Chapter 154 Reasons for Divorce: Male Impediments
Austin Robinson chuckled, "You've been zoning out with that glass of juice for half an hour now. If you really can't part with it..." He paused, then with genuine sentiment suggested, "Consider moving on to someone new. Like me, I'm not a bad catch. I can charm and stand up in a fight, suitable for the bedroom. I could learn my way around the kitchen, and I don't mind if you're a bit dull. If you don’t snap me up, someone else will."
Winona Sullivan laughed heartily, shaking her head. "No can do. You're a friend."
"So, you're into these prissy guys?" Austin Robinson quipped as his gaze shifted to Rebecca Davis.
Winona Sullivan set down her juice, which had grown warm from her grasp, and gave a languid yawn. "Not interested, so I'm heading back to sleep."
The effects of pulling an all-nighter could leave you feeling off for days.
Rebecca Davis stood up when she heard Winona was leaving. "Well, let's go together then. This get-together was for your sake, to help you unwind. If the guest of honor bails, what's the point of us hanging around?"
The group filed out of the private room, and as if jinxed by her own desire to avoid him, Winona Sullivan bumped into Zachary Bailey at the elevator.
It wasn't just him, Fiona, Matthew Watson, and Samuel Anderson were there too.
Winona mused about her bad luck but made no effort to avoid them, focusing straight ahead, as if they didn't exist.
The elevator, for some reason, was stuck on the first floor and the numbers on the display hadn't budged in a while.
Fiona broke the silence, her voice carrying a chill wrapped in sweetness, "Winona, what a coincidence to run into you here."
Silence.
Winona didn't respond, and the already tense atmosphere grew visibly chillier.
Fiona shifted uncomfortably. "Winona, if you misunderstood something about last night, I've already explained..."
"Sorry," Austin cut in, pulling Winona close and stepping in front of her. "Miss, can't you see she's not interested in talking?"
He'd dug up those gossip columns before and knew Fiona was rumored to be Zachary Bailey's latest flame.
Fiona's eyes reddened, her lips forming a straight, pale line. She turned her head, portraying a mix of hurt and defiance towards Zachary Bailey, who returned her look with a gaze that was three parts mocking and seven parts indifferent.
Austin followed Fiona's gaze to Zachary Bailey, his lips curling in a disdainful smile, "Mr. Bailey, you sure have... unique taste."
Zachary responded coolly, "Mr. Robinson, you're the one who's thick-skinned and clueless. Others clearly don't appreciate your company, yet you insist on hovering around."
The words stung like thorns, and Winona Sullivan furrowed her brow. "Zachary Bailey, even if you feel the need to take sides, at least open your eyes and see who started this mess."
She knew Austin Robinson had only snapped at Fiona to free her from harassment; she couldn't just stand by as they targeted someone who never played dirty.
Her gaze landed defiantly on Fiona, scorn filling her eyes. "Miss Clark, you really didn’t have to beat around the bush. The way you put it, someone might think I've done something terrible to you. You and Zachary Bailey almost hooked up last night until I walked in on you two. He’s shielding you now, hardly mentioning a word about it, so maybe you should use your head a little more and not waste his misguided loyalty by blabbing about it like it's something to be proud of.”
Years of feuding with the Sullivan family had honed Winona’s sharp tongue. She delivered her monologue without faltering and then aimed her barbs at Zachary. “Keep your girl in check. Being annoying is one thing, but she doesn’t need to get up in everyone’s face.”
The elevator 'dinged', reaching their floor.
Seizing Rebecca Davis’s hand, Winona stepped into the elevator, addressing the approaching Samuel Anderson. “Mr. Anderson, it's getting crowded. Mind taking the next one?” Without waiting for a reply, she briskly pressed the 'close door' button.
Left outside were Samuel Anderson, Zachary Bailey, and a teary-eyed, sniffling Fiona.
Austin's car keys jingled as Winona pressed the buttons for the basement and ground floor, then turned to him, “Rebecca and I will grab a cab. You've had a few drinks. Get a ride-share and be safe.”
Matthew Watson barely beat Austin in responding. "I'll take you girls home."
"No need," Austin countered. "Wait for me at the entrance, it’s late and unsafe for ladies to cab alone."
Both men insisted at the same time.
Winona massaged her temples, a headache brewing.
Rebecca hugged her. “Give it a rest, will you? Let us girls have some space. If you want to win her over, you need to ease up, not cling like... well, a clingy person.”
Austin shrugged, candid and cool. “If I don’t stick close, she’d forget me in a flash.”
Despite his words, he didn’t insist on accompanying them. "Text me when you get there," he said, and then he was gone.
The following day, Winona Sullivan slept in until noon. She languished in bed, her gaze drifting upward to the ornate chandelier overhead. It took her a moment to remember that she had stayed at Rebecca Davis's place the night before.
She had probably overslept, feeling utterly drained of energy. Pulling out her cellphone, she casually flicked through Facebook, where she stumbled upon a post mentioning her name.
"Mr. and Mrs. Bailey, drama in paradise?"
The photo was from the previous night's spat with Zachary Bailey right in front of the nightclub’s elevator. Due to the dim lighting, their faces were just barely discernible—but clearly, both were stone cold with anger.
Winona skimmed through it and dropped a comment, "Not just drama, divorce," then tossed her phone aside without giving it a second thought. After freshening up, she was completely unaware that her casual remark had ignited an explosive reaction on Facebook, transforming the post into a viral sensation.
Emerging from the bathroom, her phone was inundated with Facebook notifications—now too numerous to ignore.
Opening her messages, she found her inbox overrun with criticisms:
"How dare you smear Fiona when you couldn't keep your own husband."
"You're vile. Fiona clarified she’s just friends with Mr. Bailey, and here you are misleading everyone."
"Apologize to our Fiona publicly, or I’m getting a lawyer for your defamation."
Baffled, Winona clicked back to her comment and saw the reactions pouring in.
The fans swarmed her with vitriolic attacks. Whoever had posted seemed young and was nearly in tears by the latest responses.
Winona couldn't escape the shadow of these two, haunting her every step. Flicking through her phone or browsing the web offered no reprieve from their persistent presence.
Without missing a beat, she fired back, "The man's impotent—a failure at marital duties. Kudos to the little fairy who took him off my hands, saving me from that debacle."
Five minutes later, that very post exploded into a battleground of words, crashing not just with comments, but seemingly bringing down Facebook itself!
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