so penitently to her before.
“You’re not the person I know anymore. Perhaps I don’t know you well enough. Could you let me go first, Xavier? Let’s talk somewhere else.”
Winnie could well break herself free from his grip, but she was worried that that might strain Xavier’s leg, so she resorted to earnest persuasion, yet her words fell on stony ground.
Every ounce of Xavier’s being wanted to pull her into his arms, and he could not resist that urge.
His arms hardened around her as if he wanted to crush her.
“I’ve already apologized. What else do you want me to do?” Xavier asked, his arms tightening around the woman.
At that point, he was on the verge of begging her desperately.
“Let’s move on and pretend like nothing happened today,” he continued.
“Let me go, Xavier,” Winnie insisted. She was feeling out of breath. “We can’t just pretend as if nothing happened. We need to face and overcome it instead of running away. It’s not something you’d do.”
“Yes. It is not my style to run away, but you’re driving me crazy, Winnie! Can’t you see that I’m in pain?”
Winnie felt that man had indeed lost his mind. “Xavier! You’re hurting me!”
Again, her words fell on deaf ears when Xavier’s arms tautened around her body.
Christopher had been staying out of their fight all that while since he figured he should not get involved in Xavier and Winnie’s relationship. Still, when he saw that Xavier refused to let Winnie go despite making her uncomfortable, he decided to intervene.
“Mr. Fairchild,” he weighed in, taking a step forward and holding Xavier’s shoulder, “please let her go. You’re hurting her.”
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