Chapter 2

The always composed and disciplined Caleb suddenly lunged forward, driving his foot hard into the stomach of the leading thug. He unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, his usual calm elegance completely gone. His movements were raw, almost primal, his eyes blazing with a fierce menace Winona had never seen before. The thugs were quickly overwhelmed, screaming and begging as they fled in panic. Caleb didn't bother going after them. Instead, he turned sharply to check on the young woman. "Did you get hurt?" The woman looked up, her reddened eyes glaring at him. "Caleb Solt! You said you wouldn't get involved with me anymore. Why are you even here?" Without a word, Caleb wrapped his arms tightly around her. Still visibly angry, the woman struggled against him. Then, tilting her head, she bit down on his neck. Winona watched as Caleb winced in pain, yet his arms around the woman didn't loosen. He looked down at her, and in his eyes, Winona saw something she had never witnessed before—a storm of pain, sorrow, helplessness, and an overwhelming, inescapable depth of affection. Rooted to the spot, Winona felt a chill crawl from her feet to the top of her head, freezing every muscle in her body. In just 15 minutes, she had seen a torrent of emotions on his face—anxiety, fury, tension, pain, sorrow, love, and deep affection—emotions she had never been able to stir in him, no matter how hard she tried. All the feelings she longed for but could never claim surged forth, directed entirely at the woman in his arms. That rigid, silent iceberg, frozen for years, had erupted violently for another woman. What was Winona to him, then? She didn't know how long she stood there, surrounded by rowdy music and hazy lights. It wasn't until Caleb carefully escorted the woman out of the bar that she felt as though she had awakened from a nightmare. Her hand trembled as she pulled out her phone, texting her well-connected childhood friend and attaching the photo she had hurriedly snapped earlier. "Find out who she is, and what her relationship with Caleb Solt is." By the time she arrived home in a daze, her friend had already sent the information. Sitting on the couch, Winona read slowly. With every line, her heart sank deeper into an icy pit until her heart felt torn apart and crushed. The woman was Miranda Granger, Caleb's junior by two years in university. Back then, she had pursued Caleb relentlessly, enduring countless hardships before finally winning his heart. Once they began dating, Caleb became a different man. He would skip important meetings to drive across half the city just because she wanted a cake from the west side. He booked an entire amusement park for her birthday, opening it just for her. He carried her on his back down long tree-lined paths whenever she pouted. Everyone who knew Caleb said he had finally come alive, brimming with energy and vitality. But when they were madly in love, the Solt family looked down on Miranda's ordinary background and fiercely opposed their relationship. To everyone's shock, Caleb gave up his inheritance and eloped with her. They kissed passionately beneath sunlit, snow-capped mountains, watched the sunrise hand in hand at a lakeside inn in Erhal, and galloped freely across the vast Galburn Desert in the northwest. He joined her in every reckless, wildly romantic escapade. Their love story became a whispered legend among their circle. In the end, the Solt family's men found him and dragged him back. His family used Miranda's life and safety as leverage to force him into submission, warning that if he refused an arranged marriage with a family of equal standing, she would be in danger. He had no choice but to submit. That was why he waited for Winona at the teahouse for five whole hours. That was why he bent down to help her change into slippers, telling her his fiancee only needed to be herself. It wasn't because Winona was special to him. He simply wanted to marry quickly, to appease his family and protect the woman he truly loved. Winona shivered, as though stripped bare and thrown into the snow, every pore filled with biting cold and despair. She could accept that he was cold and rigid by nature. She was willing to wait patiently, to warm him slowly in her own way. But she couldn't accept that all his warmth and emotions belonged to someone else. To him, she was nothing more than a tool to shield his beloved. As a Nander, she had lived freely and boldly for 24 years. Why should she become a stepping stone for him to save his beloved? Her love wasn't that cheap. That very night, Caleb didn't come home. … The next day, Winona waited until daylight filled the sky before heading to the bathroom at 9:00 am. Before the mirror, she carefully applied her finest makeup and slipped into a dazzling red dress. Then she drove to Nander Mansion for the monthly family gathering. When she arrived, Frank immediately noticed she was alone and frowned. "Where is Caleb? Why isn't he here? Did you cause trouble and upset him again?" He pointed at Winona, his tone sharp with frustration. "Look at you—married to a great husband, yet still unsatisfied! Caleb is capable, handsome, and even indulges you. If I'd known you'd be this ungrateful, I would have had Cecilia marry him instead! What a waste of a perfectly good match!" Winona's gaze swept across the living room, landing on her mother, Martha Patterson. Martha was doting on Winona's younger sister, Cecilia Nander, asking whether she was tired from her new job at the company and piling her plate high with her favorite food. That kind of genuine, natural affection was something Winona hadn't felt in years. She gave a cold snort, cutting off Frank's tirade. "Good, then." Everyone turned to stare at her. Winona lifted her chin proudly. Despite the pain tearing through her, she kept her composure. "I came here today to tell you that I want a divorce. Tell the Solt family to finalize it as soon as possible."