Chapter 7

Winona and Connor got to their feet. They walked out of the room and made their way toward the source of the commotion. When they made it to the front desk, they saw a man with bloodshot eyes brandishing a knife. A doctor was lying on the floor, and he was covered in blood. The man with the knife was holding a woman hostage as he backed away one step at a time. Connor dashed forward and roared, "Let go of her!" It turned out that the woman who had been taken hostage was none other than Sadie. When Sadie spotted Connor, she shrieked, "Save me, Connor!" Their surroundings had been plunged into chaos. The man kept swinging his knife wildly, preventing the security guards from getting close. During a critical moment, Connor grabbed Winona's wrist and shoved her into the fray. The knife ended up slicing a gash across her chest. Taking advantage of the small opening that Winona had created, Connor lunged forward and delivered a powerful kick at the man, sending him soaring through the air. He then pulled Sadie to him, who was still crying her eyes out. Connor's eyes were bloodshot when he pulled Sadie into his embrace. His voice was shaking with fear as he murmured, "It's okay. It's okay now. Don't be scared, Sadie." The security guards failed to apprehend the man Connor had kicked aside. That man's eyes burned with rage as he tried to stab Sadie's back with his knife. Connor finally snapped back to his senses when he heard the onlookers scream. He kept Sadie tucked within his embrace as he spun around at the last second, using his back to take the full brunt of the man's attack. The explosive pain caused his face to turn deathly pale. However, he still forced himself to smile and comfort Sadie, saying, "Don't be scared, Sadie. I'm fine…" Winona suddenly burst into laughter as she watched the entire scene unfold from where she was lying on the ground. Tears blurred her vision as they streamed down her face. She couldn't stop laughing even though the gash across her chest was throbbing terribly. The physical pain was incomparable to the pain that was tearing her heart in two. Connor didn't spare Winona a single glance, even after the attacker was taken away and even when he was placed on a stretcher and wheeled away. He had completely forgotten about her existence. Connor didn't visit her for the next few days, using the excuse that he needed to rest for his wounds to recover. He also only sent her a few flippant messages to apologize for what he had done to her that day. Surprisingly, Zack visited Winona every day. His tone was distant but polite when he explained, "Connor's injury is quite severe. But he's still worried about you, so he asked me to watch over you in his place." He would linger in her ward for around 30 minutes, quietly doing his work on the couch. … One day, after Zack left, Winona heard Connor's voice coming from outside the door. "Thank you for appeasing Winona for me, Zack. I wouldn't have had the time to stay by Sadie's side if you hadn't helped me. Truth be told, I figured out who your first love is recently. It's Sadie, isn't it?" Zack was silent for a few moments before he replied, "Yes. Do you remember how I was abducted seven years ago, Connor? The abductors stabbed me a dozen times before tossing me into a sack and leaving me on the outskirts of the city. "If Sadie hadn't saved me then, I probably wouldn't be here right now. I swore to protect her for the rest of my life from that day forth. "I know that the two of you are in love with each other, Connor. It's why I'll respect your relationship and give you my blessings. However—" He paused briefly. His voice had taken on a warning edge when he continued, "If you hurt Sadie in any way, I won't forgive you." Winona's eyes widened in surprise. A flurry of turbulent emotions was raging in her heart. Seven years ago, when she drove to the outskirts of the city to sketch, she came across a man who had been stabbed dozens of times. She used every bit of strength she had to save the man and send him to the hospital. Before the man lost consciousness, he gave her a fountain pen. Winona had only told her family about this incident. Later, the fountain pen that she always kept at home suddenly disappeared. However, she hadn't spent too much time thinking about it. The first time she met Zack as his arranged marriage partner, she had immediately recognized him. She had thought that fate had brought them together again, which prompted her to do her best to get close to him. But in the end, he always gave her the cold shoulder. It seemed that Gerard had stolen the fountain pen and given it to Sadie, which resulted in her taking the credit for saving Zack's life. Winona found this entire situation incredibly ridiculous. She wondered how Zack would react if he found out the truth—that the woman he kept avoiding and personally delivered to Connor's bed was actually his savior. He had even racked his brains with so many ways to break off the engagement. And so, Winona became determined to make sure that he found out the truth.