Chapter 196 Can You Keep Your Distance?
Before Winona could speak, the other person began yelling, "Are you blind? Do you know how hard it was to get this dress? If it gets dirty, selling you off wouldn't even cover it.”
That voice sounded familiar, perhaps Stella.
Looking up, indeed, there she was in a black, sultry mermaid dress, though lacking the curves to truly pull it off. Using a phrase that had recently gone viral, was simply ridiculous.
Stella looked at Winona with disdain, arms crossed, putting on airs despite being shorter, "Oh, if it isn't Mr. Bailey's ex-wife. How did someone with no status or family background like you sneak into an event like this? Surely you haven't latched onto some sap?"
Winona, just there to make an appearance with Caleb's invitation, didn't feel like trading jabs with a dimwit like Stella and shut her down with one line ”Zachary Bailey doesn’t like women who are too chatty, nor does he care for those who cause scenes like fishwives in public.”
Stella glanced around reflexively, relieved to find nobody was watching before she hissed in her own defense, "You're talking nonsense. If you really knew what type Mr. Bailey likes, why would he dump you?"
Winona Sullivan didn't bother with a response; she breezed past Stella to the drinks station.
Staring after her, Stella couldn't understand Mr. Bailey’s choice. Winona Sullivan lacked both wealth and family connections, and while she was pretty, she was certainly not irreplaceable. What did he see in her that made him want to marry her?
She wasn't naive. For a man like Zachary Bailey, threats were useless unless he intended to marry the woman.
Was it because of her job?
An art restorer.
That did sound rather impressive.
Stella picked up a glass of plain water, "Winona Sullivan..."
Winona Sullivan, choosing a drink with her head down, whirled around at someone's approach, her gaze wary.
Stella was right behind her, and as Winona turned, she bumped into Stella's hand.
The rim of the glass tilted, spilling water over Winona’s hand.
"Hisss!"
The water was initially boiling, but it had cooled down slightly. Still, it scalded the skin, leaving a burning sensation.
"Ah..."
The scream wasn't from Winona Sullivan but from Stella.
Her wrist was gripped tightly, the skin visibly bruising with shades of purple, and one could almost hear the nauseating crunch of bones being crushed.
Stella’s face contorted in pain, her screams growing more agonized.
Zachary Bailey's icy voice came out clipped and fierce, "You’re asking for it."
Trembling with fear and pain, Stella barely managed a whimper, "Zach..."
Before she could finish, Zachary Bailey shoved her away. She hit the drinks table hard, overturning an array of colorful beverages that soaked her from head to toe.
It all happened in seconds—some onlookers hadn't even processed the scene before Zachary was pulling Winona toward the restroom.
The cold water washed over her reddened fingers, the burning finally subsiding but replaced by the bone-chilling cold of the season, leaving her fingers numb.
Winona Sullivan curled her fingers, turned off the water, and almost half a minute later, the cold retreated but the burning sensation swept back.
She flipped the faucet on again, letting the cool water soothe her fingers.
Apart from initially instructing the waiter to buy burn ointment, Zachary Bailey could only stand on the sidelines helplessly, calling his family doctor who said that if the burn wasn't severe, the best course of action was to run it under water and apply ointment. There wasn't a better solution even at the hospital.
The pain persisted.
Winona kept her head down, her long hair falling over her face, concealing her expression and emotions from Zachary’s sight.
The unrestrained sound of running water filled his ears.
At that moment, facing the overly silent woman, an inexplicable panic and helplessness surged within him, "Winona, I—"
He wanted to say he’d definitely get justice for her.
But Winona Sullivan cut him off, her voice eerily calm, "Can you keep your distance? As an ex-wife who has nothing to do with you anymore, I shouldn’t have to suffer because of you. Not even Dou E was as wronged as I am."
She took a deep breath, seemingly trying to stabilize her emotions: "I guess I’ve hit a streak of bad luck this year, attracting all sorts of misfortunes. If you stay this close, I'm afraid I won’t make it through the year."
Zachary Bailey stared at her with a stormy expression "You’re blaming me for this?"
He hadn’t exchanged a single word with that woman Stella. Upon realizing Mitchell's scheme, he had even rejected the idea of their families cooperating.
Winona Sullivan remained silent, her energy drained, not in the mood for argument.
The pain from the burn was bothersome enough, injuring the hands she valued as much as her life.
"Winona Sullivan, be reasonable. Stella is the one who hurt you, not me. Why take it out on me? And the things Matthew Watson and Austin did, should I blame you for those too?"
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