Chapter 173 Asking to Get Remarried
It all happened in an instant. Winona Sullivan hadn't anticipated any danger as she fixated on the knife aimed at Austin.
Despite the onlookers, no one dared to intervene with a knife involved.
Winona grabbed a stick from a nearby vendor and charged, smacking the assailants fervently.
After Austin subdued the last of them, he wrapped an arm around Winona, pulling her close and grabbing the stick from her hand to prevent any bystanders from getting hurt. "Enough, Winona. They've scattered."
The patrolling police quickly apprehended the troublemakers. Examining the tear in Austin's clothes, which revealed a silver of blood despite the black fabric, Winona urged, "We need to get you to the hospital."
Recently, it seemed like she couldn't escape the bad luck, always ending up near a hospital.
"It's just a minor cut. It'll heal by tomorrow," he insisted, trying to gauge the severity. He couldn't let himself be taken down by thugs and then need a hospital visit.
"I won't take no for an answer," Winona furrowed her brows.
Austin relented, "Alright, patch me up then. There's a 24-hour drugstore beneath our hotel."
Back at the hotel, Austin showered before grabbing the medical supplies and seeking Winona.
Clad only in a T-shirt, he lifted the hem and effortlessly peeled it off.
The cut across his chest, the length of a finger, had whitened from the shower, blood seeping out in thin streams. It looked threatening, though not serious.
Winona disinfected the wound with a cotton swab soaked in iodine solution.
Meanwhile, Rebecca Davis was sifting through her photos from the day to post on Facebook. Spotting the scene, she casually captured a video.
Austin, a military man, had that perfect build: beefy with clothes off yet trim with them on. The clean lines of his muscles flowed seamlessly, the alluring "Adonis belt" vanishing beneath his waistband, every inch exuding masculine allure.
As Winona tended to his cuts, the contrast between her slender, pale fingers and his bronzed musculature painted an image charged with raw intensity.
After tweaking the color balance, Rebecca uploaded the heated moment to her Facebook, captioning it: "Embracing post-divorce jo with my knight in shining armor."
With no faces revealed, the photo sparked a flurry of comments: "New flame? Damn, look at that physique!"
"When did you tie the knot?"
Rebecca answered them all: "That's my bestie, celebrating her escape from a jerk ex."
As for Zachary Bailey, she had added him on Facebook long ago, but since then, he had remained silent, never liking, responding, or messaging.
But Rebecca Davis knew he must have been secretly watching the Facebook post she made tonight.
The next day, the group ventured to Yellowstone National Park, stumbling upon an animated area bustling with people at the site of what appeared to be a tribal ceremony.
Winona Sullivan wasn't intrigued in the commotion, opting instead for a quiet ascent. When she and Rebecca Davis reached the resting area, they were exhausted and settled down to grab a bite.
Austin approached with a small bundle of sage, "I heard making a wish here works wonders. Let's give it a shot later."
Winona glanced at the couples around them and remained silent.
"A wish is just a start; time will tell if it works," he said, handing her the sage, "Come on, burn this and wish for smooth sailing ahead."
Winona didn't respond. Lately, she'd felt particularly unlucky. She passed the sage to Rebecca Davis, "You in on this?"
Rebecca showed her aching feet, "Spare me; I can barely move. You guys go on without me; I'll wait here."
She had no intention of being a third wheel, especially not after that Facebook post the night before.
Couples mostly surrounded them halfway through the trail. Austin reached for Winona's hand, "Should we blend in a bit? Everyone's hand in hand, all lovey-dovey, and we stand out awkwardly in the middle."
Winona was about to respond when her phone rang.
She checked the caller ID—Melissa—and frowned before hanging up.
Within minutes, a voicemail from Melissa arrived, frantic to the point of altering her voice: "Winona Sullivan, you ungrateful soul, how could you dig up your grandfather's grave behind my back!"
Winona was left in shock.
Her expression darkened, and she called Zachary Bailey without a second thought.
No answer after several attempts.
Unsure whether Zachary was ignoring her or genuinely hadn't heard, she apologized to Austin and headed back.
Austin grabbed her arm, his brows furrowed, "What's going on?"
"I need to get back to New York urgently; you and Rebecca enjoy your time here."
Austin looked at her, "Stay a little longer with me."
Winona wriggled free from his grasp, "Some other time; I have to go now."
Her coat brushed against Austin's outstretched fingers as she turned, still lingering in the air.
The man watched her disappear into the crowd, his fingers slowly clenching into a fist. After a few seconds, he caught up in a few strides, "Let me walk you."
Just moments ago, Austin had made a New Year's wish in his heart, hoping the girl he liked would feel the same about him.
New York, a cemetery.
Samuel Anderson yawned, his impatience making him feel like kicking someone. "If you're wooing a woman, do it the right way, damn it. Why the hell are you moving her grandfather's grave?"
Zachary Bailey looked at him expressionlessly. "Who said I'm pursuing her?"
"You're not? Then why are you relocating the Sullivan family patriarch's grave to the Bailey family plot? Are you trying to piss off your future wife or make things difficult for Winona Sullivan?"
After all, no one wants to visit their relatives' graves and bump into an ex's family.
"The old man was sociable; he wouldn't like being in a place like that."
Weeds overgrowing the solitary and lonely plots, a bird's mess on the headstone, and no sign of visitation suggested that perhaps they had never been attended to.
She probably wouldn't even want to spend money on a wedding or repairs, given Clara's temperament.
Zachary Bailey continued, "Moreover, Winona Sullivan was Mrs. Bailey for three years. If people knew her grandfather was buried in such a neglected spot, it'd embarrass the Bailey family."
Samuel Anderson sneered at him, "If you want to remarry her, just apologize and win her back the right way."
"She was the one who wanted the divorce. I just obliged her. It's not like I did anything wrong. Why should I apologize?"
"You don't expect Winona Sullivan to come apologizing and ask for a reunion, do you?"
"Shouldn't she?"
Samuel Anderson glanced at Walter's photo on the tombstone. "If I were Winona Sullivan, I'd slap you across your face!"
His words had barely faded when the screech of tires cut through the air.
Winona Sullivan flung open her car door, fury emanating from her as she strode towards them, her coat billowing and rustling the leaves on the trees beside her.
Her eyes immediately fixed on the tombstone with Walter's photo. "Zachary Bailey, what are you doing?"
Looking down at her flushed, angry face, Zachary Bailey replied calmly, "Didn't you want to give your grandfather a picturesque and lively final resting place? In light of our past marriage, I took the liberty of fulfilling that wish for you."
A fierce rage blazed in Winona Sullivan's eyes. "I want to know, why did you take it upon yourself to move my grandfather's grave here?"
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