Chapter 689 Already Transferred Affection
They were all such small things, so small that he couldn't even remember them. But Winona did. She remembered the most from the time right after they got married. She remembered when he came home, the things he said to her—none of which were particularly kind.
She even remembered him holding her hand as they navigated through the seedy underground boxing club to find the loan shark and clear the debts that were suffocating her.
She said that back then, he seemed to shine in her eyes.
At that time, she was still new to everything, not yet numb. After Carlos slapped her, she was heartbroken and didn't have the mind to notice if anyone was following her.
"Are you serious? In the middle of the night, instead of going home to sleep, you watched me cry," she said.
Zachary's tone was as usual, with no hint of seeking credit: "It was late, and the amusement park is in a remote area. It wasn't safe for a girl like you."
Winona remembered clearly. After venting that night, she went home alone. If she hadn't read Zachary's diary last night, she wouldn't have known he was secretly protecting her from a distance.
"I cried for so long, and you didn't even come over to offer a tissue or a few comforting words."
He pressed his lips together. "You had tissues, a big pack of them. You cried for over three hours and still had more than half left."
Winona stared at him with an indescribable look. After a while, she spoke with a hint of despair, "Did you ever think that if you had come to comfort me back then, instead of watching from afar, we might have a kid in elementary school by now? If you were a bit more proactive, we might even have three."
Back then, she lived like an orphan. Her mom had died, her dad had moved on, and the home they had lovingly renovated together was taken over. No matter how indifferent she appeared, she was hurting inside.
If Zachary had entered her life then, treating her as he did now, she might have fallen for him long ago.
Zachary's face darkened, and his voice turned cold. "Back then, you liked Matthew. As long as he was around, you couldn't see anyone else."
At that time, the Sullivan family hadn't yet fallen into debt. She and Matthew were childhood sweethearts, their feelings pure and deep. She hadn't experienced the pain of his abandonment, so she hadn't given up on him.
If he had approached her then, all he would have gotten was her gratitude and dependence. Even if there were romantic feelings, they wouldn't surpass those for Matthew.
Matthew was still the best in her eyes, elegant and noble. Some people in their circle, spurred by Layla, bullied and isolated her. But as long as Matthew was there, they wouldn't dare target her.
Zachary and she hadn't even spoken much. He wasn't confident he could make her fall for him in such dire circumstances.
He had no interest in being her backup, nor did he want her to be with him out of gratitude, leaving Matthew as a painful regret in her heart.
Winona didn't know about Zachary's complicated thoughts. She just thought he was silly. "Then why didn't you refuse when we got married, even though there were no feelings involved?"
They had reached the first amusement ride. Zachary tightened his grip on her hand and led her to the line. "It was different back then."
Winona compared it in her mind. No feelings involved, how was it different? This comparison made her feel a pang somewhere in her body.
The music overhead stopped, signaling the end of the previous ride. Once everyone had exited, the staff opened the gate.
The first ride was the spinning teacups.
Winona didn't continue the previous topic. Instead, she excitedly pulled Zachary inside.
Although she no longer liked amusement parks and wouldn't come here when feeling down, Zachary thought she did, so she let him believe it.
Zachary's memories of amusement parks were from when he was very young, and only that one time. He wasn't interested, so Lydia never took him again.
They fastened their seatbelts, and after the staff checked, the ride started with a 'ding.'
The slight weightlessness and dizzying speed made Winona's muscles tense. It had been a long time since she played, and she felt a bit nervous.
There were excited screams around them, and Winona joined in, cheering, excited, and jubilant.
Zachary turned to look at her. Her delicate features became more animated with each scream, so beautiful he couldn't look away.
After the ride, Winona, who had been a bit nervous at first, seemed suddenly exhilarated. She grabbed Zachary's hand and eagerly headed to the next ride.
"Let's go on the roller coaster! This park's roller coaster is famous for being super thrilling, fast, and steep. One ride, and you'll never forget it."
Zachary couldn't remember if he'd ever been on a roller coaster, but even if he had, the equipment from over twenty years ago wouldn't compare to now. "Do we really have to ride that?"
Though they were still a bit far from the roller coaster, the massive, winding structure stood out among the lower buildings, visible from anywhere in the park.
Winona clung to Zachary's arm, her weight leaning on him. Her face was visibly excited. "Isn't it a must-do at an amusement park? If you don't want to, you can wait for me down here. It only goes around twice, very quick."
The park was huge, and to avoid wasting time and energy walking back and forth, they played their way over.
From a distance, it hadn't seemed so imposing. But standing beneath it now, hearing the wheels on the tracks and the piercing screams, Zachary finally felt a bit of nervousness, tightening his grip on her hand.
The wind from the passing coaster brushed their cheeks.
Winona felt his hand tighten around hers. She didn't force him to join her.
After all, fear of heights and weightlessness doesn't care about your wealth. She pointed to a food cart. "You can grab a bite there and wait for me."
She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek without hesitation.
There were many people in line, and most saw this, but many were couples and used to such scenes, so it didn't cause much of a stir.
Without thinking, Zachary tightened his grip on her hand again. "I'll go with you."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
