Chapter 2

Winona had just ended the call when a car that slowly drove past her caught her attention. She could see Zack's side profile through the window that was slightly rolled down. He wore a gentle smile as he gazed at a woman who had her back toward Winona. In the three years when they were engaged, Winona had never seen this side of Zack. He had always been like a massive glacier. No matter what she did to get closer to him, he was completely unmoved by her efforts. Zack always carried himself with an icy demeanor. Even when their engagement was called off, he simply ordered his assistant to deliver the news to her. Winona had no idea why she did it, but she hailed a cab to follow Zack's car. Perhaps she was being driven by the conversation she had overheard outside the private room and wanted to know who Zack's first love was. Zack's car drove out of the city until it stopped in front of the Lowe residence. Winona was silent for a moment as she stared at her so-called home that she hadn't set foot in for the past three years. She then rushed inside. When she made it to the living room, she saw her stepmother, Hannah Jordan, hugging a young woman affectionately. The two women turned toward Winona when they heard the sounds of movement, allowing Winona to catch a glimpse of the face that she hated with every fiber of her being. "What are you doing here, Sadie?" she asked in an icy voice. "Sadie is Gerard's and my biological daughter," Hannah retorted. "Now that she's back in the country, it's only natural for her to stay at home." "Biological daughter?" Winona felt as if an explosion had been set off in her head. It turned out that the woman who falsely accused Scott of assaulting her was Gerard's biological daughter, who was also the illegitimate daughter that he had been raising away from home for many years. Sadie smiled as she rose to her feet. She walked over to Winona and extended her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Winona." When Sadie raised her arm, Winona caught a glimpse of an emerald bracelet around her wrist. Her eyes widened when she got a good look at it. She grabbed her wrist and exclaimed, "How did you get your hands on this bracelet?" "Dad gave this to me as a welcoming gift," Sadie explained while wearing an innocent expression. "Is something wrong?" Winona's eyes reddened. The emerald bracelet was a family heirloom passed down in Alice's family. Alice had left it for Winona so she could wear it during her wedding ceremony. When Winona had been chased out of the Lowe residence, her one request had been to take the emerald bracelet with her. However, Gerard refused to give it to her no matter what she said. It turned out that he had planned to give the bracelet to Sadie as a welcoming gift all along. Winona's chest heaved with anger. She gripped Sadie's hand tightly and yanked the bracelet off her wrist. The immense force she exerted ended up leaving a red mark on Sadie's hand. Sadie stumbled backward and collapsed to the floor when Winona let go of her. She then cradled her hand close to her and started sobbing. "How dare you!" Gerard rushed downstairs after witnessing the entire scene unfold. He made a beeline for Winona before slapping her across the face. Winona didn't react fast enough to dodge out of the way of his slap and staggered to the floor. The bracelet collided against the floor and broke into several pieces with a loud noise. Winona's knuckles turned white as she stared at the broken bracelet. She crawled back to her feet and picked up the broken pieces with reddened eyes, tucking them away safely. She then strode over to the antique shelf and grabbed the heaviest vase. "What do you think you're doing?" Gerard roared, shielding Hannah and Sadie behind him. "Stop!" "Winnie, stop!" Two anxious voices called out at the same time. Winona looked up and saw Zack descending the stairs with hurried steps. He looked panicked and worried. She had never seen him so emotional. He probably wouldn't show this side of himself to her even if a car rammed into her and sent her flying right in front of him. She bit her lip harshly. It turned out that Zack's first love was none other than Sadie. Winona turned to look in the direction of the door and made eye contact with Connor, whose eyes were filled with anxiety and suppressed anger. She felt as if her heart was pricked by needles. A frosty smile stretched across her lips before she hurled the vase with all the strength she could muster.